June 27, 2018
HPTP Data Note 4: Joint Staff, Shared Resources Important to Transfer Partnership
While Data Note 1 gave a broad overview of the areas of activity involved in transfer partnerships between two and four-year institutions, Data Note 4 takes a deep dive into the most promising practices. By analyzing the practices of institutional partners in one of the High Performing Transfer Partnerships (HPTP) states, CCRI researcher Lia Wetzstein found that dedicated partnership staff and shared resources positively impact student outcomes.
Dr. Wetzstein used qualitative results from HPTP interviews with faculty, staff, and students from six partnering institutions in one state. The promising practices identified were:
Creating Partnership Positions: Three pairs of institutions in the study created positions that facilitated and maintained institutional partnership by building relationships and creating infrastructure to share funding, communication and other details.
Shared Resources: The interviews revealed that joint staffing and co-located degree programs are important shared resources. In particular, several institutions had joint advisors who were knowledgeable about the policies and processes at both institutions. Students interviewed for the study often mentioned these advisors as instrumental to facilitating their smooth transition. Baccalaureate degree programs offered on community college campuses allowed place-bound students to pursue a four-year degree, and allowed the baccalaureate-granting institution to enroll more students without more infrastructure.
For more information on this study and its findings, download the full Data Note below.
This Data Note is part of CCRI’s High-Performing Partnerships Study (HPTP) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study focuses on how higher performing transfer collaborations between two- and four-year colleges and universities work on the ground. Researchers identified high-performing partnership pairs from a dataset collected for the national initiative on reverse credit transfer called Credit When It’s Due (CWID). Read the full series of Data Notes and more about the project here.