Building Research Communities for Life Science Transfer Students: Improving Retention and Student Outcomes

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-2-2024

Abstract

Many initiatives attempt to smooth transitions between 2-year colleges and 4-year universities, but retention and graduation rates for transfer-students are still low, especially in STEM. The Transfer-student Research and Integration Program (TRIP) at the University of Central Florida was developed to meet the needs of a diverse transfer population. TRIP alleviates attrition of life sciences students by providing research experiences, professional development, community integration, and mentorship. We review the model design and share early successes including higher retention rates versus comparison groups. Students reported benefitting from the skills and experiences gained and indicated TRIP’s positive impact on their STEM success and career growth. Given the quantitative and qualitative results, our model could be a template for universities attempting to improve STEM transfer-student outcomes.

Publication Title

Journal of College Science Teaching

DOI

10.1080/0047231X.2024.2373024

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS