How Faculty Members Influence Credit Transfer at Four-Year Institutions: Building Knowledge to Improve Transfer Student Outcomes
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| Title: | How Faculty Members Influence Credit Transfer at Four-Year Institutions: Building Knowledge to Improve Transfer Student Outcomes |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Sophia Sutcliffe, Marjorie Dorimé-Williams, Gianna Perri, Cyrette Saunier, Jordan Ozley, MDRC |
| Source: | MDRC. 2025. |
| Availability: | MDRC. 16 East 34th Street 19th Floor, New York, NY 10016-4326. Tel: 212-532-3200; Fax: 212-684-0832; e-mail: publications@mdrc.org; Web site: http://www.mdrc.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 77 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Ascendium Education Group, Inc. |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | College Faculty, College Transfer Students, Transfer Policy, College Credits, Decision Making, Teacher Attitudes, Universities, Outcomes of Education, Teacher Role, School Policy, State Policy, Educational Policy |
| Geographic Terms: | Texas |
| Abstract: | Transferring credits from a community college to a four-year institution remains a crucial strategy many students must use to obtain a bachelor's degree. However, effectively implementing this strategy can be difficult. Despite state policies intended to streamline credit transfer, students face significant barriers to having their credits accepted and, more importantly, applied to degree requirements at four-year institutions. Faculty members in teaching, research, and administrative positions play a pivotal role in decisions about whether and how credits transfer, yet little research has examined how they approach these decisions or what factors influence their judgment. This mixed-methods study, funded by Ascendium Education Group and conducted by MDRC, addresses this knowledge gap by exploring faculty members' decision-making within a large and complex transfer landscape. The study involved three University of Texas System institutions: the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at El Paso, and the University of Texas at Tyler. MDRC researchers conducted interviews and focus groups with faculty and staff members, analyzed institutional data on transfer student outcomes, and reviewed state and institutional transfer policies and documentation on credit evaluation processes. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED674204 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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