TY - JOUR

T1 - Upper-Division Transfer Students

T2 - Designing a Supplemental Instruction Program for Nursing Students Within a Science Based Curriculum

AU - Clark, Karen M.

AU - May, Isabell Cserno

PY - 2015/6/3

Y1 - 2015/6/3

N2 - The transition to upper-level course work of transferring students, predominantly students from 2-year/community colleges, has been explored in recent education research literature. Yet, it has not been sufficiently explored whether and what academic support programs could be successful in supporting transfer students with the transfer process. This article demonstrates the success of an academic support program for a discipline-specific cohort of transfer students entering their junior year in a nursing program at a public university within the University System of Maryland. The study explored prior academic preparation, results of Nursing Entrance Test scores, and interventions provided by an academic support initiative. For a course in pathopharmacology, this collaborative environment—facilitated by successful peers based on Supplemental Instruction, workshops on accelerated learning techniques, and individual tutoring—indicates that participation in such a comprehensive program resulted in an overall higher grade point average at the end of the first semester. There was also a reduced rate of failure or drop out from 15% to 7% in subsequent semesters. Overall, such an initiative could serve as a model for other institutions.

AB - The transition to upper-level course work of transferring students, predominantly students from 2-year/community colleges, has been explored in recent education research literature. Yet, it has not been sufficiently explored whether and what academic support programs could be successful in supporting transfer students with the transfer process. This article demonstrates the success of an academic support program for a discipline-specific cohort of transfer students entering their junior year in a nursing program at a public university within the University System of Maryland. The study explored prior academic preparation, results of Nursing Entrance Test scores, and interventions provided by an academic support initiative. For a course in pathopharmacology, this collaborative environment—facilitated by successful peers based on Supplemental Instruction, workshops on accelerated learning techniques, and individual tutoring—indicates that participation in such a comprehensive program resulted in an overall higher grade point average at the end of the first semester. There was also a reduced rate of failure or drop out from 15% to 7% in subsequent semesters. Overall, such an initiative could serve as a model for other institutions.

KW - Educational science

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84924210128&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/10668926.2013.849622

DO - 10.1080/10668926.2013.849622

M3 - Journal articles

AN - SCOPUS:84924210128

VL - 39

SP - 499

EP - 514

JO - Community College Journal of Research and Practice

JF - Community College Journal of Research and Practice

SN - 1066-8926

IS - 6

ER -