Getting to Know Your Transfers

THECB Transfer Success Conference

Overview

• The case studies

• How to access THECB data

• What can THECB data do for you

• Tips for working with your Institutional Research office

Case #1

You are the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at a public Texas 4-year institution and you are wondering where do your transfer students come from and how do they perform academically at your institution. What information on the THECB web site can help answer these questions?

Case #2

The director of the local Chamber of Commerce asks you, the president of a community college, how many of your graduates join the workforce and how many transfer to 4-year institutions. He also wants to know the median income of your graduates. Can you answer this question using data from the THECB web site?

Case #3

The Provost asks you, the Director of Academic Advising at a community college, to report the transfer rates of your students to 4-year institutions broken down by academic discipline. Is there information on the THECB web site that can help you answer this question?

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/

Access THECB Data

Case #1

You are the Dean of Undergraduate Studies at a public Texas 4-year institution and you are wondering where do your transfer students come from and how do they perform academically at your institution. What information on the THECB web site can help answer these questions?

Transfer Students’ Academic Performance Reports

• Break down by community colleges

• Only include students who have completed 30 hours or more at the community college

• GPA and one-year retention rate

Case #2

The director of the local Chamber of Commerce asks you, the president of a community college, how many of your graduates join the workforce and how many transfer to 4-year institutions. He also wants to know the median income of your graduates. Can you answer this question using data from the THECB web site?

Automated Student Follow-up Reports• What do they do after leaving the

college (including graduates and leavers)?

• How much do they earn if they join the workforce?

• The industries of employment for your graduates and leavers

Case #3

The Provost asks you, the Director of Academic Advising at a community college, to report the transfer rates of your students to 4-year institutions broken down by academic discipline. Is there information on the THECB web site that can help you answer this question?

Student Follow-up Results by Major• Where do students go after leaving

the community college?– Additional higher education

– Employed

• Breaking down by major and US Department of Education’s Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code

Summary of THECB Data

• Academic Performance of 2-Year Transfers

• Automated Student and Adult Learner Follow-up System (ASALFS)

• Texas Higher Education Accountability System

Utilizing Your Institutional Research Office• Know your IR staff

• Be specific about the data you want, for example:– Identifying students with low GPA

– Asking for drop-failure-withdrawal (DFW) rates for specific group of students

• Ask IR staff to help you understand and interpret the data

Utilizing Your Institutional Research Office• Consult with your IR staff before any

initiatives or data collection efforts – they may already have the data you need

What IR Staff Won’t Do

• IR staff won’t make the analysis unless you ask

• IR staff won’t tell you what to do with the results of analysis

Interpreting the Data

• Check your institutional results

• Compare your institutions with peer institutions

• Creating a profile of your transfer students– Who are they?

– Where do they go (or come from)?

– Are they successful?

Utilizing the Data

• Know the needs of your students

• Address weakness in transfer process

• Bring in departments and campus offices together to address the transfer issues

• Assessing program outcomes

Integrative Exercise

You are the Director of Undergraduate Advising in the School of Business at a Texas 4-year institution.

The Department of Accounting at your institution redesigned its undergraduate curriculum three years ago. Since then you have heard constant complains from community college transfers about

needing to take extra prerequisite courses before they can take major courses in accounting.

Facing this challenge, how would you utilize the THECB and institutional data to solve this problem?

Questions & Questions & DiscussionDiscussion