Academic Performance of Transfers From Virginia s Two-Year Colleges

Transcription

1 Academic Performance of Transfers From Virginia s Two-Year Colleges Spring 2010

2 Academic Performance of Transfers from Virginia's Two-Year Colleges April 2010 Background James Madison University annually enrolls more than 330 new transfers from Virginia s two-year public institutions. This is approximately seven percent of all new students. All transfers (from twoyear and four-year institutions) account for approximately 17 percent of new students each year. Annually, transfers from the two-year institutions account for one in fifteen degree-seeking undergraduates. Transfers from the two-year institutions bring a variety of experiences to JMU and are provided the opportunity to complete their bachelor s degree. One of the major objectives of JMU s Six-Year Plan for the Commonwealth is to enroll transfers with an Associate s degree from Virginia s public two-year institutions. For many years JMU has enrolled a significant number of these transfers, and it is appropriate to periodically review their academic performance. The results of these reviews can be used by the Admissions Office, the Division of Academic Affairs and others to inform decisions about how to work best with transfers. Below is one way in which JMU assists the closest community college, Blue Ridge Community College. JMU has guaranteed admission agreements (GAA) with 13 Virginia community colleges and Richard Bland College. The purposes of these agreements are to ease the transfer process to JMU and to promote the close coordination of academic courses, programs and degrees offered by the Virginia community college and JMU. Below is the list of institutions with which JMU has a GAA. Table 1 Community Colleges With Guaranteed Admissions Agreements With JMU College GAA Approved Associate Degree(s) Blue Ridge Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Danville Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Germanna Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences John Tyler Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Lord Fairfax Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Northern Virginia Community College Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences Paul D. Camp Community College Associate of Arts and Sciences Piedmont Virginia Community College Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences

3 College Rappahannock Community College Richard Bland College Southside Virginia CC Tidewater CC GAA Approved Associate Degree(s) Associate of Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences Associate of Arts and Sciences Associate of Arts or Associate of Sciences Because two-year college transfers are an important group of new students, and the Commonwealth views the two-year institutions as an important means to educate an increasing number of undergraduate students, it is important to review the academic performance of these students to determine how well they are performing at JMU and how the academic experience might be improved. Therefore, the following research questions have been developed. Research Questions How many students from the Virginia two-year institutions transferred to JMU since ? From which colleges did they transfer? How many previously applied to JMU for admission as a first-time freshman? How did the transfers gender and racial profiles compare with JMU students who entered as first-time freshmen? How many transfers had at least 60 credit hours accepted by JMU? Into which JMU majors did the transfers enroll? How many transfers were enrolled in JMU s Teacher Education program? What was the average GPA of transfers by major? Is there a relationship between the number of credits transferred and overall GPA? How does the academic performance of transfers compare with students who entered JMU as freshmen? What were the graduation rates of the transfers? Are transfers with 60 or more credits at enrollment more likely to graduate than transfers with fewer credits? Methodology In 1988 the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) mandated that the Virginia two-year institutions annually study the academic performance of their transfers at the Virginia senior institutions. SCHEV guidelines require senior institutions to annually share information on transfer students with Virginia's state-supported two-year colleges. The two-year institutions consider JMU to have been among the most helpful of the four-year institutions in providing data. This report is a summary of the academic performance of transfers from Virginia's two-year colleges. The author of this report has conducted more than 15 transfer studies for Blue Ridge Community College. This study focuses on the outcomes of transfer students since and uses the data shared by OIR and the two-year institutions for the primary analyses. Also, the data provided by OIR to SCHEV are used to compare the outcomes of the transfers with students who entered JMU as native students (first-time freshmen). Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 2 of 17

4 Results The results are presented in a format that relates the findings to the guiding research questions. Each question presented in the introduction is stated again and is followed by explanations and tables that relate to it. How many students from the Virginia two-year institutions transferred to JMU since ? From which colleges did they transfer? Table 2 displays the number of new transfers from each two-year institution since Four institutions, Blue Ridge Community College(BRCC), 1,118; Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA),718; Lord Fairfax Community College (LFCC), 493; and Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC), 268; accounted for 74 percent of all transfers. This is not surprising because BRCC, LFCC, and PVCC are located within 50 miles of Harrisonburg, and JMU is a very popular destination for students from the Northern Virginia area. Table 2 New Two-Year Institution Transfers by College and Year Previous College Total Blue Ridge ,118 Central Virginia College of Health 1 1 Science Dabney Lancaster Danville Eastern Shore Germanna J. Sargeant Reynolds John Tyler Lord Fairfax Mountain Empire New River Northern Virginia Patrick Henry Paul D. Camp Piedmont Virginia Rappahannock Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 3 of 17

5 Previous College Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 4 of Total Richard Bland Southside Virginia Southwest Virginia Thomas Nelson Tidewater Virginia Highlands Virginia Western Wytheville Total ,494 How many previously applied to JMU for admission as a first-time freshman and how did the transfers gender and racial profiles compare with JMU students who entered as firsttime freshmen? Table 3 displays the number of transfers from the two-year institutions that previously applied to JMU for admission as first-time freshmen. Seventeen percent had applied with 24 percent of these applicants being accepted but not enrolling at that time. Unlike first-time freshmen where males comprised 37 percent of new freshmen in , 54 percent of the two-year college transfers were male. Eleven percent of the transfers were non- Caucasian, compared to 13 percent for all undergraduates. Table 3 Two-Year College Transfers Who Previously Applied to JMU as First-Time Freshmen and Their Acceptance Rates, Transfers Previous College Applied Accepted Percent Accepted Blue Ridge % Central Virginia % Dabney Lancaster % Danville % Eastern Shore 0 0 0% Germanna % J. Sargeant Reynolds % John Tyler % Lord Fairfax % Mountain Empire % New River % Northern Virginia %

6 Previous College Applied Accepted Percent Accepted Patrick Henry % Paul D. Camp % Piedmont Virginia % Richard Bland College % Thomas Nelson % Tidewater % Virginia Western % Wytheville 1 0 0% Total % How many transfers had at least 60 credit hours accepted by JMU? In recent years JMU s leadership directed the Office of Admissions to focus on admitting transfer students with an Associate s degree because transfers with less than an Associate s degree often find it difficult to transfer all credits earned at the previous institution into JMU s General Education program. Table 4 shows the number of transfers that had at least 60 hours to transfer upon enrollment. Most of these transfers had an Associate s degree from the two-year institution. The institution with the highest percentage of transfers with at least 50 transfers was Blue Ridge Community College, the closest institution to JMU and the first institution with whom JMU signed a Guaranteed Admissions Agreement. The percentage of transfers from all two-year institutions with at least 60 transfer hours increased from 34 percent in to 51 percent in The percentage of transfers eligible for the GAA from BRCC increased from 43 percent in to 61 percent in The percentage of NVCC transfers with 60 or more credits increased from 17 percent in to 38 percent in Table 4 Number and Percent of Transfers with 60 or More Credit Hours Accepted by JMU Previous College Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 5 of Total Percent Credits >=60 Blue Ridge % Central Virginia % College of Health Sci % Dabney Lancaster % Danville % Eastern Shore % Germanna % J. Sargeant Reynolds % John Tyler % Lord Fairfax % Mountain Empire % New River %

7 Previous College Percent Credits >=60 Northern Virginia % Patrick Henry % Paul D. Camp % Piedmont Virginia % Rappahannock % Richard Bland College % Southside Virginia % Southwest Virginia % Thomas Nelson % Tidewater % Virginia Highlands % Virginia Western % Wytheville % Total ,573 45% Into which JMU majors did the transfers enroll? Table 5 displays the majors in which the transfers were first enrolled. Since majors with 120 or more two-year institution transfers were: Biology, BIS/IDLS, Communications/SMAD, English, Finance, Health Sciences, History, Information Technology, Kinesiology, Management, Marketing, and Psychology. Table 5 Majors Initially Selected by Transfers Major Total Total Accounting Anthropology Art Art history Athletic training Biology Biotechnology BIS/IDLS Business Economics Chemistry Communication Sciences & Disorders Communications/ Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 6 of 17

8 Major Total SMAD Computer Science Dietetics Economics Engineering 2 2 English Finance Geography Geology Health Sciences Health Services Admin History Hospitality & Tourism Mgt Hotel/Motel/ Restaurant Management Information Analysis Information Technology ISAT International Affairs International Business Justice Studies Kinesiology Management Marketing Mathematics/ Statistics Modern Foreign Languages Music Nursing Philosophy & Religion Physics Political Science Psychology Public Administration Quantitative Finance Social Science Social Work Sociology Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 7 of 17

9 Major Total Tech & Scientific Communication Theatre Undeclared Total ,494 The majors listed in Table 5 are classified into discipline clusters by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES). Table 6 below shows the number of transfers in each discipline cluster. It appears that two-year transfers are most likely to major in business, social sciences, and health. Health Professions and History are two discipline clusters with the largest increases in the number of students who declared the major. Table 6 Transfer Majors in Discipline Clusters Discipline Cluster Total Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services Engineering 2 2 English Language and Literature/Letters Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences Foreign languages, literatures, and Linguistics Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences History (new) Legal Professions and Studies Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Mathematics and Statistics Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 8 of 17

10 Discipline Cluster Total Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies Philosophy and Religious Studies Physical Sciences Psychology Public Administration and Social Service Professions Social Sciences Undeclared Visual and Performing Arts Total ,494 How many transfers were enrolled in JMU s Teacher Education program? Table 7 displays the number of transfers who enrolled in the Teacher Education program by type of endorsement sought. Ten percent of the two-year college transfers enrolled in teacher education as compared with six percent of all undergraduates in fall Table 7 Transfers Enrolled in JMU s Teacher Education Program Endorsement Sought Total Elementary Middle School Multi-Level Secondary Special Education Total What was the average GPA of transfers by major? Table 8 displays the average grade point average (GPA) for the transfers in each major at JMU. The majors with GPAs greater than 3.00 were: Art; Communication Sciences & Disorders; Social Work; Technical & Scientific Communication; BIS/IDLS; Nursing; and Geography. It should be noted that undeclared transfers had an average GPA (1.78) significantly lower than other students. Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 9 of 17

11 Table 8 Average GPA by Major at JMU, Majors With Five or More Transfers Major Headcount Credit Hours GPA Accounting 101 5, Anthropology 49 2, Art 125 7, Art History Athletic Training Biology 115 6, BIS/IDLS , Business Economics Chemistry 22 1, Communication Sciences & Disorders 51 3, Communications/SMAD 161 9, Computer Science 110 5, Dietetics 28 1, Economics 41 2, English 155 9, Finance 157 9, Geography 58 3, Geology 24 1, Health Sciences 142 9, Health Services Admin 15 1, History 130 6, Hospitality & Tourism Mgt 43 2, Hotel/Motel/Restaurant Mgt Information Technology 101 6, ISAT 56 3, International Affairs 42 2, International Business 35 2, Justice Studies 39 1, Kinesiology , Management/Ops Mgt , Marketing 129 7, Mathematics/Statistics 34 1, Modern Foreign Languages 27 1, Music 22 1, Nursing 64 2, Philosophy & Religion 27 1, Physics 22 1, Political Science 79 4, Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 10 of 17

12 Major Headcount Credit Hours GPA Psychology , Public Administration 50 2, Quantitative Finance Social Science 60 4, Social Work 59 3, Sociology 85 5, Tech & Scientific Communication 32 2, Theatre 17 1, Undeclared Undergrad Total 1 3, , Table 9 shows that the highest GPAs for the transfers (1,000 or more credits) were in the following discipline clusters: Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences; Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities; and Visual and Performing Arts. Table 9 Average GPA by Discipline Cluster at JMU, Majors With Five or More Transfers Discipline Headcount Credit GPA Hours Biological and Biomedical Sciences 119 6, Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support , Services Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs 161 9, Computer and Information Sciences and Support , Services English Language and Literature/Letters , Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences 28 1, Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics 27 1, Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences , History 130 6, Legal Professions and Studies. 39 1, Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and , Humanities Mathematics and Statistics 34 1, Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 58 3, Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies , Total includes majors with fewer than five students. Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 11 of 17

13 Discipline Headcount Credit GPA Hours Philosophy and Religious Studies 27 1, Physical Sciences 68 3, Psychology , Public Administration and Social Service Professions 109 6, Social Sciences , Undeclared Visual and Performing Arts , Total 2 3, , Is there a relationship between the number of credits transferred and overall GPA? The number of hours that are accepted by JMU at initial enrollment is directly related to their cumulative GPA by their final year at JMU. Table 10 displays the number of hours transferred and the average GPA. There appears to be a small relationship between hours transferred and JMU GPA. Since 1991 this author has conducted more than 15 transfer studies for Blue Ridge Community College. The purpose of these studies is to determine how well the BRCC transfers have performed academically at other Virginia senior institutions. Since the majority of BRCC transfers enroll at JMU (1,141 between and ), the primary focus has been on JMU. Below are the major findings of these studies The academic performance of transfers at the senior institutions is related to their GPA at BRCC. The BRCC grade point average is related to their JMU grade point average. 2. BRCC transfers who met the JMU GAA requirements before it was signed or met it after appear to be more successful at JMU than students ineligible for the GAA. Eighty-one percent of the transfers graduated within six years, higher than the overall graduation rate of 76 percent for all the transfers. 3. Students ineligible for GAA transfer had a 77 percent graduation rate. Students eligible for GAA transfer that have higher GPAs at BRCC (>3.00) are more likely to have higher JMU GPAs. Transfers who did not meet the GAA requirements, but had a BRCC GPA greater than 3.00, continued to perform well at JMU. 2 Total includes majors with fewer than five students. 3 Doherty, Frank. The Academic Performance of BRCC Transfers, Study Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 12 of 17

14 That study concluded that students who will enroll at JMU under the GAA are more likely to be successful academically than those who did not meet the requirements. Table 10 Relationship Between Hours Transferred and JMU GPA Credit Hours Transferred to JMU Headcount Total Credit GPA Hours 60 or more 1,676 92, Between 30 and 59 1,591 96, Less than , Total 3, , How does the academic performance of transfers compare with students who entered JMU as freshmen? The courses in which students who entered JMU as freshmen or transfers performed as measured by the percentage of A, B, or Pass grades received out of all possible grades (A, B, C, etc.). These are the disciplines where a total of at least 500 grades were given to native students and a total of at least 200 grades were given to transfers students (see Table 11). Table 11 Percentage of Courses with Grades of A, B, or Pass by Course Prefix Students Entering JMU as Either First-Time Freshman (Native) or Transfer Native Students Transfer Students Difference Course Discipline Percent A,B, or Pass Course Discipline Percent A,B, or Pass Highest Native Student Percentages ELED 99% ELED 98% -1% READ 99% READ 95% -4% HRD 98% HRD 96% -2% IS 98% IS 90% -8% MSCI 98% MSCI 98% 0% GRPH 97% GRPH 93% -4% MUAP 97% MUAP 96% -1% NUTR 96% NUTR 93% -3% HTH 95% HTH 89% -6% HTM 95% HTM 91% -4% TSC 95% TSC 89% -6% DANC 95% DANC 91% -4% Lowest Native Student Percentages GHIST 75% GHIST 70% -5% KIN 75% KIN 85% 10% Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 13 of 17

15 COB 74% COB 68% -6% GANTH 73% GANTH 68% -5% BIO 69% BIO 63% -6% ACTG 69% ACTG 68% -1% GEOL 67% GEOL 71% 4% MATH 62% MATH 52% -10% GPOSC 61% GPOSC 58% -3% CHEM 61% CHEM 50% -11% GECON 56% GECON 51% -5% ECON 54% ECON 50% -4% Largest Percentage Differences Between Native and Transfer Students IS 98% IS 90% -8% MGT 92% MGT 84% -8% ENG 92% ENG 82% -10% PSYC 92% PSYC 82% -10% SPAN 89% SPAN 80% -9% FR 87% FR 73% -14% SOCI 85% SOCI 75% -10% GENG 85% GENG 76% -9% GSCI 85% GSCI 63% -22% GER 84% GER 76% -8% FIN 84% FIN 75% -9% PHYS 84% PHYS 76% -8% ANTH 84% ANTH 76% -8% SCOM 84% SCOM 74% -10% GSOCI 83% GSOCI 73% -10% PHIL 82% PHIL 69% -13% JUST 80% JUST 68% -12% POSC 78% POSC 68% -10% GISAT 77% GISAT 61% -16% GPHIL 77% GPHIL 68% -9% MATH 62% MATH 52% -10% CHEM 61% CHEM 50% -11% All Courses 82% 77% -5% What are the most difficult courses for transfers students, and how well do the native transfers perform in these courses? Table 12 displays the JMU courses taken by the two-year institution transfers in which less than 50 percent earned an A, B, or Pass grade. These percentages are compared with JMU native students. In most of these courses, the JMU native students outperformed the transfers, but these are courses in which all students are challenged. Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 14 of 17

16 Table 12 JMU Courses Taken by Transfers In Which Less Than 50 Percent Earned A, B, or Pass Grades Comparison Between Transfers and JMU Native Students Course Number Name Percent A, B, P Difference Native Transfers ACTG 343 Corporate Financial Reporting 40% 45% 5% BIO 270 Human Physiology 48% 41% -7% CHEM 120 Concepts of Chemistry 50% 45% -5% CHEM 131 General Chemistry I 60% 42% -18% CHEM 132 General Chemistry II 59% 48% -11% CHEM 341 Organic Chemistry 45% 45% 0% COB 191 Business Statistics 63% 47% -16% COB 242 Managerial Accounting 60% 48% -12% ECON 201 Principles of Economics (Micro) 46% 39% -7% GSCI 102 Scientific Perspectives 70% 49% -21% MATH 205 Introductory Calculus I 58% 46% -12% MATH 220 Elementary Statistics 59% 45% -14% SCOM 260 Introduction to Public Relations 69% 47% -22% SMAD 101 Introduction to Media Arts and Design 47% 35% -12% What were the graduation rates of the transfers? Are transfers with 60 or more credits at enrollment more likely to graduate than transfers with fewer credits? Table 13 displays the graduation rate for each college. Using to transfers (assuming four years to graduate after transfer), approximately 77 percent graduated. A closer analysis reveals higher graduation rates for transfers with 60 or more transfer credits. Approximately 81 percent of transfers with 60 or more credits graduated from JMU. Conversely, 67 percent of transfers with less than 30 transfer credits graduated. Table 13 Graduation Rates of Transfers (Transferred Between and ) Previous College Graduated Not Graduated Post- Graduate Total Percent Graduated Blue Ridge % Central Virginia % College of Health Science % Dabney Lancaster % Danville % Eastern Shore % Germanna % J. Sargeant Reynolds % John Tyler % Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 15 of 17

17 Previous College Graduated Not Graduated Post- Graduate Total Percent Graduated Lord Fairfax % Mountain Empire % New River % Northern Virginia % Patrick Henry % Paul D. Camp % Piedmont Virginia % Rappahannock % Richard Bland College % Southside Virginia % Southwest Virginia % Thomas Nelson % Tidewater % Virginia Highlands % Virginia Western % Wytheville % Total 1, ,230 77% Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 16 of 17

18 Discussion The purpose of this study was to investigate the academic performance of students who transferred to JMU from Virginia s two-year institutions. The study reviewed the number of students that applied, the number of credits transferred, the majors in which they enrolled, GPAs within each major and overall GPAs, differences between their performance and students that enrolled at JMU as first-time freshmen (native), and graduation rates. Below are the major findings. Seventeen percent of the transfers had applied to JMU between and for admission as a first-time freshman, and 24 percent of the applicants were accepted, but did not enroll at that time. Blue Ridge Community College (1,118), Northern Virginia Community College (718), Lord Fairfax Community College (493) and Piedmont Virginia Community College (268) account for 74 percent of all transfers. Unlike first-time freshmen (Fall 2009) where only 37 percent are male, 54 percent of the twoyear college transfers were male. Eleven percent of the transfers were non-caucasian as compared to 13 percent of all undergraduates. The University has placed a priority on enrolling transfers with an Associates degree. The percentage of transfers with at least 60 hours accepted has steadily increased since By this percentage had increased to 51. Since a GAA (guaranteed admission agreement) was signed recently with Northern Virginia Community College, the percentage of transfers with 60 or more credits increased from 17 in to 38 in The most popular majors have been Biology, BIS/IDLS, Communications/SMAD, English, Finance, Health Sciences, History, Information Technology, Kinesiology, Management, Marketing, and Psychology. Two-year transfers were more likely to major in business and the social sciences. They were also more likely to seek teacher certification than other students. The discipline areas with the highest GPAs included Foreign Languages Literatures, and Linguistics; Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities; and Visual and Performing Arts. Majors with the lowest GPAs included International Affairs; Chemistry; Economics; Political Science; and Justice Studies. The overall average GPA of transfers was However, transfers with 60 or more credits at enrollment had much higher GPAs (3.00) than those with less than 30 credits (2.83). Approximately 77 percent of the transfers graduated. A closer analysis reveals different graduation rates for transfers with 60 or more transfer credits. Approximately 81 percent of these transfers graduated from JMU. Conversely, 67 percent of transfers with 30 or fewer transfer credits graduated. Questions about this report may be directed to Dr. Frank Doherty, Director of Institutional Research at (540) or dohertfj@jmu.edu. Academic Performance of Transfers, April 2010 Page 17 of 17