Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Post-Transfer Pathways Program for Computing and Engineering Majors

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

This project will establish and evaluate a program to support community college transfer students in their quest for a 4-year STEM (computing and engineering) degree. Determining how to reduce the loss of STEM community college students from 4-year programs attacks a significant problem in producing a STEM workforce. The project will also create and evaluate a more formal structure for collaboration between a 4-year institution and six community colleges. The project will accomplish its goals with an experienced interdisciplinary research team complemented by two consultants who are experts on diverse community college transfer students, especially women in STEM. The project will generate empirical evidence about the impact of innovative models of transfer success coaching and a first year seminar on the transition as well as academic success and retention of transfer students majoring in computing and engineering from community colleges to research universities. It will also generate new knowledge about the use of inter-institutional collaboration structures and their impact on two and four-year institutions' efforts to improve the experiences and success of transfer students in computing and engineering majors.