1. TCSG to USG Transfer Study Preliminary Results from Pilot Survey Research & Policy Analysis University System of Georgia Board of Regents

2. Trends on TCSG Transfer Students A large numbers of students transfer into USG institutions from TCSG institutions each year Largest percentages of TCSG transfers are located in State Colleges, State Universities and Two-Year Colleges.

4. Articulation Agreement 27 General Education courses which transfer between TCSG and USG. – Encourage pursuit of baccalaureate degree opportunities Questions of interest – Which courses transfer most frequently? – How do students perform in subject-specific follow up courses? – How do TCSG transfers compare to non-transfers? – Are there differences across TCSG sending institutions?

5. Pilot Survey Five Participating Institutions – Kennesaw, Georgia Highlands, Valdosta, Clayton, Columbus Record course-taking behavior of TCSG transfer students. – Start with students that transferred into USG in Fall 2012 – Follow for 1 year Data provided – Course name and grade received in each transfer course – Course name and grade received in subject-specific follow-up course – Average grade received by peers in follow-up course

6. Data Overview For this study, we focused on: 544 students that transferred 1,086 courses from TCSG to USG CohortNDates of Observation 1211Fall 2012 to Fall 2013 2102Spring 2013 to Spring 2014 339Summer 2013 to Summer 2014* 4192Fall 2013 to Fall 2014* *Incomplete Data

7. Receiving Institution ClaytonColumbus Georgia HighlandsKennesawValdosta Sending Institution Albany Technical College13 Athens Technical College72 Atlanta Technical College113 Augusta Technical College2 Central Georgia Technical College1 Chattahoochee Technical College233219 Columbus Technical College15 Georgia Northwestern Technical College215 Georgia Piedmont Technical College7 Gwinnett Technical College152 Lanier Technical College1 Middle Georgia Technical College21 Okefenokee Technical College1 Savannah Technical College2 Southeastern Technical College11 Southern Crescent Technical College2 Southwest Georgia Technical College1219 West Georgia Technical College51 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College66 Total12027389107

8. Take-Away TCSG transfer students: – Perform worse in follow-up courses than in transfer courses Likely due to higher difficulty level of follow-up courses – Are more likely to withdraw from follow-up courses. – Those that remain in class perform better than their classmates. Suggests differential attachment to courses which could be driven by characteristics of transfer students.

9. Finding 1: TCSG transfer students transfer anywhere from 1-6 articulated courses. The average is 1.95. The number of courses transferred varies only slightly by sending institution.

11. Finding 2: Among the articulated courses, Math (1111/1113) and English (1101/1102) are the most often transferred.

12. Finding 3 (see Table 1): a)On average, TCSG transfer students earn lower grades in follow-up courses than in transfer courses – Not unexpected given that follow-up courses are often higher- level classes (see Appendix Table 1). – English and Math: Follow-up course performance is typically 0.2- 0.3 points lower. Largest difference for Psychology and Sociology courses, however note small sample size. b)Transfer students have high withdrawal rates in some subjects. – Math: 20% withdrew from follow-up course – English: 10% withdrew from follow-up course

13. c)Those that remain in the follow-up course earn higher grades than their classmates. – Math and English: Transfer students earn grades 0.3 points higher than average classmate. Finding 4 explores whether these behaviors are specific to transfer students. Finding 3 (see Table 1):

14. Table 1: Average Performance in Transfer and Follow-Up Course, by Transfer Course A=4, B=3, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F _________________Follow-Up Course_________________ Transfer Course GradeStudent GradeClass Average*% of WithdrawalsN Transfer Course ARTS 11014.0 3.050.0%2 BIOL3.02.52.214.3%21 1111/L3.12.62.210.5%19 11123.01.02.050.0%2 CHEM 1151/L3.43.32.70.0%12 ECON 11013.02.62.524.0%25 ENGL3.22.92.610.7%431 11013.22.9 2.6 10.5%209 11023.22.9 2.8 10.2%186 21302.93.0 2.1 13.9%36 HIST2.9 2.610.7%121 11112.9 2.6 15.4%52 11123.22.8 3.1 15.4%13 21113.03.1 2.7 6.5%31 21122.8 2.5 4.0%25 HUMN 11012.04.02.20.0%2

15. Table 1: Average Performance in Transfer and Follow-Up Course, by Transfer Course (continued) A=4, B=3, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F ______________________Follow-Up Course______________ Transfer Course GradeStudent GradeClass Average*% of WithdrawalsN Transfer Course MATH2.92.72.419.2%343 11013.32.2 2.3 18.2%11 11112.92.7 2.4 20.1%219 11132.72.5 2.4 20.0%75 11272.93.0 2.5 16.7%30 11312.83.3 2.6 0.0%8 PHYS 11113.04.03.00.0%1 POLS 11012.92.82.39.1%11 PSY 11013.42.6 9.5%42 SOC 11013.72.92.813.3%15 SPC 1101 3.2 2.9 2.8 15.0%20 *There are some inconsistencies across schools with respect to whether WF grades are included/excluded from the calculation of class average. Interpret with caution.

16. We compared the performance of students in the TCSG Pilot Study to non-transfer students using additional institutional data. We examined transfer and non-transfer students that took the following set of courses: – English: 1101 (initial) and 1102 (follow-up) – Math: 1111/3 (initial) and 1190 (follow-up) Finding 4 (see Tables 2 and 3):

17. a)Like transfer students, non-transfers do worse in follow- up courses, although to a slightly smaller degree. This suggests that it is the higher difficulty level of follow-up courses that leads to lower grades after transfer, and not lower ability among TCSG transfer students. b)However, withdrawal rates in follow-up courses are twice as high among transfer students compared to non-transfers. Transfer students may feel less pressure to continue with course, or are better at predicting their likelihood of success. Finding 4 (continued):

18. c)Demographic and academic characteristics of transfers may contribute to differences in course attachment Older More likely to be female Enroll for more credit hours than non-transfer students. Despite their higher withdrawal rates, they still earn a higher number of credit hours. Finding 4 (continued):

19. Table 2: Comparison of Performance in Follow-Up Courses for Transfer and Non-Transfer Students A=4, B=3, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F Transfer StudentsNon-Transfer Students _____________________________English__________________________ 1101110211011102 Avg. Grade3.22.83.02.9 % of Withdrawals 15.5%8.2% N 8424497 ______________________________Math__________________________ 1111119011111190 Avg. Grade3.32.53.22.4 % of Withdrawals45.0%15.5% N20490 1113119011131190 Avg. Grade2.92.43.02.6 % of Withdrawals36.7%12.8% N30 1817

20. Table 3: Characteristics of Transfer and Non-Transfer Students in First Term of Enrollment Transfer StudentsNon-Transfer Students Age23.322.4 Male35%40% Ethnicity Black21.7%29.3% Hispanic9.7%5.8% White56.2%54.7% Other12.4%10.1% Hours Enrolled12.411.7 Hours Earned10.29.6 N47636794

21. Table 4: Average Performance in Transfer and Follow-Up Course, by TCSG Sending Institution A=4, B=3, 2=C, 1=D, 0=F __________________Follow-Up Course_______________ Sending InstitutionTransfer GradeStudent GradeClass Average% that WithdrewN Albany Technical College 3.02.02.50.0%5 Athens Technical College 2.63.12.633.3%12 Atlanta Technical College 1.81.71.90.0%6 Augusta Technical College 3.04.03.00.0%1 Central Georgia Technical College 3.0. 100.0%1 Chattahoochee Technical College 3.02.82.613.4%726 Columbus Technical College 3.03.12.50.0%19 Georgia Northwestern Technical College 3.43.02.33.7%27 Georgia Piedmont Technical College 2.71.82.033.3%15 Gwinnett Technical College 3.02.82.925.0%36 Lanier Technical College 3.52.02.50.0%2 Middle Georgia Technical College 2.73.33.00.0%3 Okefenokee Technical College 0.0.2.0100.0%1 Savannah Technical College 2.00.52.00.0%4 Southeastern Technical College 3.5.2.0100.0%2 Southern Crescent Technical College 4.03.73.00.0%3 Southwest Georgia Technical College 3.52.92.014.7%34 West Georgia Technical College 3.42.82.67.7%26 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College 3.12.82.114.6%123 Finding 5: No strong evidence of differential outcomes across TCSG sending institutions. Withdrawal rates close to 14% at largest institutions.

22. Questions? Future research – Larger sample size – Involve more institutions – Detailed comparison between transfers and non- transfers

23. Data Sources Figure 1: University System of Georgia Undergraduate Student Transfer Report; SRPT200; Multiple Years Figures 2-3, Tables 1-4, Appendix Table : TCSG to USG Pilot Survey Tables 2-3: USG Institutional Data

24. Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow-Up CourseN TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow Up CourseN ARTS 1101 ART 11001ENGL 1102ENGL 11012 ART 11071ENGL 11025 ENGL 20102 BIOL 1111/LBIOL 10103ENGL 20603 BIOL 11001ENGL 2110145 BIOL 26511ENGL 211110 SCI 110213ENGL 21127 SCI 33601ENGL 21135 BIOL 1112BIOL 11001ENGL 21211 BIOL 26511ENGL 21322 ENGL 21331 CHEM 1151/LCHEM 1152/L12ENGL 22711 ENGL 30103 ECON 1101ECON 210017ENGL 35001 ECON 21061 ECON 22003ENGL 2130ENGL 110223 ECON 23004ENGL 20101 ENGL 20601 ENGL 1101ENGL 00993ENGL 21107 ENGL 11017ENGL 21111 ENGL 110284ENGL 30102 ENGL 20103ENGL 35001 ENGL 20603 ENGL 211089 ENGL 211110 ENGL 21125 ENGL 21132 ENGL 21201 ENGL 21321 ENGL 22711 ENGL 30103

25. Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow- Up CourseNTCSG Transfer CourseUSG Follow Up CourseN HIST 1111HIST 11102MATH 1101MATH 11063 HIST 11121MATH 11075 HIST 21119MATH 11122 HIST 211238MATH 22021 HIST 33041MATH 1111MATH 971 HIST 33331MATH 11013 HIST 33721MATH 110648 HIST 1112HIST 21112MATH 110754 HIST 211210MATH 11119 HIST 44441MATH 111220 MATH 111324 HIST 2111HIST 111015MATH 119020 HIST 11121MATH 12617 HIST 21112MATH 14011 HIST 211211MATH 200810 HIST 33351MATH 22003 HIST 44441MATH 22024 HIST 2112HIST 111013MATH 22613 HIST 11111MATH 22621 HIST 11221MATH 25951 HIST 21113MATH 26208 HIST 21123MATH 31611 HIST 22062STAT 11274 HIST 33041 HIST 33331 HUMN 1101ITDS 11551 ITDS 27351

26. Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow-Up CourseNTCSG Transfer Course USG Follow Up CourseN MATH 1113MATH 11011POLS 1101 4 MATH 110616POLS 21011 MATH 110715POLS 22401 MATH 11132POLS 22501 MATH 119030POLS 33002 MATH 21251POLS 33601 MATH 22002POLS 33701 MATH 22025POLS 36001 MATH 22612 MATH 25951PSY 1101 6 MATH 1127MATH 11012PSY 21035 MATH 11065PSY 22109 MATH 11073PSY 27006 MATH 11111PSY 32101 MATH 11136PSY 330510 MATH 11904PSY 33701 MATH 12611PSY 34001 MATH 20085PSY 34101 MATH 22022PSY 38004 MATH 33161PSY 48701 MATH 1131MATH 11072 MATH 22001 MATH 22025 PHYS 1111PHYS 11121

27. Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow-Up CourseNTCSG Transfer Course USG Follow Up CourseN SOC 1101 2 SPC 1101COMM 110913 SOC 11601 COMM 21351 SOC 21053 COMM 11006 SOC 22012 SOC 22511 SOC 23011 SOC 31171 SOC 33141 SOC 33641 SOC 36501 SOC 44321 Courses highlighted in red are those that we compared performance in for TCSG transfer and non-transfer students.