Project Title:

Transfer Students Retention

 

Duration:

14 weeks

 

Problem:

Design a service for transfer students that helps improve retention in schools

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My Role:

As a group we all had to follow a few rules which included showing up to class on time, communicating with the group if we are to be late or miss a meeting, to be respectful to each other and to not rudely interrupt the conversation. As individuals we all had our own roles and responsibilities that we had to follow. My responsibilities were to keep order within group tasks to meet deadlines and to check to make sure all group members understand the concepts and the assignment.

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Solution:

Our group decided together that a transfer center would be the best decision for schools to include for incoming transfer students since it is the most accessible tool and can be found directly on campus. Using primarily Zoom, we created a stockholder map, personas, a journey map, a territory map, and a scenario for a transfer student. At the end we presented our findings to the class. Our group decided together that a transfer center would be the best decision for schools to include for incoming transfer students since it is the most accessible tool and can be found directly on campus. The transfer center provides several tools for transfer students including advisor drop-ins, a transfer workshop class, a town guide, and a study/hang out room. 

 

• With advisor drop-ins transfer students can meet with an advisor and create an educational plan and figure out which classes they need to take for the upcoming semester. 

• The transfer workshop class provides information on how to use the online portal and Blackboard/Canvas. It also gives resources to transfer students that will ensure they are successful throughout their time in college. 

• The town guide gives a list of the best and most popular places, restaurants, and upcoming events in the Chico area that the transfer students can attend or visit since they may not know the area too well and might feel lost and not sure what to do. 

• The study/hang out lounge room at the transfer center is for transfer students to hang out and socialize with other transfer students or choose to study/do homework. The room provides couches, comfy chairs, computes, school supplies, and snacks. 

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Research:

We used Jamboard and Google Docs to get our ideas down so we could all see them and access them at any time. We found information on transfer centers from schools that did have them. We discovered that most transfer centers have orientation for transfer students, therapy, group activities, advising appointments, clubs, and even classes for transfer students. My group also found that our school’s website did not even have a page on the website specifically for transfer students. We took some of these ideas and decided to include them in our service.

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Challenges:

My group did not experience too many problems, but when we did it was when some group members could not make it to class. When this happened we had to fill in the missing student with what they missed or have to work on something different during that class period since we could not do what we were supposed to do without them. At one point in the semester the person who had the document we were working on did not show up to class, so the members who did show up had to work on something else. We did end up working on the information that was to be included in the document so that by next class all we had to do was place that information into the document. 

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Learnings:

I learned that working in a group can be difficult at times, but it can also be helpful since we can split up the work among others and not have to do as much. Although there are times when some members might do more work than others. It can be unfair at times, but there are consequences for people who choose to slack off. One of the big things I learned was that communication is important. If someone in the group could not be there then it was crucial that they communicated with the group through text or email that they were going to miss that class and the reason why. I also learned that some of your time might be sacrificed or even wasted during group work. At some points during our meetings some members would start a conversation that had nothing to do with the assignment at hand, and it would be hard to get them to redirect their focus. It can sometimes be hard to find a time where all members can meet to work since some people have work or other responsibilities outside of class, but in our situation we could meet during the time that was allotted for that specific class most of the time.