Transfer Connections: welcoming new transfer students

Focus has turned to the experiences of new transfer students in four-year institutions partially because of the mandate from President Obama for there to be more college graduates. Though transfer students are familiar with being college students, they still may not be accustomed to their new four-year institutions. At the time of this action research study, there were a very limited number of events to welcome new transfer students to the Arizona State University (ASU) Tempe campus. The purpose of this study was to create knowledge about the transition process of new transfer students to the Tempe campus. I worked with current transfer students to design a welcome event called Transfer Connections. By using a mixed methods design guided by retention and transition theories, a pre- and post-survey, individual interviews, and a focus group, I sought to answer questions about their transition process. In order to answer my research questions, this included exploring whether or not Transfer Connections had an influence on the success strategies they used, the type of support they gained, and their levels of feeling like they mattered. Since this was an action research study, I also explored my role as both a researcher and a practitioner. Results showed students did not learn specific success strategies, though they did learn about resources specific to ASU. The students also gained a level of support through the connections they made with other students. These connections influenced how the students felt they mattered to both ASU and other students. Future iterations of Transfer Connections will include more opportunities for new transfer students to develop connections.