TCSG to USG Transfer StudyUpdated Results from Pilot Survey

Research & Policy AnalysisUniversity System of Georgia

Board of Regents

July 20, 2015th

Rachana Bhatt, Ph.D.rachana.bhatt@usg.edu

A large numbers of students transfer into USG institutions from TCSG each year. State Universities and Colleges are largest recipients.

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

Research Universities Comprehensive Universities State Universities State Colleges

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

10,000

12,000

14,000

16,000

5.4%4.5%

3.8% 11.6% 10.1% 10.9%15.3% 14.3% 15.1%

20.9% 20.0% 20.2%

Number of Students that Transfer into USG: Total and TCSG Transfers

% of Transfers from TCSG

Transfer hours minimize duplication of coursework for students seeking to earn a degree at USG institutions.

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

2011

-12

2012

-13

2013

-14

Research Universities Comprehensive Universities State Universities State Colleges

0

10

20

30

40

50

60Hours Transferred into USG by TCSG Students, by Receiving Institution Type

Hou

rs

TCSG students transfer in the least amount of hours compared to other transfers.

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14TCSG Out of State Other Georgia Schools

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Hours Transferred into USG by Type of Sending Institution

Articulation Agreement• Background– 27 General Education courses which transfer between

TCSG and USG (10 in 2010, 17 more added in 2012)– Encourage pursuit of baccalaureate degree opportunities

• Questions of interest– How many/which courses are students transferring most

frequently?– How do students perform in subject-specific follow up

courses?– How do these students compare to non-transfers?

Pilot Survey• Five Participating Institutions

– Kennesaw, Georgia Highlands, Valdosta, Clayton, Columbus

• Data – 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– Demographic and academic characteristics of transfer students

Data Overview• Data has been collected for:

• 634 students that transferred 1,348 courses from TCSG to USG (previously 544 students that transferred 1,086 courses)

Cohort N Dates of Observation

1 205 Fall 2012 to Fall 2013

2 130 Spring 2013 to Spring 2014

3 51 Summer 2013 to Summer 2014

4 248 Fall 2013 to Fall 2014

Receiving Institution

Clayton ColumbusGeorgia

Highlands Kennesaw Valdosta

Sending Instituti

on

Albany Technical College 1 3Athens Technical College 1 9 2Atlanta Technical College 1 1 3Augusta Technical College 1Central Georgia Technical College 1Chattahoochee Technical College 40 356 7Columbus Technical College 41Georgia Northwestern Technical College 10 21Georgia Piedmont Technical College 1 7Gwinnett Technical College 18 2Lanier Technical College 1 1Middle Georgia Technical College 2 1Savannah Technical College 2South Georgia Technical College 1Southeastern Technical College 1Southern Crescent Technical College 1Southwest Georgia Technical College 1 14 14West Georgia Technical College 7 2Wiregrass Georgia Technical College 58Total 3 48 56 438 89

Finding 1: TCSG students transfer anywhere from 1-6 articulated courses. Average is 2. Number of courses does not vary by sending institution.

1 2 3 4 5 60

50

100

150

200

250

300

260

177

105

5229

11

Number of Articulated Courses Transferred In

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

Number of Courses

Finding 2: Math (1111/1113) and English (1101/1102) are the most often transferred. Average transfer grade is B.

1111

/L11

12/L

1151

/L11

52/L

1101

1102

2130

1111

1112

2111

2112

1101

1111

1113

1125

1127

1131

ARTS

110

1EC

ON

1101

GEO

G 10

13HU

MN

110

1PH

YS 1

111

POLS

110

1PS

YC 1

101

SOCI

110

1SP

CH 1

101

BIOL CHEM ENGL HIST MATH OTHER

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Distribution of Transfer Courses from TCSG to USG (Frequency and Average Grade)

Num

ber o

f Cou

rses

Average Grade (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1)

Finding 3: 70% of articulated courses taken within 3 terms before transfer

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 or more

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

% of Articulated Courses taken 1, 2, ......Semesters before Transfer to USG

% o

f Cou

rses

Number of Terms between when Articulated Course was Taken and Transfer to USG

*There are some inconsistencies across schools with respect to whether WF grades are included/excluded from the calculation of class average.

Average Performance in Transfer and Follow Up Course(A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)

TCSG USG

Student Grade Student Grade Class Average Student: % D/FStudent: % of Withdrawals N

Transfer Course

BIOL1111/L 3.1 2.4 2.2 20.0% 10.7% 281112 3.5 1 2 100.0% 50.0% 4

CHEM1151/L 3.3 3 2.7 0.0% 0.0% 141152 2 3 3 0.0% 0.0% 2

ECON 1101 3.1 2.9 2.4 12.8% 15.2% 46

ENGL1101 3.2 2.9 2.7 11.3% 13.4% 2461102 3.3 2.9 2.8 10.7% 11.2% 2322130 3 3.0 2.1 11.8% 19.0% 42

HIST1111 3.0 2.7 2.6 15.8% 18.6% 701112 3 2.7 2.8 16.7% 20.0% 152111 2.8 3.0 2.7 11.4% 10.3% 392112 2.9 2.8 2.7 11.4% 2.8% 36

Average Performance in Transfer and Follow Up Course (Continued)(A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)

TCSG USG

Student Grade

Student Grade

Class Average Student: % D/F Student: % of Withdrawls N

Transfer Course

MATH1101 3.1 2.7 2.5 23.1% 13.3% 151111 3.0 2.8 2.4 18.2% 17.8% 2871113 2.75 2.6 2.4 21.6% 19.3% 881127 2.9 2.8 2.5 13.9% 12.2% 411131 3.3 2.6 2.2 18.2% 0.0% 11

POLS 1101 3.4 3.1 2.9 7.7% 35.0% 20

PSYC 1101 3.5 2.9 2.7 13.5% 7.1% 56

SOCI 1101 3.5 2.8 3.0 9.5% 8.7% 23

SPCH 1101 3.3 3.1 3.0 8.0% 3.8% 26

Finding 4:Transfer students*earn lower grades in follow-up courses (but these are higher level classes) *have 10-20% withdrawal rates in follow-up courses*that remain in follow-up courses perform better than the average student

Finding 5: Those with lowest transfer course grades have higher withdrawal and D/F rates and have different course taking patterns.

Average Performance in Transfer and Follow Up Course, by Transfer Course Grade(A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)

USG

Student Grade % D/F% of

Withdrawals Most Popular Follow Up Courses NTransfer Course Grade

ENGL 11014=A 3.2 8.9% 8.2% ENGL 2110: 46% ENGL 1102: 40% 98

B 2.8 12.2% 15.9% ENGL 2110: 48% ENGL 1102: 37% 107C 2.4 13.8% 19.4% ENGL 1102: 59% ENGL 2110: 37% 36

1=D 1.8 25.0% 20.0% ENGL 1101: 100% 5

ENGL 1102

4=A 3.3 4.6% 11.2% ENGL 2110: 83% ENGL 2060/2113: 6% 98

B 2.8 8.1% 11.3% ENGL 2110: 80% ENGL 2111/2112: 10% 97C 2.1 32.3% 11.4% ENGL 2110: 66% ENGL 2111: 12% 35

MATH 1111

4=A 3.2 9.1% 9.2% MATH 1106/07: 41% MATH 1113: 18% 109

B 2.8 13.8% 21.7% MATH 1106/07: 52% MATH 1190: 13% 83

C 2.1 36.9% 25.3% MATH 1106/07: 53% MATH 1112/13: 22% 87

1=D 2.7 14.3% 12.5% MATH 1107: 38% MATH 1111/13: 50% 8

Finding 6: Those that have the longest lag between articulated and follow up course have highest D/F and withdrawal rates.

Average Performance in Transfer and Follow Up Course, by Length of Time between Courses(A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0)

TCSG USGStudent Grade Student Grade % D/F % of Withdrawals N

Transfer CourseENGL 1101

1 to 3 terms 3.1 2.9 8.0% 9.4% 964 to 6 terms 3.3 2.9 13.8% 11.3% 1067 plus terms 3.2 2.8 12.5% 27.3% 44

ENGL 11021 to 3 terms 3.3 2.9 11.4% 7.3% 1234 to 6 terms 3.2 3.0 6.8% 14.0% 867 plus terms 3.3 2.7 22.2% 18.2% 22

MATH 11111 to 3 terms 3.0 2.7 22.8% 17.2% 1224 to 6 terms 3.0 2.9 12.0% 20.0% 1157 plus terms 3.3 2.9 21.4% 14.3% 49

Finding 7: TCSG transfer students are similar to First-Time Freshman in terms of demographic characteristics.

TCSG Transfer Students First Time Freshman

Female64%

Male36%

Black23%

Hispanic8%

American Indian

1%Hawaiian

0%Two or More

4%Unknown

3%

White58%

Asian3%

Female; 59%

Male; 41%

Black; 27%

Hispanic; 7%American Indian; 0%

Hawaiian; 0%

Two or More ; 4%Unknown;

2%

White; 57%

Asian; 3%

Finding 7: TCSG transfer students are older and have lower academic background than typical First-Time Freshman.

TCSG Transfer Students First Time Freshman

0%2%4%6%8%

10%12%14%16%18%20%

Age at Transfer to USG

Prior Academic Indicators

HS GPA SAT Math SAT Verbal

Average 3.09 486.65 500.14

[standard dev] [0.57] [83.92] [88.73]

N 175 221 221

17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33

35 plus-10%0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%

Age at Entry to USG

Prior Academic Indicators

HS GPA SAT Math SAT Verbal

Average 3.12 506.57 516.76

[standard dev] 0.46 73.93 73.68

N 15293 10313 10315

Comparison of Performance in Follow-Up Courses for Transfer and Non-Transfer Students

English

Transfer Students Non-Transfer Students

1101 2110 1101 2110Average Grade 3.3 2.9 3.2 3.1

% of Withdrawals 9.2% 3.5%% of D/F's 11.1% 5.8%N 109 1,383

1101 1102 1101 1102Average Grade 3.2 2.9 3.1 3.0

% of Withdrawals 16.2% 4.3%% of D/F's 10.8% 7.5%N 99 8,380

1102 2110 1102 2110Average Grade 3.3 3.0 3.3 3.2

% of Withdrawals 9.3% 3.0%% of D/F's 9.1% 4.9%N 182 1,709

Comparison of Performance in Follow-Up Courses for Transfer and Non-Transfer Students

Math1111 1113 1111 1113

Average Grade 3.1 2.4 3.1 2.6

% of Withdrawals 26.2% 11.6%% of D/F's 32.3% 21.4%N 42 724

1111 1190 1111 1190Average Grade 3.2 2.4 3.4 2.9

% of Withdrawals 39.1% 8.3%% of D/F's 28.6% 9.0%N 23 109

Finding 8: Transfer and non-transfer students both perform worse in follow-up courses, but transfer students have 2-3 times higher withdrawal and D/F rates

Finding 9: TCSG students earn fewer credit hours compared to FTF.

Transfer First Time Freshman

Transfer First Time Freshman

Transfer First Time Freshman

Fall 1 Spring Fall 2

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

9.810.6

9.810.8

9.911.2

Comparison of Hours Attempted and Earned for TCSG Transfer and FTF

Earned Hours

Concluding Remarks• TCSG transfer students:– Perform worse in follow-up courses than in transfer

courses• Likely due to higher difficulty level since traditional FTF also

do worse in follow up

– Have high withdrawal rates • Withdrawal at double the rate of FTF

– But, those that remain in class perform better than their average classmate

Concluding Remarks– Attempt fewer hours and earn less credit that

traditional FTF.

– Subsequent course-taking patterns and success linked to experience with articulated courses• Those with lowest transfer course grade have highest

withdrawal and D/F rates.• Those that wait the longest between transfer and follow-up

perform worse• Differential course taking patterns suggest students are

aware of/being advised to take appropriate-level courses.

Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students

TCSG Transfer Course

USG Follow-Up Course N

TCSG Transfer Course

USG Follow Up Course N

ARTS 1101 ART 1100 1 ENGL 1102 ENGL 1101 2 ART 1107 1 ENGL 1102 5

ENGL 2010 2BIOL 1111/L BIOL 1010 3 ENGL 2060 3

BIOL 1100 1 ENGL 2110 145BIOL 2651 1 ENGL 2111 10SCI 1102 13 ENGL 2112 7SCI 3360 1 ENGL 2113 5

BIOL 1112 BIOL 1100 1 ENGL 2121 1BIOL 2651 1 ENGL 2132 2

ENGL 2133 1CHEM 1151/L CHEM 1152/L 12 ENGL 2271 1

ENGL 3010 3ECON 1101 ECON 2100 17 ENGL 3500 1

ECON 2106 1ECON 2200 3 ENGL 2130 ENGL 1102 23ECON 2300 4 ENGL 2010 1

ENGL 2060 1ENGL 1101 ENGL 0099 3 ENGL 2110 7

ENGL 1101 7 ENGL 2111 1ENGL 1102 84 ENGL 3010 2ENGL 2010 3 ENGL 3500 1ENGL 2060 3ENGL 2110 89ENGL 2111 10ENGL 2112 5ENGL 2113 2ENGL 2120 1ENGL 2132 1ENGL 2271 1ENGL 3010 3

Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students

TCSG Transfer Course

USG Follow-Up Course N TCSG Transfer Course USG Follow Up Course N

HIST 1111 HIST 1110 2 MATH 1101 MATH 1106 3HIST 1112 1 MATH 1107 5HIST 2111 9 MATH 1112 2HIST 2112 38 MATH 2202 1HIST 3304 1 MATH 1111 MATH 97 1HIST 3333 1 MATH 1101 3HIST 3372 1 MATH 1106 48

HIST 1112 HIST 2111 2 MATH 1107 54HIST 2112 10 MATH 1111 9HIST 4444 1 MATH 1112 20

MATH 1113 24HIST 2111 HIST 1110 15 MATH 1190 20

HIST 1112 1 MATH 1261 7HIST 2111 2 MATH 1401 1HIST 2112 11 MATH 2008 10HIST 3335 1 MATH 2200 3HIST 4444 1 MATH 2202 4

HIST 2112 HIST 1110 13 MATH 2261 3HIST 1111 1 MATH 2262 1HIST 1122 1 MATH 2595 1HIST 2111 3 MATH 2620 8HIST 2112 3 MATH 3161 1HIST 2206 2 STAT 1127 4HIST 3304 1

HIST 3333 1

HUMN 1101 ITDS 1155 1

ITDS 2735 1

Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students

TCSG Transfer CourseUSG Follow-Up Course N TCSG Transfer Course

USG Follow Up Course N

MATH 1113 MATH 1101 1 POLS 1101 POLS 1101 4MATH 1106 16 POLS 2101 1MATH 1107 15 POLS 2240 1MATH 1113 2 POLS 2250 1MATH 1190 30 POLS 3300 2MATH 2125 1 POLS 3360 1MATH 2200 2 POLS 3370 1MATH 2202 5 POLS 3600 1MATH 2261 2MATH 2595 1 PSY 1101 PSY 1101 6

MATH 1127 MATH 1101 2 PSY 2103 5MATH 1106 5 PSY 2210 9MATH 1107 3 PSY 2700 6MATH 1111 1 PSY 3210 1MATH 1113 6 PSY 3305 10MATH 1190 4 PSY 3370 1MATH 1261 1 PSY 3400 1MATH 2008 5 PSY 3410 1MATH 2202 2 PSY 3800 4MATH 3316 1 PSY 4870 1

MATH 1131 MATH 1107 2MATH 2200 1MATH 2202 5

PHYS 1111 PHYS 1112 1

Appendix Table 1: List of Transfer Courses and Corresponding Follow-Up Courses Taken by Students

TCSG Transfer CourseUSG Follow-Up Course N TCSG Transfer Course

USG Follow Up Course N

SOC 1101 SOC 1101 2 SPC 1101 COMM 1109 13

SOC 1160 1 COMM 2135 1

SOC 2105 3 COMM 1100 6

SOC 2201 2SOC 2251 1SOC 2301 1SOC 3117 1SOC 3314 1SOC 3364 1SOC 3650 1SOC 4432 1

Courses highlighted in red are those that we compared performance in for TCSG transfer and non-transfer students.