Aspen-AASCU Transfer Student Success Intensive Practice Assessment (Cohort 3)

Congratulations on completing the Aspen-AASCU Transfer Student Success Intensive! Please complete this evaluation on the current state of transfer practice (at your individual institution and in the community college-4-year institution partnership). Results from this survey will be used in our final session to explore how your institutional transfer practice has evolved throughout the Intensive. 


Although we ask you to identify the name of your institution in the survey, we will only disclose institution-level responses to the individuals within your partnership, not with the greater Transfer Intensive. 


This evaluation should be completed by each individual on the Intensive team (except the presidents) to the best of their current knowledge on each topic. The evaluation focuses on transfer practice in terms of prioritization, advising, and pathways efforts, both institutionally and within your partnership. 


To complete the evaluation, please read each statement in full and choose a response that best describes the degree to which your institutions and/or partnership have adopted each practice based on the scoring rubric provided: Not Present, Beginning, Emerging, Established, Advanced, and Unknown. 


This survey defines partner and partnership as the relationship between the community college and four-year institution. 


The survey should take roughly 15 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation in the third cohort of the Aspen-AASCU Transfer Student Success Intensive!

Enter your personal invitation code (only applies if the field is not populated yet).

Domain 1

Transfer Prioritization
Transfer student success and equity is incorporated as a major priority in our strategic plan and strategic planning process; this priority filters down through division and department-level strategic documents and plans.
The college regularly collects data on transfer students and tracks transfer students as a distinct population in all of its student unit record data systems, allowing for ready and regular access to data about transfer student enrollment, academic performance, graduation outcomes, engagement with high-impact experiences, and other key performance indicators.
Data on transfer students is regularly disaggregated by race/ethnicity, income, program/major, and other characteristics such as age, veteran status, parent status.
Disaggregated data on transfer student outcomes is relevant, timely, and accessible, and readily shared with the appropriate individuals at the institution and within the partnership (e.g., senior leaders, advisors, faculty).
Senior leaders at the institution and within the partnership engage in the regular review of transfer student data including qualitative and quantitative data on transfer student experiences and outcomes, and use transfer data in discussions around continuous improvement in transfer practice and policy.
The partner institutions have established specific and measurable goals and priorities regarding transfer student success and equity for their institutions and their partnership, and regularly monitor progress toward those goals.
The partner institutions have dedicated staff and/or a committee that is responsible for carrying out the goals and priorities on transfer student success and equity set by the partnership, including sharing the goals widely to build urgency and consensus among key stakeholders.
The partner institutions have the financial, human capital (e.g., advisors, dedicated transfer staff, etc.), and other resources needed (e.g., technology, communications support, etc.) at the individual and partnership level to do transfer well, and have invested accordingly and based on the areas that most need improvement.
Prospective and current transfer student focus groups and surveys are conducted regularly and used to inform transfer student-success strategies, policies, and practices both at the institutional level and in partnership.

Domain 2

Tailored Transfer Advising and Supports
All prospective and current transfer students have access to transfer-specific advising that includes guidance on choosing a degree, transfer destination, courses, and engaging in career exploration. Leaders ensure that advisors have the time and resources to provide this information to prospective and current transfer students effectively and at scale.
Community college advisors meet with students early, including prior to matriculation, to understand whether transfer aligns with the students’ academic and career goals or if students have identified transfer as a goal. Students who are identified as prospective transfers are provided with guidance on degree choice, course selection, the transfer process, and potential transfer destinations early in their college experience. Leaders ensure advisors have the time and resources to support students effectively and at scale.
Advisors at the community college and the university have access to and utilize a common and standardized set of user-friendly and clear information and resources to guide transfer students with diverse experiences and goals, ensuring each student receives high quality guidance. Leaders ensure that advisors have access to these resources, which can include course guides, program/major maps, and academic milestones (e.g., completion of a transferable college-level English or math course).
Advisors at the community college and university use data to reach out proactively to prospective/current transfer students who have not met with an advisor to ensure students have the guidance and resources they need. Leaders ensure monitoring systems, policies, supports, and trainings are in place to support advisors in reaching the prospective/current transfer students effectively and at scale.
Advisors (and students) are alerted when students at their respective institutions are at risk of deviating from their program plans, and advisors intervene to help students remain on pace to meet their transfer and completion goals in a timely manner. Leaders ensure monitoring systems, policies, supports, and trainings are in place to support advisors in tracking student progress and intervening with the appropriate supports when necessary.
All faculty and staff at the community college and university who interact with students are provided with the training and knowledge on the available supports for transfer students, and have developed a common understanding of where to guide students seeking information specific to their circumstances.
Prospective transfer students from the community college engage with pre-transfer advising provided by the university, either at the two-year campus, four-year campus, or virtually. Leaders ensure that advising offices have the resources available to support effective pre-transfer advising at scale.
The university has a dedicated orientation program that is designed to meet the specific needs of transfer students and tailored to their unique experiences. These orientation sessions are scheduled during times that are accessible for working and/or parenting adults and provided for each entering cohort of transfer students (i.e., including spring admit students).
Dedicated transfer student advisors at the university support transfer students during and after the transition from the community college. Advisors meet regularly with students prior to enrollment and when they arrive at the university, and help them plan and select their courses through to bachelor’s degree completion, as well as crucial outside-the-classroom experiences (e.g., study abroad, faculty-led research, internships) associated with post-graduate success. Leaders ensure advisors have the resources and support (e.g., from other offices like career services or academic support programs) they need to guide transfer students effectively and at scale.
Advisors at the partner institutions engage in regular professional development opportunities on transfer-specific advising, and are kept up-to-date on relevant course and program changes. Within the partnership, advising leaders meets frequently to review processes to coordinate their advising support across the entire transfer student journey. Leaders from the partner institutions provide the time and resources necessary for advisor professional development on transfer.
The university provides enough financial aid to meet the needs of transfer students, and ensures that transfer students are provided with support to understand how to access financial aid and navigate the financial aid system.

Domain 3

Transfer Pathways
Transfer pathways are mapped from beginning at the community college through to bachelor’s degree completion, include critical course sequences and requirements, and are designed to enable degree completion within the number of credits required for the degree (e.g., 120 credits). Leaders from the partner institutions ensure that the relevant stakeholders (e.g. faculty, advisors) have the time and resources they need to devote to this work.
Pathways between the community college and university are clearly translated into program/major maps that are readily accessible and easy for students, advisors and faculty to use. By using program/major maps, transfer students know which courses they should take and in what sequence, and can understand how far they've come and what more they need to do to complete their degrees.
The partner institutions consider quantitative (e.g., labor market data) and qualitative (e.g., employer interviews or focus groups) information on the regional workforce to prioritize which major/programs to map transfer pathways.
The partner institutions use quantitative (e.g., enrollment and completion) and qualitative (e.g., advisor focus groups) information on transfer by major/program to prioritize which pathways to map, improve curricular alignment, and coordinate/simplify expectations across pathways where, for instance, many learning objectives are shared or major switching is common. The partner institutions use the data to understand the equity implications of their pathway design choices.
Program maps indicate opportunities for transfer students to engage in work-based learning (e.g., internships), clinical placements, study abroad, and other learning activities that take place beyond the classroom.
Faculty from the college and university meet regularly to share course expectations between the institutions, review whether students are meeting those expectations, and update pathways to reflect needed curricular changes.
The college and university leadership provides the visible support, time, and fiscal resources needed for faculty to collaborate and design pathways and program maps.
Transfer students have access to limited capacity/impacted programs at the university (e.g., nursing, engineering, business). The university ensures access through intentional practices such as reserving spots for transfer students in competitive majors, providing community college advisors and students clear information about application requirements, and partnering to provide critical courses not available at the community college.
The college and university schedules courses during and outside of regular working hours and during each term to take into account different schedules and ensure transfer students can take the courses they need when they need them, allowing them to complete their bachelor’s degree within the number of credits required for the degree (e.g., 120 credits).