Running head: TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 1

Teaching Transition at Arrupe College

David Holmes & Kristen Surla

Loyola University Chicago

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 2

Executive Summary

Arrupe College was founded in 2015 as a part of the Loyola University Chicago network

to specifically to support students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and to allow greater

access to quality, affordable higher education for those students. In May 2017, Arrupe College in

Chicago celebrated its inaugural class of graduating students. From this first class of students,

Arrupe College and student affairs professionals committed to community college work are

interested in learning about the transfer student experience of Arrupe alumni following their

commencement. As members of the Loyola community and future higher education student

affairs professionals, graduate students Kristen Surla and David Holmes collaborated with

Arrupe College to implement a survey for Arrupe College Graduates to gather data on their

transition to a new college or university.

Arrupe College combines small class sizes and a highly structured community college

environment to facilitate more personal interaction and support between students, faculty, and

staff members. Utilizing a rigorous admissions process admitting a select number of students,

Arrupe College enrolls smaller class sizes than most community colleges. To support students in

their academic planning, Arrupe College’s utilizes a tracking system comprised of three focus

areas (i.e. Arts & Humanities, Business, and Social & Behavioral Sciences) to create a pre-

selected curriculum plan for students to easily transfer credits to 4-year institutions. Within their

inaugural class, Arrupe College graduated 81% of their students within three years and 71% of

graduates have transferred to a 4-year institution—an impressive number by national standards

for community college graduation and transfer rates.

Due to the high transfer rate, researchers wanted to measure the success of the first class

of transfer students during their transition period to a new college or university. If successful, the
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 3

new partnership between Loyola University Chicago and Arrupe College could set a new

national precedent for higher education institutions and their increased options for educational

access. Researchers developed a survey relying on a quantitative approach of descriptive design

that was sent to all Arrupe College graduates who transferred to a 4-year institution. The survey

was created following multiple consultations with current and former Arrupe College students,

staff, and faculty. The survey was available to the students for one week and had a total response

from twenty-two participants.

The assessment results founded that there was a correlation across several survey

questions indicating a need for increased focus from staff and faculty on transferrable academic

and social success skills for their post transfer experience from Arrupe College. After studying

the quantitative data and listening to student feedback the researchers have the following

recommendations for Arrupe College support staff: Develop programming to support positive

study habits, prepare students for transition by providing informational resources about potential

transfer schools, find new ways to encourage students to develop social circles at current

universities in the Chicago area, and teach students realistic goals for academic readiness.

There are certain limitations to the data and recommendations being put forth by the

researchers. Those limitations include the small sample size that does not reflect the racial

diversity of Arrupe College alumni. Out of 22 participants, 19 identified as Latinx/Hispanic and

3 identified as Asian. Other limitations of the study include no control for bias or control group

for population for the study. However, with the data collected, the researchers hope that it can be

a launching point for Arrupe College staff and faculty are able to improve workshops that will

provide students with resources to develop relevant skills for success at 4-year institutions.
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 4

Introduction

The period between a transfer student’s graduation and their first year of college at their

4-year institution provides a lot of information on the ways community colleges prepared their

students to be academically and socially successful. Starting in the 2017-2018 school year, the

first class of graduates from Arrupe College, a community college affiliated with Loyola

University Chicago, are now in their first year as transfer students at colleges and universities

across the United States. Our report seeks to measure how Arrupe College faculty and staff

prepare their students to be academically and socially successful at 4-year institutions. To

complete the project, the researchers, Kristen Surla and David Holmes, are partnering with

Arrupe College’s Graduate Student Support Coordinator, Pat Durgin, to implement a survey for

Arrupe College graduates and, now transfer students, to gather data on successes, challenges, and

areas of growth. Because the 2017-2018 school year marks the first class of Arrupe College

graduates/transfer students, there is no previous data that speaks to the unique experiences of

students at this school. We hope for this project to serve as a pilot study and through the

completion of this project, we hope to present the findings to Arrupe College faculty and staff to

brainstorm further curricular or co-curricular outcomes or interventions to support Arrupe

students in their transition to 4-year college and universities.

Context

In August 2015, Arrupe College opened its doors to welcome their inaugural class. 126

students enrolled in Arrupe College to become the first cohort of the community college set up

by Loyola University Chicago, and then president Father Michael Garanzini, S.J. Unlike other

community colleges, Arrupe College has a rigorous admissions process to select each incoming

class of students. The college is an intimate community focusing on small class sizes and
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 5

personal relationships between students and staff which, they hope, translates to sustained

success for current Arrupe students and upon transferring to a larger 4-year institution. The

mission statement of Arrupe College states:

“Arrupe College is a two-year college of Loyola University Chicago that

continues the Jesuit tradition of offering a rigorous liberal arts education to a

diverse population, many of whom are the first in their family to pursue higher

education. Using an innovative model that ensures affordability while providing

care for the whole person—intellectually, morally, and spiritually—Arrupe

prepares its graduates to continue on to a bachelor’s program or move into

meaningful employment. Heeding the call of its namesake, renowned Jesuit leader

Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the college inspires its students to strive for excellence, work

for justice, and become “persons for others.” (Arrupe College, 2017)

Arrupe College largely supports students who are first generation college students and who come

from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. To prepare students for academic success, the college

has a rigorous set of academic standards and boosts hands-on involvement with faculty and staff

throughout their time as a student.

The overall academic and social structure of Arrupe College functions to prepare students

for academic and social success. Arrupe College employs a highly structured environment to

increase accessibility and one-one-one time with students. Examples include embedding

structured time for academic advising within a student's schedule and commuter-friendly student

organizations. The aim of this structure is to create an environment teaching students effective

skills in self-awareness and organization.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 6

Academics at Arrupe College is structured into three “tracks” that students can opt into

including: Arts & Humanities, Business, and Social and Behavioral Sciences (Arrupe College,

2017). The tracking system was created with the intention for students to fulfill core

requirements that will easily transfer to 4-year institutions following their graduation. Upon

transferring to their new school, Arrupe Alumni can, ideally, begin more in-depth classes for

their major in their junior year. With 13 full-time faculty, students are able to take the same

professors multiple times. The small class sizes provides for a more familiar classroom

experience and more opportunities for accountability among students and teachers. In terms of

emotional and social support, Arrupe College students have access to several counselors and a

social worker along with more one on one attention than what is ordinary at a 4-year institution,

high school, or community college. Out of all staff members at Arrupe College, 10 out of 14 are

student facing positions (Arrupe College, 2017). With the limit of 400 students enrolled at any

given time, the number of faculty to student and staff to student ratios stay relatively low and

allow for students to have more one on one attention with representatives of Arrupe College.

Need for Assessment and Stakeholders

With Arrupe College opening its doors in 2015, their first graduating class crossed the

stage in August of 2017. Out of the original 126 students, 82 graduated after two years with their

Associate's Degree. Another 20 are planning to graduate in December 2017. With 81% of their

inaugural class graduating in under three years, these numbers far exceed the average community

college graduation rates. The high graduation and transfer rates demonstrated by Arrupe College

are largely unprecedented, in comparison to previous data, which stated that 39% of students

who start at a community college graduate with their associate’s degree within six years

(Kolodner, 2015). Since its opening, Arrupe College has received a large amount of press due to
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 7

its connection to the larger 4-year institution, Loyola University Chicago. The creation of Arrupe

College asks 4-year colleges and universities across the country to examine their commitment to

making education accessible, especially for first generation and low income students in the

surrounding areas. In the history of higher education, colleges and universities have an

oppressive and inequitable relationship with their surrounding environments (Thelin, 2011).

Partnerships such as the one between Loyola University Chicago and Arrupe College could set a

national precedent for more privileged institutions of higher education to redistribute and invest

funds into increased options for educational access. Thinking broadly, large stakeholders in this

assessment include both Loyola University Chicago, Arrupe College, and the transfer

institutions. Loyola has the most financial stake in the success of Arrupe College students as one

of the main benefactors of the school and the institution that accepts the most Arrupe College

transfer students. In order to uphold their name and resources, LUC wants to ensure the success

of Arrupe graduates. The success through the graduation and transfer rates of Arrupe College

students affirm its social justice mission and commitment to empowering minoritized

communities. From another perspective, the job security of faculty and staff from Arrupe

College are also dependent upon student success. Since Arrupe is a new school, there is no

guarantee that it is protected from financial barriers that are impacting colleges and universities

across the United States. Finally, the transfer institutions that Arrupe College students choose to

attend are evaluated upon their ability to retain and graduate their transfer students. As additional

stakeholders in this project, they will be able to use results to increase the graduation rates of

overall transfer students at their institutions.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 8

Focus of Evaluation

If the goal of incoming Arrupe College students is to eventually graduate with a

Bachelor’s Degree, we want to determine if Arrupe College is adequately preparing students to

take that step. The overarching research question of the study asks, “How did Arrupe College

prepare students to be academically and socially successful at their 4-year transfer institutions.”

Out of the 82 graduates, 73 students were successfully able to transfer to a 4-year institution in

order to earn a Bachelor’s Degree. 71% of students transferring to a 4-year institution after

earning an Associate’s Degree graduate within four years (Fain, 2012). Asking Arrupe Alumni at

4-year institutions about their transition and, specifically, about skills learned from Arrupe

College could determine how the school is developing students with an ability to navigate larger

colleges and universities.

Evaluation Purpose

The purpose of the evaluation is to determine how Arrupe College graduates are being

prepared for 4-year institutions. 58% of the first cohort ended up transitioning to a 4-year

institution, with 89% of graduates transferring, and having a specific counselor in order to advise

students on how to transfer, there is a large focus for Arrupe College on getting graduates to a 4-

year institution and graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree. With so many graduates transferring to

4-year institutions, the question remains if Arrupe College is successfully preparing students for

this experience. This survey provides information to Arrupe College and the 4-year transfer

institutions with the hope that student affairs professionals and staff members will use this

information to develop social and academic interventions to successfully support Arrupe students

during their first year of transition.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 9

Survey Questions

The survey tool includes questions addressing the following: demographic data, co-

curricular/social involvement, academic success, and general feelings of students’ preparedness

for a 4-year institution. Researchers used a combination of Likert scale based questions where

participants answer questions on a 1-5 scale. 1 is designated as Highly Disagree and 5 is

designated as Highly Agree. The researchers included a small amount of open ended questions to

offer the opportunity for participants to describe their experiences and offer suggestions in their

own words. Since the survey was designed to be descriptive, rather than draw hard conclusions

from the data, we believe the mix of questions aids our goal to gather more in-depth response

from participants. Questions for the Arrupe Transfer Experience survey can be found in

Appendix B.

Literature Review

In conducting a literature review on transfer student experiences, we found that research

on transfer students largely focused on their experiences post-transfer at their 4-year college

university. Rarely does literature connect the relationship work of community colleges in transfer

preparation for academic and social success. This assumption, as demonstrated through the lack

of research, that the success of transfer students relies upon 4-year transfer institutions alone,

misses an opportunity for educators to examine community colleges as important sites that

prepare transfer students for academic and social success. However, the research presents

important findings that help educators frame the anticipated challenges and success strategies of

transfer students at 4-year colleges and universities.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 10

In her research on the transition of community college transfer students, Catherine Flaga

(2006) identified 5 dimensions of transition including: Learning Resources, Connecting,

Familiarity, Negotiating, and Integrating (Flaga, 2006). Suggestions made by Flaga (2016)

included having prior contact with the 4-year university, visiting the campus, forming a

relationship with an advisor, getting transfer course equivalency information, living on campus,

understanding the parking system, and becoming involved on campus. The study found that

negotiating the environment enables students to actively and intentionally change their behaviors

or surroundings in order to be more successful. Using a Critical Race Theory approach, Jain,

Bernal, Lucero, Herrera, and Solorzano (2016), identified the important elements of transfer

receptive culture at 4-year institutions (Jain et al., 2016). Following their study, the most

important skills needed when working with transfer students include: providing outreach and

resources that focus on the specific and unique needs of transfer students, offering of financial

and academic support, and acknowledging the lived experiences that students bring and the

intersectionality between community and family. Bridging connections between social support

and academic needs was a trend throughout existing literature on transfer students. This claim

affirms the intention of our study to examine both academic and social experiences, as they

inform and relate to each other in dynamic ways to create the transfer student experience.

Assessment Methodology

Our assessment project aims to understand educational and social experiences of the

inaugural class Arrupe College Alumni during their first year as transfer students at 4-year

institutions. To complete our assessment, we implement the quantitative approach of descriptive

design by using a survey to gather student responses. Descriptive design supports our initiative in

understanding and describing experiences of the inaugural class of Arrupe Alumni/transfer

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 11

students. In their book, Henning & Roberts (2016) stated that descriptive studies “attempt to

describe educational phenomena. The goal of these designs is to understand what is happening

but not necessarily to try to determine causality or associations between variables” (Henning &

Roberts, 2016, p. 2239). Because descriptive design is a broad approach, we believe it will allow

us the most flexibility to analyze our responses and acknowledge various student perspectives.

Data Collection

The online survey was distributed to all 73 Arrupe College Alumni who are currently

enrolled at 4-year institutions across the United States. Developing the online survey was a

strategic decision to ensure that our assessment is accessible to students across multiple college

campuses. Since the researchers did not have easy access to the students, the researchers believed

that convenience sampling was the best formula in reaching out the Arrupe College graduates.

Although convenience sampling is not wholly representative of the population, we believe the

results act as a starting point for Arrupe College to understand student experiences and, if

necessary, develop a correlational guided assessment later. Survey questions were developed by

the researchers following an in-depth analysis of Arrupe College’s mission/vision and multiple

conversations with Arrupe College staff and students. With the aid of the Arrupe College

Graduate Support Coordinator, a full time professional staff member, the survey was open to

Arrupe transfer students from Monday, November 20th until Monday, November 27th. To

incentivize participation, all students who completed the survey were entered into a raffle for a

$20 Amazon gift card provided by the researchers.

Data Analysis

The researchers analyzed data using the three learning outcomes developed to guide the

study: social engagement, academic success, overall transition to a 4-year institution.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 12

Specifically, the researchers created several charts representing students’ responses on a Likert

scale to show how successful or unsuccessful Arrupe College was in preparing alumni at their

future colleges and universities. Similarly, for “choose all that apply” questions on the survey,

researchers will cross tabulate and analyze the data for the final report. The survey data has been

developed into a final report and was shared with the Graduate Student Support Coordinator to

develop any programmatic changes and follow up to support the Arrupe College Alumni transfer

population.

Assessment Results

The assessment survey was sent to all 73 students who graduated from Arrupe College

and transferred to 4-year institutions. Out of those 73 students, 22 successfully completed the

survey and made up the population for this study. 16 of the respondants identified as female, and

the other 7 identified as male. 19 self-identified as Latinx/Hispanic, and 3 self-identified as

Asian. Out of the total transfer students, 45.5% percent of the population are currently attending

Loyola University Chicago and 22.7% are attending University of Illinois at Chicago. The

remaining 31.8% of students transferred to other schools including Georgetown University,

Dominican University, Ripon College, Northeastern Illinois University, and University of

Wisconsin-Madison.

Collecting the results and navigating through the data, there seemed to be certain

questions that had much lower overall results. The first thing the researchers did was to

compound all of the data onto one chart shown below. In Chart A are all of the results from each

question posed to the Arrupe College graduates. The individual numbers represent the amount of

students who answered that question with that particular result.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 13

Chart A
Question 1 2 3 4 5
(Highly (Highly
Disagree) Agree)

Prepared me to be academically 1 3 7 9 2
successful

Prepared me to write academic 0 1 3 13 5

papers

Taught me skills to take exams & 2 3 6 9 2

quizzes

Taught me effective study skills* 2 4 6 8 2

Helped prepare me to talk to 1 0 6 7 8

professors about my academic
needs & interests

Taught me how to sign up for 0 2 3 7 10

classes and create a balanced
schedule

Taught me how to advocate for 0 0 4 10 8

myself when I need academic
support

I have utilized academic support 0 1 9 10 2

services that I need at my current
institution

I find it easy to get academic 1 5 5 8 3

support at my current
institution

I have joined clubs or groups on 12 3 2 4 1

my new campus

I am starting to feel a part of my 4 4 6 4 4

campus community

I know how to seek out and find 1 4 7 6 4

opportunities to meet new
people on campus

I feel comfortable at my current 0 3 4 10 5

school
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 14

I am happy about my transition to 0 2 5 9 6

a new school

I was able to reach out for help 1 2 8 5 6

when I needed it while getting
adjusted to my new
environment
*Bolded statements show greater than or equal responses for three and below compared to four and above

The researchers used this information to navigate which aspects of the transition period

the most number of Arrupe College graduates are having some amounts of trouble. Through

navigating the quantitative and qualitative responses some trends started to show. The questions

“Arrupe College taught me effective study skills” has more responses distributed from below 3

(Neutral) than 4-5 (Agree or Highly Disagree). Along with that, 6 out of 19 responses for the

question, “If you could name one academic skill you wish you had at your current institution

what would it be?” was related to study habits and abilities. The other aspect of transition as it

impacts academic success is students’ knowledge on how to seek out academic support from

their institutions. The following graphs represent the aspects of the survey that most influenced

the researcher’s suggestions moving forward.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 15

The researchers identified a trend involving Arrupe College students transition with

socializing and creating community at their new universities. However, this particular trend is

different based on student’s current placement at a particular institution. Students who have
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 16

stayed in the Chicagoland area reported that they are less likely to join clubs or other social

programs at their current universities compared to their peers who are attending out of state

schools. Below you can see Chart B that details the average score for each individual answer

based on where the students are attending school, either Loyola University Chicago, University

of Illinois at Chicago, or an out of state institution. The researchers noticed large trends

comparing students at different universities. For instance, students attending University of

Illinois at Chicago are more likely to agree that Arrupe College prepared them to be successful in

the different academic settings. Meanwhile, students who are attending institutions that are out of

state were more likely to get involved on campus and feel a part of the campus community.

Composite Average Scores Chart B

Question Loyola University of Out of state
University Illinois at Institution
Chicago Chicago

Prepared me to be academically 3.3 3.6 3.25

successful

Prepared me to write academic 3.7 4.6 4

papers

Taught me skills to take exams & 3 3.6 3.25

quizzes

Taught me effective study skills* 2.8 3.4 3.5

Helped prepare me to talk to 3.8 3.8 4.5

professors about my academic
needs & interests

Taught me how to sign up for 4.2 4 4

classes and create a balanced
schedule

Taught me how to advocate for 4.1 4.2 4.5

myself when I need academic
support
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 17

I have utilized academic support 3.4 3.4 4.25

services that I need at my current
institution

I find it easy to get academic 3.1 2.8 4.5

support at my current institution

I have joined clubs or groups on 1.7 1.6 4

my new campus

I am starting to feel a part of my 2.7 2.6 3.75

campus community

I know how to seek out and find 3.3 3 3.75

opportunities to meet new people
on campus

I feel comfortable at my current 3.5 4.2 3.5

school

I am happy about my transition to 3.6 4.4 3.75

a new school

I was able to reach out for help 3.6 3.2 4.25

when I needed it while getting
adjusted to my new environment

Recommendations

In developing recommendations for Arrupe College, it is evident that students

transitioning to different institutions have different needs. However, with certain trends there are

things that we can recommend to Arrupe College staff and faculty in supporting student’s

development and ability to thrive at a 4-year institution.

Develop programming to support positive study habits. Developing better study

habits was the number one request that we received from Arrupe College graduates who

transferred to 4-year institutions. For all of the academic skills, “Arrupe College taught me

effective study skills” rated the lowest in our quantitative data with an average of 3.18. It is also

linked to the second lowest rating around taking exams and quizzes. Developing programming
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 18

and academics to support Arrupe College students’ development of their study skills is one

unique way to support student’s academic success after transferring to 4-year institutions.

Work with students to gather more information about individual schools while

going through the transition. Most of the results that students are reporting is not being certain

around where they are able to find support at their current institution. Meanwhile, the main piece

of positive feedback received was Arrupe College setting up visits to specific institutions.

Providing more one on one feedback and research while showing Arrupe College students where

they would be able to receive support, both academic and social, during the transition period

would seem to be very beneficial for their experience in the transition.

Find new ways to encourage students to develop social circles at current universities

in the Chicago area. The overwhelming response from Arrupe College graduates attending 4-

year institutions close to home is that students have not joined extracurricular clubs and

activities, do not know how to seek out new social experiences on campus, and do not feel like a

part of their larger campus community. Encouraging students and educating them about the

transfer and different events where they are able to get involved on their campus might be

beneficial to the individual students.

Prepare and teach students realistic goals for academic readiness. Multiple students

reported not having a great understanding of the increased academic rigor and increased

expectations of students to be academically independent following their transfer to a 4-year

institution. There are more responsibilities placed upon students for their success compared to

their former experience at Arrupe College, such as not receiving all-encompassing study guides,

and receiving more independence and less staff or faculty outreach. That, along with a faster

pace in curriculum have all affected the student’s ability to succeed in an academic setting.
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 19

Determining realistic goals and preparing students for a higher demand along with more

independence may benefit those students continuing to a 4-year institution.

Limitations and Future Assessment Activities

Although the study is a good starting point for Arrupe College and 4-year colleges and

universities to describe the academic and social success of Arrupe transfer students, there were

some limitations that we encountered throughout our research process. Our chosen method of

convenience sampling was effective for a pilot study to describe experiences of Arrupe College

Alumni, but may have not been the most statistically accurate if data is being used to draw

concrete conclusions about student trends. For future assessment, we recommend that

researchers aim for a higher response rate, increase the timeline for recruitment, and determine a

more methodical sampling method so that the results can be more statistically representative of

the diverse student experiences of Arrupe Alumni. Our overall response rate of 30% of all

Arrupe transfers, twenty-two students, was large enough for us to draw results, we believe that a

larger sample size can strengthen the validity of our data and the diversity of student responses.

It is important to recognize that all of the responses came from Latinx/Hispanic or Asian

students. Arrupe College serves a large amount of Black identified students, who were not

represented in our sample. For future assessment, we recommend that researchers ensure that the

demographic representation in the survey aligns with the overall demographic representation of

the school. As previously stated, this can be accomplished by more rigorous outreach and an

extended survey completion timeline. Additionally, because the survey was based upon students’

self-reporting of data, we were not able to control for bias or different definitions of success. If a

future survey is developed, it would be useful to provide students with a specific metric for both

academic and social transition. For example, academic success could be defined through grades
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 20

(B- or higher in all classes) and/or through specific skills such as knowledge around successful

study practices and organization. The researchers’ final limitation for the study is the fact that we

did not compare data to transfer students more broadly (within the U.S. or Chicago specific). For

future assessment, we recommend that researchers compare data to other community college

institutions on post-transfer success to determine if the results are similar across institutional type

or if the post-transfer academic and social success of Arrupe College students is distinct to this

population. The external data could act as a control group to which the future researchers could

compare the results from Arrupe.

Conclusion

This completely new endeavor between Loyola University Chicago and Arrupe College

sets a new precedent for higher education across the United States. To ensure the longevity of

such partnerships between 4-year institutions and community colleges, our data can serve as a

launching point to study academic and social success of community college graduates. Our

research will help faculty and staff at Arrupe College develop new and dynamic programming,

academic support initiatives, and professional development workshops to support students in

transitioning and developing skills needed for them to succeed at 4-year institutions. Community

colleges hold an important role as a transitionary period before students transfer to 4-year

colleges and universities. Knowing their role in preparing students to be successful post-

transition, it is important for community colleges to assess and evaluate the success of their

graduates. Conducting this data within the first semester of Arrupe transfers’ first year at 4-year

institutions was strategic so academic advisors and the Arrupe Graduate Student Coordinator can

use the data to follow up and create a plan for success within the student’s first year.
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 21

References

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

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

Flaga, C. T. (2006). The Process of Transition for Community College Transfer Students.

Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 30(1), 3-19.

doi:10.1080/10668920500248845

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

(First edition.. ed.) Sterling, Virginia : Stylus Publishing.

Jain, D., Bernal, S., Lucero, I., Herrera, A., & Solorzano, D. (2016). Toward a Critical Race

Perspective of Transfer: An Exploration of a Transfer Receptive Culture. Community

College Journal of Research and Practice, 40(12), 1013-1024.

doi:10.1080/10668926.2016.1213674

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/

Thelin, J. R. (2011). A history of american higher education (2nd ed.. ed.). Baltimore: Baltimore:

Johns Hopkins University Press.

TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 22

Appendix A

Project Timeline

Date Task Notes

Thursday, November 2, 2017 Researchers attend Arrupe

College/LUC Transfer
Alumni event to observe and
gather qualitative data

Tuesday, November 13, 2017 Survey distributed to

Graduate Student Support
Coordinator for
suggestions/edits

Thursday, November 15, 2017 Changes made to survey and

final survey draft is
completed

Friday, November 16, 2017 Survey sent to Graduate

Student Support Coordinator

Monday, November 20, 2017 Survey sent to all 74 Arrupe

College Alumni/transfer
students

Monday, November 27, 2017 Last day to complete Survey

Tuesday, November 28- Researchers meet to discuss,

Thursday, November 30, 2017 cross-tabulate, and analyze
data for final report &
presentation

Sunday, December 3, 2017 Draft of final report &

presentation due

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Researchers present results

from data
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 23

Appendix B

Survey for Arrupe College Graduates Assessment

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0Rh_oRPR1HBSq6Kzxkn2JWYVFC
bbhgNclj1rLMKsyaDEiGQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Survey on Transfer Student Experiences of Arrupe

College Alumni (Info & Intro Page)
Directions: Please set aside 15 mins to complete the survey on your experience as an Arrupe College
Alumni/transfer student at your current institution. Your email will be collected via the survey for the
researchers to enter you into a raffle for a FREE $20 AMAZON GIFT CARD.

Participant Requirements:

You meet the requirements for our survey if you graduated from Arrupe College in Spring 2017 and
transferred to a 4 year institution to complete your Bachelor’s degree. This should be your first semester
at your current college or university.

Overarching Survey Questions:

1. How was your first semester as a transfer student at your new college/university?
2. How did/did not Arrupe College prepare you for your academic & social experiences at a 4 year
college/university?

Details: You are being asked to take part in this survey conducted by Kristen Surla and David Holmes for
their Evaluation in Higher Education Course under the supervision of Dr. Kourtney Gray in the School of
Education at Loyola University of Chicago. Responses to this survey are anonymous and confidential.
The purpose of this study is to understand the social transition, academic success, and overall transfer
experience of Arrupe College Alumni in their first year at a 4 year college or university. Our research is
guided by the following question: How did or did not Arrupe College prepare you academically, socially, or
otherwise to be successful at your current institution?

The results will be developed into a final report to present to the Arrupe Graduate Student Coordinator to
help have more information and develop strategies to successfully prepare Arrupe College in their
transition. Additionally, these results can be used to design future, qualitative or more in depth studies
with Arrupe College Alumni.

QUESTIONS?
If you any any questions, please feel free to reach out to researchers Kristen Surla (ksurla@luc.edu) and
David Holmes (dholme2@luc.edu)

Demographic Information

1. Gender
Mark only one oval.
Woman
Man
Gender Fluid/Non-binary Transgender
Agender
Other:
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 24

2. Race/Ethnicity (select all that apply Check all that apply.

Black Latino/Hispanic Asian
White
Native American Pacific Islander
Other:

3. Age

4. Name of Current College/University

5. Are you a first generation College Student? (first in family to attend college) Mark only one oval.
Yes No

6. List email to enter raffle of $20 Amazon.com Gift Card

Academic Success
7. Arrupe College prepared me to be academically successful at my current college/university
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

8. Arrupe College prepared me to write academic papers at my current institution

Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

9. Arrupe College taught me skills to take exams & quizzes at my current institution
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

10. Arrupe College taught me effective study skills needed at my current university
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

11. Arrupe College helped prepare me to talk to professors about my academic needs & interests
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

Navigating Institutional Environment

12. Arrupe College taught me how to sign up for classes and create a balanced schedule
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

13. Arrupe College taught me how to advocate for myself when I need academic support
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

14. I have utilized academic support services that I need at my current college or university
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

15. I find it easy to get academic support at my current institution

Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree
16. I found it easy to get academic support at Arrupe College
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 25

Mark only one oval.

1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

17. If you can name one academic skill you wish you had at your current college or university,
what would it be?

Social Engagement
18. I have joined clubs or groups on my new campus that I am interested in
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

19. I am starting to feel a part of my campus community

Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

20. I know how to seek out and find opportunities to meet new people on campus
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

21. I feel comfortable at my current school

Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

22. I am happy about my transition to a new school

Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

23. I was able to reach out for help when I needed it while getting adjusted to my new environment
Mark only one oval.
1- Highly Disagree 2-Disagree 3- Neutral 4-Agree 5-Highly Agree

24. What was the hardest thing you had to learn transitioning to a new school?

25. What is one thing you wish you learned at Arrupe College about transitioning to a new school?
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 26

Appendix C
Participant Survey Information Message

Project Title: Academic & Social Transfer Experiences of Arrupe College Alumni
Researcher(s): Kristen Surla
, David Holmes
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Kourtney Gray

Introduction:
You are being asked to take part in this survey conducted by Kristen Surla and David Holmes for
their Evaluation in Higher Education Course under the supervision of Dr. Kourtney Gray in the
School of Education at Loyola University of Chicago. Responses to this survey are anonymous
and confidential.
Participant Requirements:
You meet the requirements for our survey if you graduated from Arrupe College in Spring 2017
and transferred to a 4 year institution to complete your Bachelor’s degree. This should be your
first semester at your current college or university.

Purpose:
The purpose of this study is to understand the social transition, academic success, and overall
transfer experience of Arrupe College Alumni in their first year at a 4 year college or university.
Our research is guided by the following question: How did or did not Arrupe College prepare
you academically, socially, or otherwise to be successful at your current institution?

The results will be developed into a final report to present to the Arrupe Graduate Student
Coordinator to help have more information and develop strategies to successfully prepare Arrupe
College in their transition. Additionally, these results can be used to design future, qualitative or
more in depth studies with Arrupe College Alumni.

Procedures:
Please set aside 15 mins to complete the survey on your experience as an Arrupe College
Alumni/transfer student at your current institution. Your email will be collected via the survey
for the researchers to enter you into a raffle for a free $20 Amazon gift card.

If you any questions, please feel free to reach out to researchers Kristen Surla (ksurla@luc.edu)
and David Holmes (dholme2@luc.edu)
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 27

Appendix D

Project Learning Outcomes:

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.

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.

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 4-year
institution for students transferring from Arrupe College.
TEACHING TRANSITION AT ARRUPE COLLEGE 28

Appendix E

RE: Assessment for Outgoing Arrupe Transfer Students

Durgin, Patrick <pdurgin1@luc.edu> Tue, Sep 26, 2017 at 2:38 PM

To: "Surla, Kristen" <ksurla@luc.edu>

Hey Krista,

I had responded to Wendolyn when she reached out to me about your study. I’d be more
than happy to help in any way I can. We could set up a meeting or a phone call about some
basics so I can get a better idea of what you are looking for, I work primarily with our students
once they have moved on and less with their actual transfer applications, that would be Julie
Garcia (jgarcia33@luc.edu).

Let me know how I can help.

Best, Pat

Patrick Durgin
Graduate Support Coordinator Arrupe College
Loyola University Chicago 312-915-8984

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