Transcript Transfer

Transferand
Traditional
Theory, Transition,
and Transformation
Presented at the
Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference
January 31, 2006
Ed Whipple, Vice President for Student Affairs
Bowling Green State University
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
From Personal
Experience…
At one
campus…
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
GOALS
• Understand the higher education environment
today in which transfers find themselves
• Review who are our transfer students?
• Identify key student development concepts
that apply to transfer students
• Review what research tells us about transfer
students
• Suggest strategies for working with transfer
students
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Short-Term Outlook for
Higher Education
1.Cost
2. Demographics
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Cost
• Today’s four-year graduate can expect to earn
61% more annually than a high-school
graduate
• Today’s two-year graduate will earn 25% more
• State tax revenues nationally fell 10% from
2000 to 2003, and spending cut overall by
3.3%. Higher education appropriations
declined in 36 states.
• For the first quarter of 2005, state tax
revenues grew by 11.7%, compared with
the first quarter in 2004.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Demographics
• 17,350,000 enrolled in
colleges and universities
(Fall 2005)
• 18,650,000 projected (Fall
2010)
• Transfer students will be in
greater numbers due to
the increase of the twoyear population and
changing attitudes,
beliefs, and values
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
The American First-Year Student
(2004, ACE and UCLA Higher Education Research Institute)
Students estimate chances are very good that they will:
• be satisfied with college
51%
• get a job to help pay for college
47%
• participate in student clubs or groups
40%
• communicate regularly with professors
31%
• change a major field
14%
• transfer before graduating
7%
• seek personal counseling
7%
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
The American First-Year Student
(2004, ACE and UCLA Higher Education Research Institute)
Reasons noted as “very important” in
deciding to go to college:
• My parents wanted me to go
42%
• Wanted to get away from home
22%
• I could not find a job
6%
• There was nothing better to do
4%
Transfer and
Traditional
The American First-Year Student
(2005, ACE and UCLA Higher Education Research Institute)
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
College-Going Decisions
• Why go to any college?
… to get away from home
21.7%
… in 1978
8.7%
• Why pick your particular college?
… living near home was a very important
reason in selecting college
18.7%
… an all-time high!
Transfer and
Traditional
The American First-Year Student
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
(2005, ACE and UCLA Higher Education Research Institute)
College-Going Decisions
Parental influence at both ends of the spectrum
• students go to college near home
• students go to college to get away from
home
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
The “Gamer” Generation!
“Gamers” defined:
• high competence; competitive; driven;
committed; multi-tasking; team-oriented
• loyal; immersed in data
• leadership skills; want to be heroes
• personal performance matters
• expect high rewards for created value
• dexterity / good reflexes
• fully engaged; internally motivated
• 90 million individuals are Gamers
• never knew life without video games
• spend more time “gaming” than watching
rented movies
Source: Beck, J. C., & Wade, M. (2004). Got game: How the Gamer generation is reshaping business forever.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
The “Gamer” Generation!
“Gamers” experience the world as:
• Competitive
• Risky
• Difficult
• Social
• Global
• Heroic
• Attention-getting
What implications does this have
for our work with transfer students?
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Issues facing the
undergraduate traditional
transfer student
academic under-preparedness
social deficiencies
dysfunctional families or backgrounds
alcohol or drug abuse history
financial stress
threats to physical, emotional, or
mental well-being
• challenge-of-choice (of major or career)
• geographic preferences
• lack of connection with someone at the
institution
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
First Generation
College Students
• unique set of concerns and
expectations
• institutions need to understand and
validate needs and concerns of
firstgeneration students if they are
to help students transition to college
and achieve educational goals
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Challenges and Opportunities
for a Liberal Education
• students’ predispositions at college entry
inform choices of peers, coursework, and
activities
• unique opportunity to further enhance
citizenship engagement in college with
2005 cohort
• distinct differences in orientations indicate
receptivity to liberal education ideals –
special challenge of monetary gain versus
personal/intellectual development
• assist first generation students in navigating
the physical, social, and intellectual
geographies of campus
• implications?
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Transfer and Traditional:
Facing Similar Challenges
“…a widespread, inchoate sense among
today’s students that the world under
their feet is shaky…” (p. 276)
“…comfort is this generation’s end goal –
one most efficiently reached by avoiding
confrontation…” (p. 277)
Source: Seaman, B. (2005). Binge: What your college student won’t tell you. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Transfer and Traditional:
Facing Similar Challenges
“Most administrators don’t want to take the risk
[of ‘letting’ students ‘grow up’]. Instead, they
are counting on a change in the character of
the young men and women headed their way:
the Millennials.” (p. 278)
“Given the levels of achievement needed to get
into… good schools in the first place, you would
expect that students would feel more pressure
to succeed and might be more constrained in
their behavior.” (p. 277)
Source: Seaman, B. (2005). Binge: What your college student won’t tell you. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
What are some trends on
campuses today among
transfer students?
• more transfer students on campus
• tighter articulation between community
colleges and universities
• community strain on four-year institutions
• different demands on student affairs
• challenges to systems behavior
• emerging theories of student development
Source: Miller, M. T., & Nadler, D. P. (2004). Transfer trends in the future of higher education. In B. C. Jacobs
(Ed.), The college transfer student in America: The forgotten student. Washington, DC: American Association of
Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. (P. 187-201)
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
We can add…
• A need to look at the many issues
students bring with them to our
campuses that impede their academic
success.
• A need to not only anticipate students
who transfer to our campuses, but to
anticipate those who transfer from our
campuses.
• An increased call to quickly assimilate
transfer students, in whatever way,
into the mainstream of institution life.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
How does student development theory
impact transfer students?
Chickering & Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors
of identity development*
• developing competence
• managing emotions
• moving through autonomy towards
interdependence
*Source: Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
How does student development theory
impact transfer students?
Chickering & Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors
of identity development* (continued)
• developing mature
interpersonal relationships
• establishing identity
• developing purpose
• developing integrity
*Source: Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Environmental and Cultural Influences
Environment influences development along
all 7 vectors, particularly with regard to
friendship and student communities.
Residence hall floors, student
organizations, or classroom groups offer the
“regular interactions” among students in
which to encourage this development.
*Source: Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (1995)*
Transition = “any event, or non-event, that results in
changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles.”
(p. 111)
The time needed to achieve successful integration will
vary with the person and the transition. Transitions may
lead to growth, but decline is also a possible outcome…
(p. 111-112)
Transitions consist of phases:
“moving in” / “moving through” / “moving out”
(p. 112)
4 influencing factors:
Situation, Self, Support, Strategies
*Source: Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Transfer and
Traditional
Transfer and Traditional:
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Do we think of
transfer students
as part of a student
development
model?
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
NSSE/CCSSE
How have the National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) and the Community College
Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) help us
learn about student development?
• Community colleges educate diverse students with
diverse goals
• Students have significant demands on their time, and a
range of personal, academic, and financial challenge
• CCSSE 2005: students’ goals for attending a community
college:
-- to obtain an associate’s degree
-- to transfer to a four-year college or university
-- to obtain or update job-related skills
-- to enhance personal skills, self-improvement,
or for personal enjoyment.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
NSSE/CCSSE
How have the National Survey of Student
Engagement (NSSE) and the Community College
Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) help us
learn about student development?
• 60% of community college student are parttime students
• 57% of community college students work
more than 20 hours per week
• 36% of community college students care for
dependents (more than 11 hours per week)
• 21% of community college students
commute (and spend significant time doing
so)
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
NSSE/CCSSE
Campuses use NSSE results to stimulate conversations
about how to enhance student learning and improve
collegiate quality. The following selections highlight key
findings from this year’s [2005] annual survey:
• The single best predictor of student satisfaction with
college is the degree to which they perceive the
college environment to be supportive of their
academic and social needs.
• Almost half (45%) of all seniors took at least one course
from another postsecondary institution prior to
enrolling at their current institution.
• Students who frequently engage in spirituality-enhancing
practices also participate more in a broad crosssection of collegiate activities. (NSSE report, 2005)
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
NSSE/CCSSE
• Almost half (45%) of all seniors completed at least one
course at another postsecondary institution since
graduating from high school but prior to enrolling at
their current institution.
• More than half (55%) of all transfer students took the
majority of their courses from a vocational-technical
school or from a community or junior college.
• The most common reasons given for transferring to their
current institution were the institution’s location and
the availability of a specific program of study
• Transfer students from two-year institutions had fewer
interactions with faculty, and participated in fewer
educationally enriching activities.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
NSSE/CCSSE
• Transfer students from four-year institutions
participated in more active and collaborative
learning, participated in fewer educationally
enriching activities, viewed the campus as less
supportive, reported gaining less from college
than their peers, and were less satisfied with
college.
• Compared with seniors who began and persisted at
their current institution, students who
transferred later in the course of studies (i.e.,
had a higher class standing) when they initially
enrolled at their current institution: interacted
less with faculty; participated in fewer
educationally enriching activities; and reported
gaining less from their peers.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Into Practice
How can we use this information in
our work with transfer students?
• the need to provide accommodation services (campus
daycare, parking, “after-hours” services/business
hours, etc.) for part-time and evening classes
• the obligation to provide full academic services in distinct
forms and during distinct times (after regular business
hours) for part-time students
• provide adequate advising methods to accommodate parttime schedules – “map out” a degree-progress
plan/schedule toward projected degree date
• create unique, useful, and “easy” involvement opportunities
to heighten campus engagement for these students
educate faculty and other academic professionals
about the varying needs and demographics of this parttime population.
Transfer and
Traditional
Theory, Transition, and Transformation
Summary
Theory
As students, transfers develop in similar ways,
but with added conditions of change and transition.
Transition
The process of transition results in changed relationships,
touching on dimensions of situation, self, support, and
strategies that will continue to shape
the transfer student experience.
Transformation
The transfer student will benefit greatly from
creative opportunities and structured support to be
provided by student affairs and academic professionals
across the institution. Using theory and assessment,
we must transform our practice to
support a successful experience for these students.
Transferand
Traditional
Theory, Transition,
and Transformation
Presented at the
Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference
January 31, 2006
Ed Whipple, Vice President for Student Affairs
Bowling Green State University