A Seminar Course to Help With Transfer Shock Wafa Hakim Orman - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE • COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

A Seminar Course to Help With Transfer Shock

Wafa Hakim Orman Brinda Mahalingam

The University of Alabama in Huntsville ACHIEVE Conference, 2019

Transfer students often struggle with the transition to a 4-year university

• Transfer shock is a sadly common phenomenon
• What % of Alabama community college students who transfer to a 4-year

university eventually earn a bachelor’s degree?

○

According to the National Student Clearinghouse: only 33%

Why do transfer students struggle?

What can we do about it?

• UAH already runs a 1-credit freshman seminar course

titled “First Year Experience,” or FYE

• FYE introduces students to campus and the study skills

needed for success

• In 2015, colleges were allowed to develop their own

FYE courses

○ Many transfer students who heard about the course told us they wished they had something like it!

Solution: BUS 300, Transfer Success

• An 8-week 1-credit seminar course modeled on FYE
• Tailored to the needs of transfer students

○ They already know “how to do college” ○ But they need help fitting in & finding a community ○ And they need help getting a jump-start on career planning

Special challenges for transfer students

• They have succeeded so far with their current study

habits and time management routines

• They don’t know what they don’t know — and they

don’t appreciate how different things are in college

• Stigma around tutoring/asking for help prevents them

from doing it in time

• They often “check out” or give up hope after one bad

test

• Financial challenges: fewer scholarships available

How BUS 300 addresses these challenges

• Academic skills: study habits, math, reading, writing,

note-taking, even being part of a large class

○ Reading? Really?

• Non-cognitive skills: grit/persistence, coping skills,

collaborative skills, empathy

• Human connections: Clubs, campus activities, friends, &

even faculty

Course Outline

Session 1: Introduction & icebreaker Session 2: Dean’s presentation Session 3: Advising & developing a 4-semester plan to graduation Session 4: Note-taking & study habits. Collaborative learning. Session 5: Career development: Career Services presentation, discovery of interests & talents, major assessment, resume development, resume assessment, career fair plan All students attend Career Fair Session 6: Professionalism and networking Session 7: Campus activities/clubs. Survey students financial habits. Start spending diary Session 8: Student Success Center presentation; study habits and time management Session 9: Time management Session 10: Stress management and coping skills Session 11: Grit, persistence, obstacles, mindset Session 12: Financial planning & budgeting, review spending diary Session 13: Library & information literacy Session 14: Diversity, ethics, stereotyping & implicit bias test Session 15: Ethics, academic integrity, role-plays

Course Outline

Session 3: Advising & developing a 4-semester plan to graduation Session 4: Note-taking & study habits. Collaborative learning. Session 8: Student Success Center presentation; study habits and time management Session 9: Time management Session 13: Library & information literacy

33.3

Academic skills

Session 10: Stress management and coping skills Session 11: Grit, persistence, obstacles, mindset Session 12: Financial planning & budgeting, review spending diary Session 14: Diversity, ethics, stereotyping & implicit bias test Session 15: Ethics, academic integrity, role-plays

33.3

Session 1: Introduction & icebreaker Session 2: Dean’s presentation Session 5: Career development: Career Services presentation, discovery of interests & talents, major assessment, resume development, resume assessment, career fair plan Session 6: Professionalism and networking Session 7: Campus activities/clubs. Start spending diary

33.3

Non-cognitive skills Human Connections

Activities to build academic skills

• Advising

○ Advisors visit the class & guide the students through the planning process; major selection & interest inventory

• Collaborative Learning

○ “Lost At Sea” worksheet: rank items individually & in groups & then compare with Coast Guard ranking

• Study Habits

○ Student Success Center tutors visit class; “draw a penny” exercise

• Time Management

○ Weekly planners, priority matrix, students try out different time management approaches

• Information Literacy

○ Library activity: students compare information sources & learn to discern between them

Activities to build non-cognitive skills

• Stress Management

○ SWOT matrix

• Grit

○ Grit questionnaire, Obstacles to Success worksheet

• Financial Planning

○ Spending diary, Mint app, student loan discussion

• Diversity

○ Diversity Bingo

• Ethics

○ “Is it plagiarism?” flowchart

Activities to build human connections

• Icebreaker

○ Concentric Circles

• Dean’s Presentation

○ College of Business culture

• Career Development

○ Career Services presentation, resume writing, attend career fair & debrief

• Networking

○ Business etiquette activities & networking reception

• Campus Activities & Clubs

○ Student Life representative visit & presentation; students need to attend at least two club meetings

Results

Year-over-year retention of students taking the BUS 300 course in Fall 2017 was 80% ❏ Compared to 48% for students who did not take the course ❏ And 66% in Fall 2016.

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE • COLLEGE OF BUSINESS 14

Questions?

THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE • COLLEGE OF BUSINESS 15

FUELING INNOVATION. SPARKING IDEAS. LAUNCHING CAREERS.

uah.edu/business