More Than an E-Mail: The Importance of Transfer Student–Faculty Communication at a Four-Year University

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Faculty, Mentorship, and Student-Faculty Communication for College Success

Abstract

While studies have been dedicated to understanding the role of student-faculty communication for student success at a four-year university, these studies have focused on traditional, non-transfer students. This is a critical oversight given the demographics and unique educational experiences of transfer students. To address this gap, our study examined whether the frequency of communication between transfer students and faculty related to transfer student academic outcomes at a research university. Our findings indicate that transfer students who reported higher levels of email communication and office hours attendance with faculty tended to report higher GPAs and were on-track to graduate. With growing proportions of students transferring into the four-year institutions, the findings of this study have implications for university administrators and policymakers.

Authors

• Jennifer Freeman, The University of Pennsylvania

• Jacob Kirksey, Texas Tech University

• Sarah Hinkle, Colorado College