*No textbook is required for this course* 

Course Description:

Transfer students are a significant and growing undergraduate population on campuses across the U.S. Promoting transfer student success requires institutional agents to understand and support students’ navigation of the transfer process and their acclimatation to new institutions. As such, this course will provide foundational information about transfer, including national trends in transfer. Participants will also explore characteristics of transfer students, assets they bring with them to their institutions, and institutional barriers that impact their success. Participants will engage in learning activities and create equity-minded actionable plans that reinforce support for transfers.

Course Objectives: As a part of this course, participants will:

• Understand national trends, literature, and data associated with student transfer  

• Examine and understand the characteristics and assets of transfer and transfer-intending students

• Explore common tools and practices institutions use to meet transfer students needs

• Evaluate the ways in which programs or initiatives may or may not support transfer students’ transitions, engagement, and success during the transfer process

• Develop equity-minded strategies for promoting transfer student success within and across institutions, including through pathways, initiatives, and policies

Catherine Hartman is an Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership and Faculty Scholar at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. Her research focuses on community college student persistence and engagement, community college student transfer to four-year schools, and community college leadership. Catherine also serves as an Affiliate Scholar for the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and was named a 2025-2026 Fellow for the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.

Education:

Doctor of Philosophy Higher Education Leadership and Policy The University of Texas at Austin

Master of Education Higher Education Administration William & Mary

Bachelor of Arts English William & Mary

Associate of Arts Liberal Arts Tidewater Community College

Associate of Science Social Sciences Tidewater Community College

Course Description: 

Much attention is focused on the beginning and ending years of college, what about supporting students in the middle? This course will explore the middle years on the college campus: the sophomore and junior years. Alternatively referred to as the second and third years. This course will explore literature, theory, and data related to these two populations. Participants will examine common frameworks and a variety of campus models designed to support second- and third-year students. Participants will develop their own plan for exploring the needs and issues of the targeted populations on their own campuses.  

Please note that there will be two “live” sessions held online via Zoom for participants. They will be recorded and posted on the course site for those that cannot attend live. Sharing the dates and times prior to the course officially starting for participant planning purposes. The rest of the course is all asynchronous! 

• Week One: Course overview and participant meet and greet- Monday, March 2nd from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time zone) 

• Week Four: Course wrap up- Friday, March 27th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (Eastern time zone) 

Learning Outcomes: 

• Gain an understanding of the trends, literature, data, and frameworks that surround the sophomore and junior years 

• Explore the common issues and experiences in the identified years 

• Examine and evaluate current models of campus programs and initiatives  

• Understand definitions of the identified cohorts and common language used in discussion, i.e. the sophomore slump 

• Develop a plan for a needs assessment and exploration of the second and third years on participants’ own campus  

• Engagement and in-depth discussion with other course participants. 

Required Textbook: A Faculty and Staff Guide on Supporting Sophomore  Student Success by Molly Schaller and Julie Tetley (2023). 

Optional Textbooks: 

Hunter, M. S., Tobolowsky, B. F., Gardner, J. N., Evenbeck, S. E., Pattengale, J. A., Schaller, M., & Schreiner, L. A. (2010). Helping Sophomores Succeed: Understanding and Improving the Second Year Experience. John Wiley & Sons. 

Schreiner, L. A., Louis, M. C., & Nelson, D. D. (Eds.). (2020). Thriving in transitions: A research-based approach to college student success (2nd ed.). National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.

Kimberly Dressler serves as the Assistant Director in the Carolina Experience office at the University of South Carolina where she oversees support beyond the traditional first year, the Caroline Experience Peer Leader program, and faculty-student interaction programs. The Carolina Experience office was created in 2024 to support sophomore, junior, senior, and transfer students at USC. Kimberly has nearly two decades of experience working in higher education, with a specific focus on the middle years in the academy. She has presented nationally on the sophomore year experience, junior year experience, transfer student experience, peer leadership, student success initiatives, domestic study away, and the importance of cross-campus collaboration. She spent a decade teaching sections in USC’s University 101 course and has overseen USC’s award-winning SophoMORE Success program for more than fifteen years.  

Originally from greater Cincinnati, Kimberly moved to warmer weather for college and never looked back! She is not a fan of snow, but she does still enjoy cheering on both the Cincinnati Bengals and Reds. Kimberly has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and a master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of South Carolina. Following graduation, she worked at Furman University for several years before returning to USC in 2010. Outside of her daily work, Kimberly serves as the co-chair for USC’s Women’s Leadership Institute and is actively involved in NASPA and NASPA Region III.

Course Description:
There is growing evidence that today’s college students are becoming less engaged in the
college experience, leading to increased drop-out rates, and negatively affecting mental
health, general well-being, and many other facets of students’ lives. The central focus of
this course is helping students identify and develop their own vision for their future,
connecting purpose and personal meaning to academic persistence. To this end we will
examine the disengagement phenomenon through current research and scholarship,
institutional data analysis, and practical intervention design. Participants will explore
intrinsic and extrinsic influences on engagement and discuss strategies for engaging
students in Hi-Impact Practices (HIPs). We will use institutional data to identify risk
patterns and apply tools—including AI—to design structured, evidence-based
interventions and programming that support student purpose, persistence, and success.
The course culminates in an AI-assisted engagement plan aligned to HIPs.

Course Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

1. Explain major research findings related to student engagement.
2. Analyze institutional data indicators associated with disengagement and attrition.
3. Apply motivational frameworks to support student purpose, agency, and
persistence.
4. Design structured interventions using reflective practices and AI-supported tools.
5. Develop an institutional engagement framework aligned to recognized standards
and success metrics.

Required Course Materials:
1. Access to an advanced AI tool - ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Advanced (via Google One AI
Premium), CoPilot Pro, or something similar. They are usually around $20 a month
and some may have a free trial version. The AI must be robust enough to help you
develop a quality, academically informed intervention or program plan with an
assessment component.
2. There is no required textbook. All readings will be included as PDF versions
available through Blackboard or as links to publicly available sources.

David Waddell is the Associate Director of First-Year Experience and directs the Second
Year Success Program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He also oversees New
Student Orientation and First-gen support. David has spent the last 20 years leading
university level initiatives. He was the founding director of BYU’s ONice of Experiential
Learning, directed the integration of career and academic advising in the colleges of
humanities and social sciences, and created curriculum and training for professional
competency development and the college-to-career transition. Currently, he oversees a
pilot eNort to improve student success and retention among second-year students. David has also been developing training for using AI in program framing and evaluation.

David’s teaching experience at the university spans 20 years, from history and humanities
to student development topics like grad school prep and career and self-exploration. He
holds BA and MA degrees in History and is currently pursuing a PhD in Instructional
Psychology and Technology.