Overcoming Transfer Shock Across Educational Institutions: From Technologist To Engineer

Abstract

The global shortage of engineering scarce skills, particularly for complex problem solving, has incentivized the transfer of qualified technicians and technologists (from technical/applied institutions) to traditional universities offering bachelor’s in engineering programmes. This paper investigates the receptiveness of the transfer culture of a traditional university in South Africa, to which technicians and technologists transfer. The objective of this exploratory study is to lay the groundwork for a more holistic and successful transfer experience from a practical or applied sciences context (University of Technology - UoT) to a traditional, research-intensive university environment. Existing research speaks of "transfer shock", which can be overcome by creating a transfer-receptive culture, including institutional, academic and social perspectives. The research question is: How can receiving institutions better support UoT transfer students? A mixed-method survey was used to gain insights into the recent experiences of transfer students, focusing on the institutional (systemic), academic (cognitive-affective) and social (affective) support mechanisms (or lack thereof), as indicators of the receptiveness of the transfer culture of the receiving institution. Survey data indicates that most transferring students experienced transfer shock, exacerbated by support infrastructure typically not tailored to an increasingly culturally and socioeconomically diverse student body. Many respondents indicated that they experienced academic inadequacy or "impostor syndrome" after transferring. This exploratory study serves to illuminate what is becoming a global phenomenon of increasingly diverse student bodies in higher education environments, and graduates in workplaces.