Graduation Term

2019

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

James Palmer

Abstract

Despite the research that exists about transfer students, there is limited literature on the services that colleges and universities provide to adult students who transfer from community college to university. The number of adult students who participate in postsecondary education continues to grow. The purpose for this mixed method exploratory study was to gather data through both telephone conversations and a survey of transfer coordinators at Illinois institutions of higher education, including community colleges, public four-year institutions, and private, nonprofit four-year institutions. The study sought to understand what transfer coordinators perceive their colleges and universities are doing to help adult students transfer from community colleges to universities, what transfer coordinators perceive their colleges should be doing to help adult students transfer, and is there a gap between what coordinators perceive that their colleges are doing to help adult students transfer from community colleges to universities and what they perceive that their colleges should be doing. Important implications for practice emerged from the findings: (a) college and universities should provide resources and support for faculty to help them understand how teaching adult students differs from teaching traditional students; (b) colleges and universities should focus on providing course offerings at convenient times and places as well as bachelor's degree completion programs for place-bound community college graduates; (c) institutions should work with other colleges and universities around the state to collaborate and improve services for adult students; (d) colleges and universities may want to consider ways to make adult students feel connected and as welcome as traditional students; (e) institutions may want to consider providing support services offered at convenient times for adult students. In addition to these recommendations, the study also suggests areas for further research.

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2019.Craig.B

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