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(Video credit: CCC Marcom)
Innovative Evidence-based Strategies to Disrupt the Current Community College Narrative
I was honored to be invited to talk at a conference about “Creating a Successful Transfer Pathway to Ensure Equitable Education for All.” I was more pumped up to realize I was presenting right after an award luncheon for programs that impact engineering education. The last awardee talked about the DEI-focused project at their institution, which was a great introduction to my presentation. However, as the moderator introduced my presentation, participants started leaving. When the moderator finished her introduction, most attendees had exited the room, and I was left with a handful of colleagues, empty tables, and dirty dishes.
The Value of Community Colleges
I am aware that community colleges (CCs) have long been subject to the stigma of being perceived as inferior to four-year institutions. However, it was only during that presentation that being inferior felt so real. Elitism, and specifically issues of class, status, race, and privilege, perpetuates inequities in higher education. In a 2017-2018 survey administered by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), over 50% of students and parents responded that community colleges are inferior and should only be considered as a fallback option.1,2 The elitism and the perception of CC’s inferiority is somewhat grounded in CCs’ completion and transfer gaps. While CCs enroll more than 41% of all students in higher education in the US, and 80% intend to transfer and complete a 4-year college degree, the National Student Clearing House Research Center Report transfer data shows otherwise.3 The overall transfer rate is only 31.6%, and only 15.5% of all students who started at CCs complete a bachelor’s degree within six years after transfer into baccalaureate institutions.4 Although the dire CC outcomes merit the stigma, it is important to note that CCs receive substantially less resources per student while serving more students of color with lower socioeconomic status than four-year students and their families.5 CCs enroll fifty-six (56%) of all Native Americans, 52% of all Hispanics, and 42% of all Black students in higher education.6
As a CC practitioner, the stigma and the inequitable distribution of funds drive me to become a change agent. At that conference, my goal was to catalyze change by sharing evidence-based innovations that successfully bridge the transfer and bachelor’s degree completion gaps that already help hundreds of first-generation, low-income, underprepared, and underrepresented engineering students. If the US has to solve the shortage of a diverse STEM workforce, CCs and four-year institutions must work together to innovate strategies and reshape the higher education landscape.
The High Impact Evidence-Based Strategies: Contextualized Bridge and Holistic and Programmatic Approach for Transfer (HPAT) as Catalysts for Change
In the past ten years, the City Colleges of Chicago prioritized equity work and inclusive excellence by integrating diversity and equity within mission and operations.7 These efforts set the foundation for an innovative engineering transfer program. Through the National Science Foundation Hispanic Serving Institution (NSF-HSI) funded research, “Building Bridges into Engineering and Computer Science”, Wright College developed and implemented innovative strategies: the Contextualized Bridge8 and the Holistic and Programmatic Approach for Transfer (HPAT)9 in developing diverse aspiring engineers and computer scientists. Critical to these innovations have been the removal of well-known barriers to community college transfer, the development of a sense of belonging, and focused attention on the self-efficacy of underprepared and underrepresented students. The Contextualized Bridge and the HPAT increased the Wright College Engineering enrollment from 25 students in Fall 2018 to 550 students in Fall 2023 (Figure 1) with 93-96% Fall to Fall retention and a 75% transfer rate within two years.
Figure 1. The Engineering Program was piloted in 2015 with nine students and was officially launched in Fall 2018. The Contextualized Bridge was first offered in the summer of 2019, which was instrumental in increasing Fall 2019 enrollment. The Holistic and Programmatic Approach for transfer was officially launched in 2019 and published in 2021. The exponential growth of the program is greatly attributed to 93-96% Fall to Fall retention and data-driven continuous improvement of the Contextualized Bridge and HPAT strategies. (Image credit: Ruzica Todorovic)
The Contextualized Bridge: Transforming Remediation into Accelerated Progression and Success
The Contextualize Bridge,8 first developed and offered in 2019, is a high-impact strategy to address low self-efficacy by eliminating Math remediation, developing professional identity by creating a cohort system, promoting socialization activities, strengthening connections to the college, and building awareness of engineering fields and career opportunities. Since its first implementation, the Contextualized Bridge has enrolled 305 diverse Near-STEM students. 100% of Bridge completers eliminated at least one semester of Math remediation, and 50% were placed in Calculus I. Eleven (11) participants from the first cohort transferred to top engineering programs within two years and completed a bachelor’s degree within 4-4.5 years from the Bridge. The Contextualized Bridge provided a second chance for underprepared students who never see themselves as engineers.
HPAT: Empowering Seamless Transitions and Community of Practice (CoP)
Complementing the Contextualized Bridge is the Holistic and Programmatic Approach for Transfer (HPAT).9 The HPAT focuses on empowering students throughout their educational journey from admission to community college, transfer, and associate and bachelor’s degree completion. The HPAT goes beyond academic support by offering holistic and programmatic approaches that address financial, emotional, social barriers, and career readiness. The HPAT helps develop a community of practice (CoP) at the community college and the transfer institution (CoP is a group of people who share a concern or passion for something they do).10 CoP increases a sense of belonging and self-efficacy which are very important factors for retention, transfer and completion. Critical to HPAT processes is a shared responsibility between community colleges and 4-year transfer institutions through dual admission, data sharing, continuous improvement, and understanding that both institutions are essential in advancing students to the bachelor’s degree.11
After five years of implementation, the Contextualized Bridge and HPAT are still being tweaked. In addition to keeping track of retention, completion, and transfer, we used student voices captured through survey and case-study interviews to continuously improve the model.
Disrupting the Community College Narrative through Success Stories and Transformative Outcomes
A Hispanic, first-generation female college student, “Amanda” dropped out of high school seven years before she completed her General Education Diploma (GED). She had never thought of attending college, let alone being an engineer. She serendipitously watched a robotics competition, which motivated her to inquire and join the Bridge Program. As expected, after taking the Math placement, Amanda was placed in Foundational Math that required up to 1.5 years of Math remediation. The math curriculum was contextualized to Amanda’s skills. The personalized support and her new-found community helped eliminate the entire remediation after 6-weeks of the Bridge. Amanda was placed directly into Calculus 1 after the Bridge, which enabled her to transfer after two years and complete her computer engineering degree after 2.5 years at the 4-year partner institution. Amanda is currently employed as a Systems Engineer in one a Fortune 500 company. She is the first of her family to finish college. If a high school dropout can finish a computer engineering degree within 4.5 years, there is hope for everyone. Amanda contributed her tremendous success to the Contextualized Bridge.
Figure 2. Three students on the left are all from the 2020 Summer Bridge cohort who eliminated all Math remediation. All three students transferred into our HPAT partners within two years from the Bridge. They will complete their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in May of 2025 through our dual admission program and co-terminal BS/MS degree at the transfer institution. All students will complete a Master’s degree in Engineering five years after the Contextualized Bridge, regardless of their start, showing the impact of Contextualized Bridge and HPAT on student success. (Image credit: Bridget O’Connell)
The impact of Contextualized Bridge and HPAT is evident in the overwhelming student success (figure 2 and video). Amanda’s story is only one of hundreds and soon-to-be thousands of success stories. The program’s exponential growth is grounded on high retention and transformative outcomes. The evidence-based practices are ready for replication. For the City Colleges of Chicago, the replication will start with hands-on training of college champions and building structure to ensure fidelity of quality while respecting the college culture.
If you are a community college attempting to replicate these practices, the first step is to examine your baseline data, identify your student’s needs, and identify the transfer institution. Next, know your students and talk with transfer partners to co-design the HPAT. The key to the successful development and implementation of these practices at your institution is a commitment to quality, equitable excellence, and developing a community of practice (CoP) with students and faculty, administrators, and staff of both institutions.
Shifting Perspectives: Redefining the Value of Community College
I only started the presentation once most of my 4-year colleagues returned to the room. Inferiority plus not feeling a sense of belonging is a formula for failure. I belong on that stage, and my message on “Creating a Successful Transfer Pathway to Ensure Equitable Education for All” is even more important to be heard. The same scenario applies to community college students. CC students will not succeed if they feel they do not belong at the transfer institution or are inferior. In addition to the dire transfer and baccalaureate completion rate, other gaps must be filled, including belonging to the transfer institution. Community Colleges need help to bridge the transfer and bachelor’s completion gap. If the country must satisfy the future needs of a diverse STEM workforce, there should be a systemic change that involves 2-year and 4-year colleges and universities, K-12, and even employers. The Contextualized Bridge and the HPAT increase access and equity at community colleges and cultivate a culture of collaboration and inclusion in the entire education ecosystem. To drive change, institutions should create data-driven shared goals, have honest conversations, co-design processes, and ensure thoughtful implementation. Early participation of the 4-year transfer institutions is critical to the HPAT model.
Embracing Disruption for a Brighter Future in Higher Education
The Contextualized Bridge and HPAT were able to elicit interest from 4-year colleagues. These evidence-based practices that successfully eliminated equity, retention, transfer, and completion gaps for engineering students at Wright College have the potential to broadly impact higher education. If replicated and implemented with high fidelity by STEM or other disciplines, these strategies could elevate the entire community college system. They could improve communication and collaboration between institutions. Since Hispanic, Black, Female, and Near-STEM students found success at a community college and a transfer institution through the Contextualized Bridge and the HPAT strategies, these innovations can potentially disrupt the current community college landscape that carries through the 4-year transfer institutions and towards the more diverse STEM workforce.
Acknowledgements
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE-1832553. Thank you to Wright College Center of Excellence staffs: Bridget O’Connell and Ruzica Todorovic and collaborators: Keri Niehans, Natacha DePaola and Megan Ruxton. The support of the CCC Chancellor Juan Salgado is greatly instrumental for successful implementation of Engineering. Thank you also to all students who agreed to be photographed and stories to be told.
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