ASSETS: Building a Model to Support Transfer Students in Engineering –Work in Progress

Abstract

This Research to Practice work in progress paper presents a model to bridge the gap in community college engineering students successfully transferring to 4-year institutions. In 2015, the state of Tennessee (TN) launched TN Promise, a scholarship and mentoring program that enables tuition-free attendance at two-year community colleges for eligible Tennessee high school graduates. With over 18,000 students already enrolled in TN Promise, the number of students who may choose to transfer to four-year institutions is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. To prepare for the expected influx of transfer students, and to address known barriers transfer students face, we have designed the Academic Intervention, Social Supports and Scholarships for Engineering Transfer Students program (ASSETS). While transfer students are ready for college, they often face institutional barriers to success that need addressing, particularly in Engineering.The ASSETS program is a comprehensive support ecosystem designed to improve retention and reduce time to graduation for engineering transfer students. In the second year of operation, with 23 enrolled ASSETS scholars, the program has implemented and begun studying the effectiveness of evidence-based strategies to reduce these institutional barriers to success, improve retention rates, and reduce time to graduation among engineering transfer students.This paper presents the initial findings and outcomes of the ASSETS program to enhance opportunities and success of transfer students.