Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM

1. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Tim Walston (Biology) Barbara Kramer (Chemistry) David Garth (Mathematics) Jason Miller (Mathematics)

2. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Problem Transfer students in STEM are rarely successful. Partnerships Four schools working together to change this. Potential Creating pathways for success for STEM-centric transfer students

3. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Problem Transfer students in STEM are rarely successful. Partnerships Four schools working together to change this. Potential Creating pathways for success for STEM-centric transfer students

4. Community colleges serve a large proportion of students From 2004-2008: • 69-70% of high school graduates attended college the next semester • 20-21% of graduates attended a public, 4-year college in Missouri • 26-27% of graduates attended a public, 2-year college in Missouri MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

5. The proportion of students served by community colleges is growing From 2007-2011: • Enrollment in all Missouri institutions has increased by 15.6% • Public 4-year enrollment has increased by only 11% • Public 2-year enrollment has increased by 29% • One partner institution has seen a 45.5% increase MDHE Statistical Summary Table 31 & 32 (2011), http://www.dhe.mo.gov/data/statsum/

6. Overall, transfer students are slightly less successful than native students For full-time students, all disciplines: • Native six-year graduation rate is 56% • Post-transfer four-year graduation rate is 50% (from public 2-year institution in MO) MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

7. Transfer students in STEM are much less successful than other transfer students For full-time students from public 2-year institutions, all disciplines: • Post-transfer four-year graduation rate is 50% For full-time students from public 2-year institutions, in STEM disciplines: • Post-transfer four-year graduation rate is 9.3% • Decrease of 1% between 2003-2007 MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

8. Part-time transfer students in STEM are even less successful For full-time students from public 2-year institutions, in STEM disciplines: • Post-transfer four-year graduation rate is 9.3% • Decrease of 1% between 2003-2007 • Part-time student four-year graduation rate is only 4.1% • 62 degrees awards to a cohort of 1,527 in 2007 MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

9. More students require remedial courses For first-time college students in 2007… • 30% needed remedial mathematics • 17% needed remedial English/writing • 10% needed remedial reading MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

10. Understanding of mathematics is a strong indicator of success in STEM fields • Most STEM degrees require at least Calculus 1 and Basic Statistics • Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science all require completion of Calculus 3 • Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science require Advanced Statistics • Science is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and reliant on mathematical modeling

11. Mathematics preparation for 2-year colleges may be less than 4-year colleges In Fall 2007, 30% of first-time college students needed remedial mathematics courses • 47% of students at public 2-year institutions • 12% of students at public 4-year institutions • Missouri S&T, Mizzou, MSU, Truman, UMKC, and UMSL have 0% of students in remedial mathematics!! • Inaccuracy in methodology? MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

12. Mathematics preparation is declining MDHE “Imperatives for Change Baseline Report” (2009), www.dhe.mo.gov/ifc/

13. Transfer students are behind same-age peers

14. Transfer students have semesters with many labs and large contact hour loads

15. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Problem Transfer students in STEM are rarely successful. Partnerships Four schools working together to change this. Potential Creating pathways for success for STEM-centric transfer students

16. STEM Talent Expansion Programs A partnership between four Missouri colleges (2004-present)

17. STEM Talent Expansion Programs National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Efforts: • STEP (STEM Talent Expansion Program) program (2004-2010) • SPECTRA (Scientists Prepared, Enriched and Challenged Through Research-based Activities) program (2010-2015) • STEP Scholars program (2012-2016) • SUCCEED (Strengthening University and Community College Educational Environments for Degrees) in STEM program (pending)

18. The STEP Office works to increase recruitment and retention of students in STEM degree programs Our objectives include: • Increasing STEM degree production at Truman • Boosting student success • Exposing students to research opportunities • Facilitating mathematics preparedness

19. The STEP Office works to increase recruitment and retention of students in STEM degree programs Our objectives include: • Increasing STEM degree production at Truman • Highlighting interdisciplinary connections • Offering interdisciplinary thinking courses • Developing interdisciplinary modules for course • Supporting Truman’s MathBio program

20. The STEP Office works to increase recruitment and retention of students in STEM degree programs Our objectives include: • Increasing STEM degree production at Truman • Highlighting interdisciplinary connections • Supporting transfer student success • Offering scholarships and research opportunities to community college students • Developing a STEM transfer orientation program • Identifying (and addressing) barriers to transfer student success

21. We have been successful… For our STEP program: • Summer research students had a 57% success in earning a STEM baccalaureate degree • STEM transfer orientation students had a 69% success in earning a STEM baccalaureate degree

22. We have been successful… For our STEP program: • Summer research students had a 57% success in earning a STEM baccalaureate degree • STEM transfer orientation students had a 69% success in earning a STEM baccalaureate degree Overall: • STEM Bachelor’s degree production at Truman has increased 10% since 2003 • STEM Associate’s degree production at our partners has increased 111% since 2003

23. We have also learned valuable lessons. • Community college faculty are creative and work hard to meet the needs of a diverse classroom • Community college classes are strong • Community college students do not think they are capable of being admitted to Truman • Transferring with an AA degree often requires an additional 3 years for a degree in STEM • Students leave STEM degrees for a variety of reasons

24. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Problem Transfer students in STEM are rarely successful. Partnerships Four schools working together to change this. Potential Creating pathways for success for STEM-centric transfer students

25. Three initiatives may alleviate these issues • Pre-STEM Pathways within the AA degree • AA degrees following Reverse Transfer • AS degrees in STEM disciplines

26. Three initiatives may alleviate these issues • Pre-STEM Pathways within the AA degree • AA degrees following Reverse Transfer • AS degrees in STEM disciplines

27. Pre-STEM Pathways provide better preparation for a degree STEM MACC College Catalog 2012-2014

28. Pre-STEM Pathways reduce the burden of heavy contact hours for transfer students Native student Heaviest – 3 labs, 18 hours Lightest – 1 lab, 1 non-lab, 9 hours

29. Three initiatives may alleviate these issues • Pre-STEM Pathways within the AA degree • AA degrees following Reverse Transfer • AS degrees in STEM disciplines

30. Reverse transfer allows students to earn an AA degree after transfer Missouri Revised Statutes (HB 1042) 173.005.1 (8) The coordinating board shall develop a policy to foster reverse transfer for any student who has accumulated enough hours in combination with at least one public higher education institution in Missouri that offers an associate degree and one public four-year higher education institution in the prescribed courses sufficient to meet the public higher education institution's requirements to be awarded an associate degree. … MDHE Reverse Transfer (2012), http://dhe.mo.gov/ReverseTransfer.php

31. Students can use reverse transfer to take more STEM courses at the community college Native student Heaviest – 3 labs, 18 hours Lightest – 1 lab, 1 non-lab, 9 hours

32. Several considerations must be made for students pursuing the AA • Students interested in transferring into degree programs in STEM need to be identified early, ideally prior to matriculation to the community college • Students need STEM-specific advising • Students must have college-prep coursework in high school and enter the community college ready for Calculus • Some options transfer heavy course-load from 4-year institution to the community college • Conversations between faculty could increase transfer equivalency of coursework

33. Three initiatives may alleviate these issues • Pre-STEM Pathways within the AA degree • AA degrees following Reverse Transfer • AS degrees in STEM disciplines

34. Articulated Associate of Science degrees align transfer students with their same-age peers a. Associate of Science Degree An associate of science (AS) degree is a specialized transfer degree that is intended for students interested in transferring into professional programs that have a greater emphasis on science and math. This is an articulated degree program that results from careful planning and agreement between institutions. These programs will be developed by consultation between sending and receiving institutions on a program-by-program basis. This process may involve changes in general education requirements. Students completing articulated AS degrees will be accepted as having completed lower-division general education and prerequisite courses equivalent to the lower-division general education requirements completed by native students in the same degree program over a similar time period. MDHE Credit Transfer Guidelines, www.dhe.mo.gov/policies/credit-transfer.php

35. A student with a STEM AS degree should be comparable to a native Truman student

36. Strengthening University and Community College Educational Environments for Degrees (SUCCEED) in STEM • Fully develop the Pre-STEM Pathways programs • Mechanism for identification as a Pre-STEM student • Pre-STEM advisor at each community college • Design Pre-STEM Pathways with reverse transfer • Facilitate articulated STEM AS degree programs • Summer STEM Bridge • Residential summer program • Two majors-level STEM courses • Reinstate the STEM-specific transfer orientation

37. Bridging the Gap Between Community Colleges and Baccalaureate Degrees in STEM Problem Transfer students in STEM are rarely successful. Partnerships Four schools working together to change this. Potential Creating pathways for success for STEM-centric transfer students

38. Truman State University STEM Talent Expansion Programs (STEP) Office Web Portal: http://step.truman.edu Email: step@truman.edu Phone: 660.785.7252