PERC 2021 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Analyzing time-to-degree for transfer students at a Large Midwestern University |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Earning a bachelor's degree is expensive and time-consuming. Many undergraduate students pursue Advanced Placement (AP) courses in high school or transfer coursework from degree-granting institutions. However, the effect of those transfer credits on the time that it takes students to graduate (time-to-degree) is currently not well understood. We have investigated how incoming transfer credit impacts students' time-to-degree by defining three independent groups of transfer students: (1) those entering with College-level transfer credit, (2) those with only AP-level transfer credit, and (3) those without any transfer credit. The time-to-degree has been shown to be statistically different for each of these groups, with students who enter with college-level transfer credit graduating with the fewest semesters. We have explored differences in time-to-degree for students majoring in Physics and particularly for those who are traditionally underrepresented in the field. Cohen's d results suggest large negative effects on the time-to-degree for Physics students without any transfer credit, especially for female students and underrepresented ethnic or racial minority students. These results provide implications toward how universities advertise graduation in four years, as well as other impacts toward student financial aid such as four-year scholarships. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session 2 Room B |
| Poster Number: | 2B-8 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Alyssa Waterson Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48823 Phone: 15179772676 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Marcos D. Caballero -- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824 -- Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824 -- CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 -- Department of Physics and Center for Computing in Science Education, University of Oslo, 0315 Oslo, Norway Rachel Henderson -- Department of Physics & Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824 -- CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824 |
