Challenges in Curriculum Adaptation across Institutions of Higher Education: Similarities between In

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Challenges in Curriculum Adaptation across
Institutions of Higher EducationSimilarities
between International and National Student
Transfer

• R. Kempter, C. Furse, N. Cotter (University of
  Utah)N. Safai, L. Brinton (Salt Lake Community
  College)

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What is the Problem?

• Majority of the undergraduate students in
  UofU ECE transfer from nearby 2 year schools.
• Courses and grading may or may not be
  identical.

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Are Courses Grades Equal?
2 year programs
Concurrent HS program Lead the Way
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Are Courses Grades Equal?
Utah Legislature They MUST be!
2 year programs
Concurrent HS program Lead the Way
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Todays Undergrad Transfer Procedures

• Credits transfer, Grades do not
• Admission to Major status in ECE in sophomore
  year
• GPAgt2.8, up to a max of 75 students/year

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Transfer Procedures Issues
Case 1 Transfer student has lower 2nd year GPA
than UofU student
T
GPA 2.81 ? 9 credit hours
2nd year GPA 3.16
2nd year GPA 2.81
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Transfer Procedures Issues
Case 2 Top students with high 2nd year GPAs
2nd year GPA 4.0
2nd year GPA 4.0
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Transfer Procedures Issues
Case 3 Assume grade inflation is involved
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Tracking the Individual Student
4.0
3.0
GPA
2.0
1.0
Student

• 24/67 students 0 transfers
• 43/67 students transferred
• an average of 3.37 classes

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ECE Undergraduate Student Performance
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Reasons for Transfer
4 year colleges
Freshmen competitively selected
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Result of transfer
Result Difference in student demographics leads
to different student performance statistics.
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Possible solutions
Sounds familiar? Not a novel situation, common
situation in especially international graduate
student transfer.

• There we have
• Very different academic performance spectra
• Tuition levels vary greatly, students may be
  more or less motivated (amount/time)
• Greatly varying academic climate

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Possible Undergrad Solutions The Future
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Conclusion

• We investigated national student transfer on
  the undergraduate level

• Different student demographics lead to
  measurably different student performance
  statistics ? Grading on a curve problematic

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Conclusion Ways to Cope

• Future? - Standardized tests such as SAT,
  GRE - Common exam before major status in ECE
  - Constant performance monitoring for
  undergraduates, ? same as for international
  graduate students - Mandatory undergraduate
  advisor

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Conclusion Ways to Cope
if undergraduate_student_transfer
1 gradingstandardized end
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Questions ?
Roland Kempter, Dr. Cynthia Furse Electrical and
Computer Engineering, University of
Utah Kempter_at_ece.utah.edu, cfurse_at_ece.utah.edu