2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Bridging Gaps and Building Pathways to Increase Transfer through Data-Driven, Innovative, and Evidence-Based Strategies at Community College

Presented at Two-Year College Division (TYCD) Technical Session 2: Student Success and Support

Community Colleges enroll more than 41% of all students in higher education in the US, of which 80% intend to transfer and complete a 4-year college degree. The overall transfer rate, however, is only 31.6%, and only 15.5% of all students who started at community college complete a bachelor's degree within six years after transferring into baccalaureate institutions. Community Colleges enroll fifty-six (56%) of all Native Americans, 52% of all Hispanics, and 42% of all Black students in higher education. Although CCs serve more students of color with lower socioeconomic status than four-year students, community colleges substantially receive less resources per student than four-year institutions.

In the past ten years, Wilbur Wright College, one of seven urban colleges in a City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) system, has prioritized excellence and service within its mission and operations to increase students' success. Through research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Wright College developed, implemented, and assessed innovative strategies: the Contextualized Bridge, the Holistic and Programmatic Approach for Transfer (HPAT), and Multidimensional First-year experience (MFYE) 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 Near-STEM students. These innovative practices increased Wright College Engineering enrollment from 25 students in Fall 2018 to about 650 students in Fall 2024 with a 93-96% Fall to Fall retention, 75% transfer rate within two years, and have already transferred more than 400 Wright College students, many of whom have completed their bachelor's degree, are already working in the industry as engineers, and some are continuing their graduate education.  Most importantly, these strategies narrow the achievement gaps for the most competitive students who just do not have the resources to pursue an education in engineering.

This paper will share methodologies for replication of the evidence-based practices developed at Wright College, as these evidence-based practices successfully eliminated achievement and completion gaps for engineering students at Wright College. If replicated and implemented with high fidelity, these strategies could elevate the entire community college system, not just engineering. These strategies could improve communication and collaboration between institutions. Since Near-STEM ready students found success at a community college and a transfer institution through the Contextualized Bridge, HPAT strategies, and multidimensional first-year experience (MFYE), these innovations can potentially disrupt the current community college landscape that carries through the 4-year transfer institutions and towards the hardest working and most competitive engineering workforce.

Authors

Dr. Doris J. Espiritu City Colleges of Chicago [biography]

Doris Espiritu is the founder of the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) School of Engineering, the Dean of the Center of Excellence for Engineering and Computer Science and Professor of Chemistry at Wilbur Wright College. She also serves as the Senior Advisor to the Provost of CCC. Doris Espiritu is one of the first National Science Foundation’s research awardees under the Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program. She pioneered Engineering at Wright and had grown the Engineering program enrollment by 2500% within five years leading to the creation of CCC School of Engineering. Doris founded seven student chapters of national organizations including the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and ten times Outstanding Chapter Awardee, the American Chemical Society-Wright College Chapter. Doris promotes collaboration between K-12 schools, other community colleges, 4-year institutions, non-profit organizations, and industries. Doris’ current research is to design and implement practices that develop Community of Practice (CoP), Professional Identity, and Self-Efficacy to streamline transfer from community colleges to 4-year institutions.
Dr. Russell R. Ceballos Wilbur Wright College - City Colleges of Chicago [biography]

Russell R. Ceballos, Ph.D., is a quantum information theorist originally from the South-East side of Chicago, has a background in the theory of open quantum systems, and is currently the Associate Dean of the Center of Excellence for Engineering and Computer Science at Wilbur Wright College - City Colleges of Chicago. Dr. Ceballos previously served as the Associate Director of Curriculum and Educational Partnerships at the Chicago Quantum Exchange, where Dr. Ceballos leveraged his technical background to 1.) develop quantum curricula and course content, 2.) develop and support quantum-focused programs that foster a culture of inclusivity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) for students from historically underserved and underrepresented communities by helping construct a supportive network of quantum-focused partnerships with other educational and research institutes in the region (which includes high schools and community colleges) to broaden participation among all demographics and disciplines.
Dr. Ruzica Todorovic Wilbur Wright College - One of the City Colleges of Chicago [biography]

Ruzica Todorovic has been an Engineering and Chemistry faculty member at Wright College since 2012. She also acted as
a coordinator for Wright’s Engineering Program and the NSF: HSI ”Building Bridges into Engineering and Computer
Science” grant since its inception. She is committed to cultivating an inclusive educational environment which respects
the diversity of students, while providing attentive student support. Prior to joining Wright College, Ruzica obtained her
PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and conducted experimental and computational
research at Argonne National Laboratory.

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2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Bridging Gaps and Building Pathways to Increase Transfer through Data-Driven, Innovative, and Evidence-Based Strategies at Community College

Presented at Two-Year College Division (TYCD) Technical Session 2: Student Success and Support

For those interested in:

Bridging Gaps and Building Pathways to Increase Transfer through Data-Driven, Innovative, and Evidence-Based Strategies at Community College