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##  Trends and Issues in Transfer. ERIC Digest.                                  

Although community colleges in the United States have complex                   academic and vocational goals, the transfer function is of central              importance to maintaining access to higher education. Community                 colleges provide the lower-division coursework for the baccalaureate            degree for those students who, immediately after high school, may be            ineligible for admission to a four-year college or university. In               addition, more and more students who are eligible to attend                     four-year institutions are choosing to attend community colleges                with proven transfer rates because of their low cost, small class               sizes, and student-centered faculty. To better understand the                   transfer process, research that examines student and academic issues            and institutional factors at both community colleges and senior                 institutions proves useful. This Digest highlights current issues               concerning the transfer function presented in "Transfer Students:               Trends and Issues" (New Directions for Community Colleges, Summer               2001) with a specific focus on trends, research, and institutional              programs. APPROACHES TO STUDYING TRANSFERStudies about                    transfer students are both qualitative and quantitative, although               the majority of studies use quantitative methods. Research most                 often consists of institutional research, statewide reports,                    university-based research, and joint projects by community colleges             and universities. The number of issues addressed in research on                 transfer students is extensive, ranging from descriptive questions              to more in-depth analysis of issues such as student satisfaction,               academic performance, and patterns in the transfer                              process (Kozeracki). 
Transfer studies that are designed with the              intent of improving student outcomes and the effectiveness of                   community colleges can serve as examples for others. The design                 considerations that can help a study's effectiveness include: (1) a             focus on things that can be changed, (2) questions specific enough              to allow action to take place, and (3) consultation with those being            evaluated (Kozeracki). Building a link between research and practice            requires collaboration and may help to improve academic outcomes of             transfer students. A study conducted by Santa Monica College (SMC)              in California investigated the success of its students who                      transferred to six local four-year institutions in Los Angeles. Both            questionnaires and focus groups were used to obtain information from            the students about their experiences at SMC and at the four-year                institution, and their adjustment process. The findings led SMC to              create a series of recommendations designed to address student                  concerns about counseling services, financial aid information,                  writing preparation, and computer literacy (Johnson-Benson, Geltner,            Steinberg). 
Existing research on transfer can inform future                   studies, including research on transfer behavior (i.e., the movement            of students through the educational pipeline), transfer                         adjustment (i.e., transfer student adjustment to the environment at             the senior institution), and post-transfer behavior (i.e., behavior             patterns of students after transferring to a senior                             institution). TRANSFER PROCESS RESEARCH RESULTSThe 1997                   National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report on transfer              behavior shows that of the 25 percent of community college students             who reported they were working toward a B.A. degree during the                  academic year 1989-90, 39 percent transferred to a four-year                    institution by 1994. This same report also shows that of the                    students identified as prospective transfer students, 50 percent of             full-timers transferred, compared with 26 percent of part-timers. In            addition, while 65 percent transferred without an associate's                   degree, 43 percent of associate's degree completers received a                  bachelor's degree by 1994 compared to 17 percent without that                   credential (as cited in Laanan). 
Research shows that the                      adjustment process of transfer students is likely to be                         complex--including academic, social, and psychological aspect--due              to the environmental differences between two- and four-year                     institutions (Laanan). Comparisons between academic performance of              transfer students and native students show that transfer students               have lower GPAs, higher attrition rates and are more likely to end              up on academic probation (Laanan). Institutional size and                       selectivity also have an impact on an individual's adjustment to                college. Racial and ethnic minorities may experience additional                 stressors, derived from internal sources, demographics, and campus              social climate (Laanan). 
Post-transfer behavior trends show that              students often experience transfer shock, a temporary dip in grades,            in the first or second semester after transferring. A meta-analysis             by Diaz (1992) of sixty-two studies shows 67 percent reporting that             students recover from transfer shock, usually within the first year             of transfer (as cited in Laanan). 
An examination of issues that               enhance (or deter) successful transfer of minority students                     identifies ways to improve the transfer process. The suggestions                most often identified by the participating students include (1)                 establishment of clear communication of transfer policies, (2)                  development of support programs at senior institutions, (3)                     assessment of institutional performance, and (4) inclusion of                   culturally competent staff that communicates well in cross-cultural             situations (Lee). INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAMSA look at                         institutional programs, both at community colleges and senior                   institutions, provides insight into ways that institutions are                  addressing issues concerning transfer adjustment, transfer behavior,            and post-transfer behavior. Model support programs (i.e., existing              programs that can serve as starting points for future expansion of              research) may also assist in the development of effective                       programs (Eggleston and Laanan). Transfer centers, honors programs,             and proactive institutional leadership are some of the structural               supports that can help to promote transfer and persistence. 
While             some support programs are institutionally sponsored and developed               for a specific campus, many include partnerships between two- and               four-year institutions. Some collaborations also include support                from other foundations or organizations, such as the Ford                       Foundation's grant to the National Center for Educational Alliances             to develop transfer centers in urban community colleges (Zamani, p.             18). Several innovative transfer center programs have pursued                   avenues that will increase the number of students transferring to               senior institutions, including the Summer Scholars Transfer                     Institute at University of California, Irvine and several southern              California community colleges, the Illinois Board of Higher                     Education grant program, and the Glendale Community College program             in California (Zamani). Community college and university                        partnerships have promoted smooth transitions through research,                 articulation agreements and campus programming (Zamani). 
Many                 community colleges participate in partnership programs with                     four-year institutions to help promote transfer at their                        institutions. For example, the Transfer Alliance Program (TAP)                  promotes transfer between California community colleges and the                 University of California, Los Angeles. The TAP partnership between              San Diego City College and UCLA encourages transfer through                     participation in an honors program. The honors approach has emerged             as a strategy that enhances transferability and employability of                students (Kane). Some of the main aspects of the San Diego City                 College Honors Program include a core curriculum that functions as              interconnected courses with thematic linkages, rigorous courses that            use interdisciplinary approaches and/or innovative teaching-learning            modalities, development of faculty-student relationships, and                   incorporation of extracurricular experiences into the                           program (Kane). CONCLUSIONCommunity college campuses can                  better respond to issues concerning transfer students if the                    administrative leadership, including the president, is informed of              research, raises expectations for transfer, and proactively develops            policies and programs that support transfer (Helm and Cohen). The               approach should differ depending on the transfer rate. For example,             a college with a high transfer rate may have an honors program that             attracts the best students in local high schools while a college                with a low transfer rate may focus on efforts to change public                  perception of the institution, including prospective high school                students (Helm and Cohen). 
While the transfer function is a                   central mission for community colleges, the issues surrounding                  transfer are complex. Recent statistical trends show that                       improvements are still needed in the number of community college                students transferring and persisting to graduation at a four-year               university as well as in their adjustment to the environment at                 these four-year institutions. 
An understanding of issues                      concerning the community college transfer student population will               contribute to development and evaluation of support programs that               promote transfer and persistence (Eggleston and Laanan). In order               for this research to be effective it should include characteristics             of transfer students, needs of transfer students at senior                      institutions, and the level of support provided by senior                       institutions (Eggleston and Laanan). By understanding the student               and academic issues and the institutional factors associated with               transfer, community colleges and universities can develop support               programs that will facilitate successful transfer and persistence to            the baccalaureate degree and beyond. REFERENCESThis Digest is             drawn from "Transfer Students: Trends and Issues." New Directions               for Community Colleges, Number 114, edited by Frankie Santos Laanan.            San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, Summer 2001. 
Eggleston, L. E., Laanan,            F. S. Making the Transition to the Senior Institution. (pp.                     87-98). 
Helm, P.K., Cohen, A.M. Leadership Perspectives on                    Preparing Transfer Students. (pp. 99-104) 
Johnson-Benson, B.,                 Geltner, P. B., and Steinberg, S. K. Transfer Readiness: A Case                 Study of Former Santa Monica College Students. (pp. 77-86) 
Kane,              H. R. Honors Programs: A Case Study of Transfer Preparation. (pp.               25-38) 
Kozeracki, C. A. Studying Transfer Students: Designs and               Methodological Challenges. (pp. 77-86) 
Laanan, F. S. Editor's                 Notes. (pp. 1-4) 
Laanan, F. S. Transfer Student Adjustment. (pp.              5-14) 
Lee, W. Y. Toward a More Perfect Union: Reflecting on Trends            and Issues for Enhancing the Academic Performance of Minority                   Transfer Students. (pp. 39-44) 
Zamani, E. M. Institutional                    Responses to Barriers to the Transfer Process. (pp.                             15-24) 
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This project has been funded at least in part with             Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract              number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this publication does not                  necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of             Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or              organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ERIC Digests            are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced.                       **Title:** Trends and Issues in Transfer. ERIC Digest.                                  **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, University of California             at Los Angeles, 3051 Moore Hall, P.O. Box 95152, Los Angeles, CA                90095-1524. Tel: 310-825-3931.                                               **Descriptors:**  Academic Persistence, Bachelors Degrees, College Role,  College                Transfer Students, Colleges,  Community Colleges,                                Degrees (Academic), Educational Administration, Educational Policy,            Educational Research, Minority Groups,  Transfer Rates (College),                Transfer Students, Universities                                             **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests                                                                 
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