Fostering Transfer Student Success Through Interinstitutional Curriculum Alignment

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 1
  In Roundtable Session: Access, Persistence, Success, and What Works

Abstract

This qualitative examined a ten year inter-institutional curriculum alignment between six community colleges and one university located in the South East region of United States. The study utilizes content and discourse analyses (Grbich, 2007) of historical documents (curriculum alignment minutes, websites), transfer student focus group interviews, faculty surveys, and syllabi to establish the influence of curriculum alignment on higher education faculty practices and transfer student success. Results from this study suggest: i) curriculum alignment is continuous and iterative; ii) change in practice and syllabi is critical to successful curriculum alignment; iii) differences in institutional missions as challenge; iv) internal alignment as integral to curriculum alignment and v) inter-institutional curriculum alignment fosters seamless academic transition from two-year to four-year institutions.

Authors

• Harrison Ntabo Oonge, University of Central Florida

• Teresa Dorman, University of Central Florida