Browsing by Author "Smith, Natasha Leigh"
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- Application of Systems Engineering Analysis Methods to Examine Engineering Transfer Student PersistenceSmith, Natasha Leigh (Virginia Tech, 2020-01-20)The demand for engineering graduates in the United States continues to grow, yet the number of students entering post-secondary education is declining, and graduation rates have seen little to no change over the last several decades. Engineering transfer students are a growing population and can help meet the nation's needs, however, there is little research on the persistence of this population after they transfer to the receiving institution. Student persistence is dependent on a complex set of interactions over time. Management systems engineering provides a framework for working with complex systems through system analysis and design, with a focus on the interactions of the system components. This research includes multiple management systems engineering analysis methods used to define and develop a systems view of engineering transfer student persistence. This work includes a comprehensive literature review to identify factors affecting engineering transfer student persistence, an empirical analysis of an institutional dataset, and development of a simulation model to demonstrate the throughput of engineering transfer student. Findings include 34 factors identified in the literature as affecting engineering student persistence. A review of the literature also highlighted two important gaps in the literature, including a focus on post-transfer success almost exclusively in the first post-transfer year and a significant interest in vertical transfer students, with little consideration given to lateral transfer students. The empirical analysis addressed the gaps found in the literature. Vertical and lateral engineering transfer students were found to experience different levels of transfer shock which also impacts their 4-year graduation rates. The analysis also found transfer shock was not unique to the first post-transfer term, it was also present in the second and third post-transfer terms, and reframed as transfer adjustment. The simulation model uncovers leaving patterns of engineering transfer students which include the students leaving engineering in the second year, as well as those graduating with an engineering degree in the third year. Overall this research identifies explicit factors that affect engineering transfer student persistence and suggests a new systems engineering approach for understanding student persistence and how institutions can affect change.
- Credit Loss for Engineering Transfer Students: In-depth analyses and visualizations of patterns across students and structuresRichardson, Amy Jo (Virginia Tech, 2023-06-07)Broadening participation in engineering has been a pressing goal for decades, yet progress has been slow. The National Academy of Engineering recommends building transfer pathways from community colleges to universities to meet this goal. Much research has focused broadly on curriculum alignment, articulation policies, and academic advising to ease the transfer pathway in efforts to reduce credit loss, which can significantly impact transfer students enrolled in highly sequential degrees, such as engineering. However, minimal scholarship quantifies and visualizes credit loss or explains in detail how and why it occurs—my dissertation explores credit loss for engineering transfer students to understand how and why these students accumulate excess credit. The first phase explores credit loss at a highly intensive research university using institutional data to compare across student characteristics, transfer type, engineering discipline, and state community college institutions. The second phase quantifies and visualizes credit loss for vertical engineering transfer students using data from both the sending and receiving institutions. The results of this study revealed that nearly all engineering transfer students experienced some form of credit loss. The amount of credit loss differs across engineering disciplines, the types of sending institutions, and between community colleges within the same state system. Additionally, this study found that credit loss occurs throughout the entire degree pathway, from high school dual enrollment and AP credits to community college and even post-transfer. Findings can be used to inform advisors, faculty, administrators, and policymakers about the role of credit loss in the engineering transfer process. This work has implications for informing degree pathways, articulation agreements, and policies that promote successful transfer and degree completion, which ultimately has the potential to enhance college affordability.