Transfer Students’ Numerous Path(s) and Time Interval to Baccalaureate Attainment: Focused on Gender Gap in Science and Engineering Field

Understanding the multiple pathways and college completion outcomes of students who transfer from two-year to four-year institutions is of high importance for understanding how students achieve their baccalaureate degrees. The path of baccalaureate attainment is prevalent in the ways students, institutions, and employers see the role of community colleges. These two-year institutions play an important role for length of time it takes students who transfer into four-year institutions and go on to receive baccalaureate degrees, in top fields such as business administration, science and engineering, and psychology. These two-year institutions can provide students with more time to get acquainted with different fields of study and prepare them to declare their major when they transfer to a four-year institution to finish their degree. The opportunity to take different transfer paths to baccalaureate degree attainment can attribute to the rising number of women in the science and engineering field with in the last five years. 

Baccalaureate Attainment: Different post-secondary outcomes for students who transfer from two-year to four-year institutions

There are many different pathways and college completion outcomes for transfer students. Community colleges are playing an increasingly important role in helping students to attain baccalaureate degrees. Going from a two year to a four year institution is a very successful pathway for transfer students, and becoming more popular to the national college completion agenda. The role of a two-year institution in baccalaureate attainment can take on two different identities: transferring from a two-year to a four-year institution with a variety of lower level credits, or transferring with a two-year degree or certificate. According to the National Student Clearing House Research Center, about 56 percent of two-year institution transfer students go on to attain a baccalaureate degree from a four year institution within a total time of six years. While a higher percentage, 72 percent, of those transfer students who completed a degree or certification from the two-year institution went on to receive baccalaureate degrees with in just four years total time. There is an advantage to receiving an associate’s degree, or certification, from a two-year institution when it comes to completion of a baccalaureate degree.

In an interview Miki Brooks, the Assistant Director of the Letters and Sciences Program at the University of Maryland, discusses her experience with transfer students. She discusses specifically how most of the transfer students she works with attain their baccalaureate degrees at a faster rate when they start at the university with a previously attained associate’s degree. We furthered discussed in the interview the advantages to having an associate’s degree. One of the advantages being that with the previously attained associate’s degree or certification transfer students do not need to worry about meting sequential credits specific to the university upon arrival. We discussed that usually these transfer students who come in with an associate’s degree typically graduate in the expected two years with their baccalaureate degree. 

The path to baccalaureate attainment can take on several different identities when broken down by institution destination

There is another way to categorize transfer students on their path degree attainment, by institution destination. Transfer students tend to take the path of two-year to four-year public institution, but sometimes students just transfer from one four-year institution to another. It is shown that 65 percent of students who transfer from a two-year to a four-year public institution attain a baccalaureate degree within a total time of six years between both institutions. Transfer student baccalaureate degree attainment rates decline from here based on institution destination to private, profit, and non-profit four-year institutions, respectively. Taking upwards of six, seven, and even eight plus years to complete. The higher completion rate at four-year public institutions is related to the number of credits students are able to transfer from their two-year institutions, because of previously instated agreements at partner two-year and four-year institutions, varying per state.

Trends show that a higher percentage of male students transfer more often than female students which impacts the length of time in which they attain their baccalaureate degrees

The distribution by gender in the category of transfer students is pretty evenly spread. Transfer students, both men and women, switch schools for variety reasons. However the trend in the last few years is that as transfer students move up the rank in their class standing, i.e freshman to sophomore or sophomore to junior, there tends to be more men transferring than women. This is usually due to the specific sequential nature of most degree programs. People tend to transfer more as they get into their specific major studies and find they do not like the material, versus in the beginning general education credits. The distribution of gender and major is also nearly equal when categorized by major. The top three majors at four year universities being Business Administration, Science/Engineering, and biological sciences. Ms. Brooks discusses her thoughts on the even spread of gender in the three most popular university majors.

Research has shown that the highest percentage of men tend to transfer in their sophomore and junior year, usually between 45-55 percent of males. Versus women who in that stage of their education have a lower transfer rate, between 40-50 percent. As shown in the graph there is a constant higher percentage of males transferring than women no matter what class ranking. The point at which a student transfers in their degree is a variable that determines the time it will take them to attain their degree. When a student transfers in their first two years, whether it be from a two-year institution to a four-year, or one four year to another it is easiest to transfer credits and not lose class rank. However once a student transfer after the sequential nature of the major program has started there is over a 60 percent chance that they will lose credits and lower their previous class ranking. This is why it tends to take transfer students a total of six years between any two institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. Overall, with a higher rate of males transferring it takes them longer to attain their baccalaureate degrees than it does women. 

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Previous gender gap between males & females in Science and Engineering fields is slowly closing  as two-year institutions provide more opportunities for students

When it comes to gender and STEM vs non-STEM majors there is much bigger spread in the distribution. In the past STEM majors (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) have very typically been male dominated. Men make up more than half of the students earning degrees in the math, science and engineering fields. Although it is true that women make up more than 50 percent of the students pursuing an undergraduate or baccalaureate degree they still remain the minority in the STEM fields.

Research done by the National Science Foundation in 2003 found that women made up less than 20 percent of those earning baccalaureate degrees in sciences such as physics and engineering such as mechanical engineering or aerospace engineering. This trend has been studied as far back as twenty years. In a 2003 research conducted by the NSF finding that as far back as 1998 women made up only 47 percent of those earning mathematics degrees, 46 percent of chemistry degrees, 33 percent of chemical engineering degrees, and 27 percent of computer science degrees. However as the years progress and the accessibility to attending multiple higher education institution has become more common we see that there is a significant increase in the number of women in STEM fields, particularly biological sciences and engineering. This is because with the opportunity to explore more fields of study at a two-year institution before transferring more women are deciding to explore curriculum in STEM fields, for example the biological science degrees. Ms. Brooks discusses how gender in the STEM fields for both transfer and native students is becoming more equivalent than in the past where there has been a high discrepancy with more men in the field than women. 

As more transfer students participate in STEM majors the length in time for baccalaureate attainment increases as compared to transfer students studying arts and humanities degrees

Two-year institutions, community colleges, are being recognized as common pathways for preparing individuals to pursue baccalaureate degrees in STEM majors at four-year universities. As previously discussed it is easier for a transfer student to attain a baccalaureate degree within the typical four years if they enter into their four-year institution with an associate’s degree. The student is more prepared to start study in their major fields and do not have to be held back in rank because of missing lower level courses. However as a transfer student in the STEM fields of study it usually does take longer to attain their baccalaureate degree versus a university native student. 

Ms. Brooks discusses the challenges for her transfer students who pursue a STEM majors to finish their degree in the typical four years. This is due to the intense material involved in science and engineering majors, particularly math courses. It is also due to the strict sequential nature of these degrees. If you haven’t taken a specific math or science as a lower level general education credit you are restricted from moving to upper level courses. So when a student transfers say from a two-year institution or even a different four-year institution if they do not have a class which is equivalent (in lower education credits) then this will put the student behind. It is more typical for a transfer student in the STEM major, regardless of gender, to attain their baccalaureate in six-years. Versus native students who typically receives it in four, or an arts/humanities major (non-STEM) who can receive their degree within four years. 

With two-year institutions offering multiple pathways for students to transfer to four-year institutions more students are earning baccalaureate degrees. Conducted in a 2003 study, 45 percent of first year freshman students will start off at a two-year institution before going on to receive their baccalaureate degrees from a four-year institution. The multiple pathways for transfer students by transfer destination allows flexibility on behalf of the student to be able to decide what course of study they chose before going on to four-year universities. The typical time period for a transfer student to receive their baccalaureate degree is between four and six years, varying with the program of study. In the past it has been the trend that men transfer at a higher rate than women which attributes to the higher percentage of women receiving their baccalaureate degree in a more timely fashion. However the unknown variable that contributes to the length in time it takes a transfer student to receive their degree is which major they are in. The non-STEM or arts and humanities majors take native and transfer students usually four years to receive their baccalaureate degree. However due to the intense material in the STEM major it typically takes a transfer student four to six years to complete. An advantage to the trend of going to two-year institutions before four-year institutions is that a higher percentage of women are receiving their baccalaureate degrees in the STEM fields, particularly sciences and engineering than ever before. These fields were mostly male dominated in the past but with the flexibility in time and material of two-year intuitions more women are pursuing and receiving their baccalaureate in these fields, slowly closing the gender gap in the science and engineering programs. 

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UMD Faculty member receives Packard Fellowship to continue inner earth research

By Natasha42 and Adrienne26

As a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkley, Lekic formulated higher-resolution images of the Earth’s mantle structure, stemming from his creation of a global seismic velocity model. Not only is the model able to give geologists a better understanding of plate tectonics, but it also helps explain the movement of continental plates and their evolution, Lekic said.

Lekic’s research is based on ground vibration recordings, which he and his students use to detect the scattering of seismic waves across the North American tectonic plate. In conjunction with the National Science Foundation’s EarthScope Facility network, the data is collected from the 49 states and Puerto Rico and makes up about 3.8 million square miles, Lekic said.

Transforming data into inner earth visuals 

Nearly 2 million data lines fill the screen of Vedran Lekic’s computer every day, each representing seismic waves that are detected from of the more than 1,700 seismic stations around the U.S.

Lekic has already used the seismic information to investigate why and how the crust moves over the Earth’s mantle. As of now, the deepest any machine has been able to dig was about 12 kilometers into the Earth’s crust, a minuscle fracture of the roughly 6,730 kilometers it takes to get to the Earth’s core. Using the seismic information helps geologists see the shapes and sizes of the Earth’s layers.

“What we do is comparable to how an ultrasound let’s us see through our bodies,” Lekic said.  “But this lets us see through the Earth.”

  

Scientists unite to further research 

From this data, Lekic is creating a map that will not only cover all 48 contiguous states, Alaska and Puerto Rico, but also dive deep into the Earth’s crust and core.

In recognition of his efforts to integrate computer science and geological studies, Lekic joined the ranks of 17 other early career U.S. scientists and engineers who were awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering last week.

“If you look at the field of those who get it and try to figure out from their research summaries and letters which are the strongest candidate, it’s a difficult task,” said Franklin Orr, chairman of the Packard Fellowship panel. “We always run out of fellowships before we run out of wonderful people to give them too.”

“The great thing about this fellowship is its flexibility to go chase a really good idea to wherever it leads,” said Orr, a Stanford University professor. “It is an incredibly valuable fund and gives the researchers an opportunity to take off with a good idea instead of waiting a year or more for federal money.”

Lekic uses Fellowship to Expand Research 

Now that a large fund has been granted to his work, he hopes to spend more time plotting the seismic information in graphs and models so that he may better understand the Earth, Lekic said.

“EarthScope is kind of like our Apollo mission, but not as costly,” Lekic said

Lekic is now one of five alumni faculty members who have received the award while at this university, and he will be given access to unrestricted funds of $875,000 over a five-year period to support his extensive research on Earth’s inner structure.

Lekic has received several other early career awards besides the Packard Fellowship.

Other than his seismology research contributions, Lekic is also a forerunner in the new geological field of neutrino geoscience.

Neutrinos are a type of electrically neutral subatomic particle that are created during radioactive decay or some kinds of nuclear reactions. The particle, which was only discovered geologically in 2005 and physically detected for the first time last year, moves through every kind of object, McDonough said.

“It sounds magical; it’s like a particle that exists but you can’t really see,” Lekic said of neutrinos.

Benefits of Incorporating Interactive Marketing Tactics

The traditional and conventional approaches to marketing such as TV or radio broadcast, or print campaigning are becoming things of the past. The newest way to effectively reach a large target audience is to implement interactive marketing campaigns. These interactive marketing campaigns use things such as personalized social media to help the consumer engage in the products they like most; their mobile devices as an aid to help the consumer customize their experience, and many other interactive channels. With the use of interactive marketing the consumer is participating and personalizing their wants and needs so the brand(s) can better cater to the individualized experience. There are several benefits for brands and retailer who use interactive marketing.

Interactive Marketing is increasing brand sharing and recognition  

With interactive marketing the consumer becomes more engaged because the campaign is hands on and personalized to create individual experiences. This enhanced consumer experience and engagement will result in increased satisfaction which leads to consumer sharing. When a consumer has a good experience with a brand or retailer they likely share their experience with friends, family, or through satisfaction reviews. An example of this is the “design your own” marketing technique. When you give the consumer control to personalize their taste and then encourage them to share it, it increases brand awareness. Lay’s chip company did this when they told the consumers to come up with a new chip flavor and then share it on their Facebook app and hashtag it on Twitter.

Personalization of marketing creates an individualized experience for the consumer to keep them coming back for more

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The ability to have personalized information to use to tailor to certain consumer groups is a major advantage of interactive marketing. The consumer does the “hard part” by personalizing their tastes, wants, and needs; it the marketers that use this information to segment the consumers into groups where they can more intimately cater to their needs. This level of customization through personalization that interactive marketing uses helps the consumer feel like are the in charge. Retailers or brands that use loyalty point systems is an example of how the personalization is key to keeping the customer happy, and then customizing that information and marketing it to them interactively is what keeps them coming back.

Positive experiences are key to interactivity to increase consumer spending and loyalty

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The positive brand or retail experience is created through personalization but made successful by interactivity. The traditional and non-interactive marketing techniques does not keep the consumer as engaged as interactive marketing. They forget what they were reading or what promotion they saw in the weekly newsletter.. But when the campaign is providing motivation for participation people find it less of a bombardment. The interactivity makes the consumer feel as if their opinion is being considered and then it builds positive recognition of the brand. The interactivity that creates the positive brand/retail association will help the consumer filter out any advertising messages they feel to be generic. This positive experience can be created through creating personalized emails, having mobile access to the brands you most use, or sending brand specific promotions to the stores the consumer most often frequents.

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marketing channels

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interactive marketing tactics

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