Community college undergraduate engineering transfer students at a research university.

摘要

Given the increasing number of individuals who begin their postsecondary education at community colleges, transfer education is seen by many policymakers as integral to addressing the increasing need for U.S. born engineers and scientists. This study responds to a need for additional quantitative data pertaining to community college engineering transfer students in order to evaluate and promote the effectiveness of engineering transfer education. Academic performance in upper division program coursework, persistence to graduation, and demographic characteristics of approximately 3,000 undergraduate engineering students at a large public research university were examined. Students were categorized by where they took a majority of lower division pre-engineering coursework. State community college transfer students graduated at the same rate as direct entry university students. State community college transfer students, however, earned lower upper division program GPAs than their direct entry university counterparts who completed most or all of their pre-engineering coursework at the University. Despite transfer students earning higher lower division pre-engineering GPAs than their direct entry counterparts. While the GPA differences between the groups were statistically significant, the differences, on average, were only a tenth to two-tenths of the grade point. State community college transfer students were not more diverse from a gender and ethnicity standpoint, but they were older and had greater financial need than the direct entry students. In general, the results of this study, confirm the vitality of engineering transfer education and the effectiveness of transfer practices and policies in Washington State. By defining student populations by where they complete specific lower division coursework and subsequently comparing their performance in specific upper division coursework, this study advocates for transfer student research that is more program- or major-specific and therefore more pertinent to two- and four-year college and university faculty, administrators, and student affairs professionals.