Assessing the Effectiveness of the Transfer Function in the Community College.

In 1990, as part of an effort to assess the effectiveness of the transfer function, Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in Kansas, conducted a follow-up study of former students who had transferred in 1989. Questionnaires were sent to a sample of 1,277 JCCC transfer students identified through a list of all active and former students who requested transcripts during the 1988-89 academic year and lists from 11 transfer institutions. The survey included questions on demographics, JCCC enrollment history, educational goal attainment, evaluation of cognitive and affective outcomes, evaluation of educational and support services, and overall evaluation of JCCC experiences. Survey results, based on a response rate of 39.3%, (n=502), included the following: (1) of the 82.1% of the students who identified transfer as their primary goal, 53.2% completely achieved and 39.0% partially achieved that goal; (2) 73.4% of the students felt JCCC had helped them improve writing skills, 67% that it had enhanced their self-confidence, and 66.7% that it had broadened their knowledge of arts and sciences; (3) 63.1% indicated that they would attend JCCC again, while 92.8% would recommend JCCC to a friend; and (4) statistics provided by transfer institutions indicated that 28.9% had grade point averages (GPA's) between 3.00 and 3.99, while 27.7% had GPA's between 2.00 and 2.99. Aside from indications that the college was effective for at least some aspects of the transfer mission, the results also confirmed that the methodology employed can be a valuable component of institutional effectiveness assessment. (KP)