Transfer Guide
One of the products that will target students in community colleges will be the development and publication of the STEM Pathway: Transfer Student Guide (TSG). The purpose of the TSG is to provide community college students who have transfer aspirations to the four-year with a resource that will contain important information. Content information for the Guide will be based on the research literature and empirical data collected by the Principal Investigator. The Guide will be written in a language that will be easily understood by high school students as well as college students. The Guide will be published in English, however, the Guide will also be translated in Spanish in order to make the publication accessible to Spanish-speaking parents and students.
The Table of Contents of the Guide will include the following topics:
- Chapter 1. Transfer Process 101
Chapter 2. Preparing for a STEM Major: Do's and Don'ts
Chapter 3. STEM Career and Educational Options
Chapter 4. Research on STEM: Student Experiences, Educational Impact, and Outcomes
Chapter 5. Financing your College Education
Chapter 6. Understanding the Articulation Puzzle
Chapter 7. Navigating the Transfer Process
Chapter 8. Surviving the Transfer Experience
Chapter 9. Voices of Transfer Students: Effective Strategies
Chapter 10. Impacting Other Students: Student Reflections and Mentoring
Appendix A. Reflection for Students: Goals and objectives
Appendix B. Timeline for Transferring
Appendix C. Transfer Checklist
The STEM Pathway: Transfer Student Guide publication could be used in Orientation courses taught in community colleges for new, incoming students. Other courses in which instructors can utilize the publication include College Success (or College 101) classes. Instructors teaching in STEM areas in the community college could also utilize the TSG for students interested in pursuing a STEM bachelor's degree. The TSG is a publication that should also be utilized by Transfer Center directors, coordinators, and advisors. These individuals play a critical role in providing advice, information, and resources to prospective transfer students. The staff members in counseling/advising and Transfer Centers can use the Guide to conduct workshops for students about the transfer process, preparing for transfer to a four-year college or university.
Iowa State UniversityDepartment of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
College of Human Sciences
Frankie Santos Laanan
laanan@iastate.edu