Achieving the Dream Core Team Structural Barriers Report by Sub-Group
Priority Area: Program Completion & Transfer
Areas Analyzed Within Priority Area: for example, the developmental group may have looked closer at
math, or the Top 25 group may have looked closer at PSY150


Students transferring to senior institutions
Students unable to graduate in the time necessary to meet federal graduation rate guidelines
Structural Barriers:
 Class schedule – required courses not offered in term when student needs them or at time
student can attend
 Students are not required to complete their developmental coursework early in their
academic career; many students then delay taking these courses, which can prevent them
from graduating in the three year timeframe.
 Developmental course offerings conflict – developmental courses not offered in consistent
blocks make it difficult for many students to schedule all their necessary developmental
courses in one term
 Lack of intrusive advising
 Students believe they have completed requirements only to find they lack classes
 Students who don’t seek out advisor don’t get all of the information they need to
transfer or prepare for their major at a senior institution
 Because there is no requirement to seek advising in order to register, students use
online tools to register and self-advise, often to their own detriment
 Lack of human resources/staff in Transfer Resource Center to serve growing number of
transfer students
 Lack of peer support mechanisms for transfer students
 Some faculty advisors don’t know how to advise a career path for a transfer student in
planning coursework for the major at their senior institution/ lack of transfer-specific
advising early in academic career (students don’t see Transfer Advisor until they have
completed 30 credits) – more training
 No certificate or credential available for students who complete the Minimum Course
Requirements needed for transfer
 Lack of ability to manipulate advisor assignment (future history majors cannot be assigned
to history faculty, future psychology majors cannot be assigned to psychology faculty, etc)
 Process for withdrawing is easier for process for enrolling – is that the appropriate message
 CPCC has a Transfer Resource Center but no comparable resource center for degree
completion. Are we helping them transfer too early to our detriment?
 Advising is also done in the classroom; many PT faculty lack the background to do this
Who needs to be a part of the conversation that seeks to address these barriers?
Transfer Resource Center
Graduation Office
Advisement Management Team
January 2011
Page 1 of 1