Guided Pathways 101

What is it? A strategy which aims to better structure student connection, entry, progress, and completion of certificates, degrees and other student goals. Johnstone, Rob. “Guided Pathways Demystified: Exploring Ten Commonly Asked Questions about Implementing Pathways

How do we do this? The great opportunity we have is that there isn’t “A” way to do this. There is no template to follow. We can create a system that (1) fits our culture, vision, and mission and that (2) serves our students the best. “Creating Opportunities – One Student at a Time” Our Guided Pathway framework should be a transformation of our college, not a separate program.

Goals in Designing a Framework

Crush the Path

Clarify the Path Simplify choices to show students a clear pathway to completion, further education, and/or employment Establish transfer pathways to optimize applicability of community college credits to university majors

Redesign the Path Bridging K-12 to higher education Redesign the pathways that lead to programs of study Redesign pathways through the college experience Integrate and contextualize instruction to build foundational skills.

Understand the Path All staff and faculty contribute to this process It is all of our responsibility to ensure that students do not get lost in the process

Stay on the Path Support students with ongoing advising mechanisms to support informed choices, strengthen clarity about opportunities, develop an academic plan with a predictable schedule, monitor progress, and intervene if they go off track Embed academic and nonacademic support services throughout programs to promote student learning, persistence, and retention

High Expectations Establish program-level learning outcomes aligned with the requirements for success in employment and/or further education Apply the results of learning outcomes assessments to improve the effectiveness of instruction across programs Ensure incorporation of effective teaching practice throughout the pathways

How long will it take? This is a process, and we have five years of funding to help us toward the goals. Five years of gradual chiropractic as we realign the college toward a vision we started with in our Mission Statement and Vision Statement. Transformation? Yes. A complete disruption? Nope.

But we already do that! Yes, we do: SSSP Basic Skills Equity And all of our other initiatives that have overwhelmed us for years. No, we don’t: We still lose too many students We still see students taking classes they don’t need And we still have solid work to do on instruction in terms of active learning and innovations in teaching.

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