Beyond Articulation Agreements: Five Student-Centered Principles to Improve Transfer. A Tackling Transfer Report

N

21

Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
ECMC Foundation
Joyce Foundation
Kresge Foundation

COVID-19; Pandemics; College Transfer Students; Educational Finance; Educational Change; Community Colleges; College Credits; Transfer Policy; Risk; Educational Attainment; Outcomes of Education; Articulation (Education); Higher Education; Specialists; Universities; Partnerships in Education; Student Centered Learning; Time to Degree; Academic Advising; Bachelors Degrees; Equal Education; Goal Orientation; Educational Experience; Educational Planning

Massachusetts; Florida; Arizona

The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting financial crisis are forcing millions of students to reconsider their educational plans--a development that's likely to increase the number of students transferring among institutions in the years ahead. Affordable and close to home, community colleges in particular are now poised to attract more students seeking bachelor's degrees. But unless institutions improve their policies for transferring credits, especially those earned at community colleges, many of the 550,000 students who move between two-year and four-year schools each year will lose both time and money, increasing their risk of leaving college without a degree. Transfer outcomes for community college students are stubbornly weak. Only 12 percent of students who entered community college in 2003 completed within six years; the rate had increased to only 14 percent for those who entered in 2013. Articulation agreements, which have traditionally been used by higher education institutions to improve transfer student success, have substantial limitations. They are costly and time-consuming to develop and maintain, and they do not provide the clarity or assurance that transfer students need to complete their programs without costly delays. This study summarizes the benefits and limitations of articulation agreements and offers new student-centered approaches colleges can take to improve transfer student outcomes. The research is based on a review of the literature on articulation agreements and effective transfer practice, as well as on ten interviews with national, state, and institutional experts on community college transfer. The brief also showcases partnerships that consistently achieve strong transfer results. [The brief was prepared with HCM Associates and Sova.]

ERIC

2021

ED610361