Teaching Transition

at Arrupe College

Dave Holmes & Kristen Surla

Loyola University Chicago
ELPS 431: Evaluation in Higher Education
What is ARRUPE COLLEGE?
2-Year Community College (partnership with Loyola University Chicago (LUC)

FALL 2015: Opened at LUC’s Water Tower Campus

GOAL:
● Provide access to higher ed for low income & first generation students in Chicago
● Attain associates degree & transfer to 4 year college
 ACADEMIC STRUCTURE:

● Small class sizes & individualized advising for students

● Focus on Core Curriculum & 3 Academic Tracks:
○ Arrupe Mission
○ Core Courses
○ Pre-Major Core & Electives

Academic
Structure at
Arrupe
 Social Structure at Arrupe

SOCIAL STRUCTURE & RESOURCES

● Centralized resources
○ Career Development
○ Academic Affairs & Advising
○ Social Work
○ Student Services
○ Advising is built INTO student’s schedule
● Commuter Friendly
○ Lockers & Meals provided
○ Class & activities built into
● Post-Graduate Support
○ Transfer Experience Coordinator
○ Consistent communication via email, FB, outreach sessions
 Purpose of Study
SPRING 2017:

Inaugural class of Arrupe College Students graduates

73 Students transfer to 4 year colleges & universities

RESEARCH QUESTION:
How has Arrupe College taught/prepared its students to be academically & socially successful at
their current 4 year institution?

WHY?

● No previous assessment
● Continue to improve student experiences
● Arrupe is a new Community College model that could influence other institutions of higher
education
● Loyola as a stakeholder
What do we know about transfer students?

Managing Transfer Shock: First semester is a critical

time for transfer students (Flaga, 2006)

Persistence is related to Post-transfer involvement

(Lee & Schneider, 2016)

Cultural & Social Capital play a huge role in transfer

student development (Starobin, Smith, Laanan, 2016)
Learning Outcomes for
Faculty/Staff/Administrators
Learning Outcome 1: On-Campus Social Engagement at Transfer Institution
After analyzing assessment data, student affairs professionals will be able to
develop and implement outreach strategies for Arrupe College Alumni to engage
in co-curricular organizations and seek leadership opportunities on campus.

Learning Outcome 2: Academic Readiness & Success of Arrupe College Students

After analyzing assessment data, professors and student affairs professionals for
Arrupe College will be able to use academic interventions to prepare graduates
for academic readiness at a four year higher education institution.

Learning Outcome 3: Knowledge Towards Adjusting to a 4-year Institution

Student affairs professionals at Arrupe College will be able to use assessment
data to create and promote outreach initiatives and educational programming to
facilitate the adjustment to a four year institution for students transferring from
Arrupe College.
Methodology
Establishing Context: Qualitative Feedback Session (Observation)
conducted by Arrupe College Faculty/Staff

Quantitative/Descriptive Design→ Describe phenomena

Survey using Likert Scale & Open Ended Questions

● demographic data
● academic success
● co-curricular/social involvement
● general feelings of students’ preparedness for a 4 year institution

Recruitment:
● Convenience Sampling
● Email from Transfer/Graduate Student Coordinator, Pat Durgin
Demographics of Students Responding

The survey was sent to 73 students who graduated from Arrupe College and transferred to
4-year institutions. 22 students responded.

68.2% Identified as female. 31.8% identified as male.

86.4% Identified as Latinx/Hispanic, 13.6% identified as Asian

45.5% stated they attend Loyola University Chicago, 22.7% attend University of Illinois at
Chicago

Other schools attended: Georgetown University, Dominican University, Northeastern Illinois,

Ripon College, and University of Wisconsin-Madison
Arrupe College
prepared me to
be academically
successful
Arrupe College
Taught Me
Effective Study
Skills
Arrupe College
taught me to
advocate for
myself when I
need academic
support
I have utilized
academic
support
services that I
need at my
current
institution
I have joined
clubs or
groups on
my new
campus
I am
starting to
feel a part
of my
campus
community
Composite Averages Per Response

All Students 3.51

Students Attending 3.32

Loyola University Chicago
Students Attending 3.49
University of Illinois at Chicago
Students Attending 3.91
Schools Out of state
Trends in Qualitative Answers

Develop better study habits and note taking skills

Want better time management skills

Currently, students receive less support from professors and academic

advisors along with leniency on late assignments

Navigating in predominantly white spaces especially socially

Transitioning to new and larger systems

Implications & Recommendations

Continue to hold campus visits at 4-year institutions

Spend more time educating students around the systems of 4 year institutions, and
specific schools where students are transferring.

Prepare and teach students realistic goals for academic readiness (less extensions,
talking with professors, coming on time to class)

More programming to develop positive study skills and note taking practices.

Finding new ways to encourage students in Chicago to get involved outside of the
classroom at their current institution.
Limitations

Small sample size, 30% of students responded.

Individual student identified, no grades or hard data to support findings

Students may have different definitions of success or biases

No control group of transfer students outside of Arrupe College graduates

 References

Fain, P. 2012, November 8). Graduate, transfer, graduate. Retrieved November 12, 2017, from

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/08/high-graduation-rates-community-college-transfers

Henning, G. (2016). In Roberts D. M. (Ed), Student affairs assessment: Theory to practice (First edition. ed.)

Sterling, Virginia : Stylus Publishing

Kolodner, M. (2015). Why are graduation rates at community colleges so low? Retrieved

November 12, 2017, from

http://hechingerreport.org/new-book-addresses-low-community-college-graduation-rates/

Arrupe College. Retrieved on November 6, 2017 from https://www.luc.edu/arrupe/