Dr. Stephanie Foote from the Gardner Institute presented a recorded session at the 2020 Lilly Conference online entitled: “Teaching for Inspiration: Approaches to Engaging Transfer Students in Gateway Course” based on an upcoming book. Foote was a transfer student and shared their experiences and national data. Transfer students are diverse: there are numerous reasons to transfer to another institution. Foote mentioned a recent Inside Higher Ed poll. Transfer rates are down likely because of the pandemic, yet more students are transferring to four-year institutions. Foote mentioned a leaky pipeline because of issues with transfer credits. Gateway courses can be challenging for transfer students and it is important that we get to know them to engage them in the learning experience. This can be done by asking questions such as: what are your expectations for the course and in what areas do you feel most challenged and most confident? Foote shared a JMBE article by Kilpack and Melón entitled “First Day Info Sheets” that I now want to read and see the info sheet they designed. Foote mentioned the transfer theory and situational factor research that can be looked at to know about the students in our courses. Foote also recommends asking administrators and the registrar for data about transfer students. Foote mentioned using approaches by Fink and Fink’s taxonomy to provide supportive learning experiences. I appreciate how Foote provides options for assignments and opportunities for peer to peer interactions. High-impact practices listed by the AACU were mentioned by Foote and include first year experiences, undergraduate research, and study abroad. Foote included high-impact practices like research, collaborative learning, and public presentations that were scaffolded throughout the semester. Service learning is also a high-impact practice, and usually high-impact practices provide the opportunity to see the application or experiential learning component of the course content. Foote mentioned Critical Compassionate Pedagogy that encourages faculty to be critical of the institutional and classroom practices that ideologically put underserved students in a deficit perspective. Compassionate communication (from Rosenberg 2003) should include observation without judgement, identification and expression of feelings, connecting needs to feelings, and having open channels for communication (observation, feeling, need, request). Foote mentioned that we should be reflective teachers by not only reflecting and gathering feedback… but also incorporating and acting on the feedback. Foote mentioned that “we should adapt and meet the needs of our students” and involve students. This aligns with metacognitive teaching and complete the self-regulation cycle. In metacognitive teaching you are intentional about adapting and improving based on reflection and feedback. Students who are metacognitive are more likely to plan and use effective strategies that will help them in gateway courses. Active learning is critical and Foote cited Fink mentioning that it should include context and have an opportunity for reflection. Foote created a module on metacognitive active learning activities for College Star. Foote’s presentation had pause points, a Wakelet list of resources, Menti.com polls, and reflective questions. While Foote shared numerous scholarly references and research, there were always slides with thoughtful quotes or prompts for reflection. I had not thought about how to support transfer students specifically, and Foote shared resources I will keep in mind. It may be that the 200-level course I am designing is a good entry point for transfer students and opportunity to include high-impact practices and considerations for critical compassionate pedagogy.
