2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This WIP research is an investigation by undergraduate researchers into trends and patterns in transfer student experiences in a STEM scholarship program. While the significance of scholarship programs in higher education is often seen primarily as a monetary benefit, our study takes a broader perspective by investigating the holistic impact of such programs on students. The Clemson University College of Computing, Engineering, and Applied Sciences (CECAS) initiated the Student Pathways in Engineering and Computing for Transfers (SPECTRA) program, which is funded by NSF S-STEM Award 1834081. Since its inception in Fall 2019, the SPECTRA program has provided financial support to nearly one hundred undergraduate Scholars. Data collected from iterative surveys and interviews reveals that these scholars seek more than just monetary aid. The primary focus of our research is to better understand the range of support the SPECTRA Scholars, undergraduate transfer students in STEM majors, derive from this program.

Historical evidence indicates that transfer scholars in STEM often have myriad unmet needs beyond financial assistance [1]. In concurrence with Duis et al [2], our study underscores connections between program participation and enhanced academic performance stemming from exposure to professional development, career fairs, and tailored major-based programs. This evidence emphasizes the crucial role such programs play in bolstering Scholars' professional readiness, subsequently driving academic excellence.

The research question guiding this work is: Beyond monetary assistance, what are the primary expectations and objectives of transfer students related to their needs while participating in a scholarship program? To better understand Scholar’s experiences, our research and implementation is guided by design-based methods that provide opportunities to collect formative and summative data while improving the intervention through data-driven revisions to the implementation. Early each semester, both new and returning Scholars complete online surveys followed by a mid-semester individual interview. These engagements encompass a wide spectrum of student experiences and aspects of their professional preparation, ranging from financial challenges, professional identity development, coursework management, program involvement, support systems, to future perspectives. Subsequent to data collection, we employed thematic analysis to illuminate trends from the qualitative data, while utilizing descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. This dual analysis offered a comprehensive insight into Scholars' evolving needs and aspirations with regard to the SPECTRA program.

With this work, we offer insight into the multifaceted significance of the SPECTRA program, spotlighting its initial four years. By discerning the diverse needs of transfer students as they transition to the target institution, our aim is to continually refine the SPECTRA program, ensuring it remains a source of holistic support for STEM transfer students.