1. Guided Pathways Everywhere, But Implementation Details Hard to Come By
Lisa Matye Edwards, VP Student Affairs, Arapahoe Community College
Melinda Salaman, Director of Strategic Research, EAB

2. Defining “Guided Pathways”
Creating Pathways at Arapahoe Community College
Bringing Guided Pathways to Life with Navigate

3. You know us, you know who we are and what we do
Slide is here to remind you that today’s webinar is the perfect example of how we ensure that our Navigate technology members remain in touch with the research that underpins and maximizes the impact of the technology
Today, everyone on the line with us is a member of the Student Success Collaborative—Navigate. As members of the Collaborative, you’ve bought into this idea that students need more structure—or guidance—to be successful in the community college space, and you’ve acknowledged the awesome power of technology to make that a reality for ALL students, not just a select few.
That’s why your investment in Navigate is so crucial – it’s a one-of-a-kind way of bringing the model of GUIDED PATHWAYS to life on your campus.
But that doesn’t mean you turn it on and you’re ready to go! Everyone on the line knows that, and that’s just part of introducing new technology. With it comes a lot technology-related questions, and also process-related questions…

4. What’s Keeping Leaders Up at Night?
Crafting an Approach to Achieve 21st Century Student Success
How do we help students earn their degrees faster?
Are graduates developing standard competencies within each program?
How can we minimize effort across the intake process?
Can we establish value in a competitive market?
How do we better align programs to employer needs?
Is our institution well-designed for students with ‘non-traditional’ backgrounds?
How can we provide students high-touch support at scale?
What does ‘success’ mean for our increasingly diversifying population?
Can we bridge the gap between academics and student services?
Retention
Post-Grad Outcomes
Access
Are we creating opportunities for skill building in and out of class?
Can we demystify post-graduate careers early to avoid mismatches?
Research process – “What’s Keeping You Up at Night?
Lot of overlap in the questions college leaders have…
…Mostly centering around student success
At the same time, definition of student success expanding.
Many years ago, ‘student success’ only meant retention (in the darkest blue), over the years questions about access and post-graduate outcomes are also becoming increasingly important
Some members have termed this the 21st Century definition of student success –
…It’s big, it’s hairy, and it’s setting the tone for our roles as college leaders.
No wonder that as definition of ‘student success’ grows, our appetite to address these tough questions has also grown
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.

5. “The” Student Success Solution?
Washington Colleges Receive Guided Pathways Grants (Campus Technology, 7/2016)
Become a Readiness School: Build Pathways to College & Career (PR Newswire, 8/2016)
SC Bill Aims at Education Pathways to Available Jobs (ABC- Columbia, 1/2016)
Colleges Help Drifting Students Map Paths to Degrees (U.S. News & World Report, 7/2015)
Meta-Majors, Sampler Platters, and Sneaky Ambition (Inside Higher Ed (blog), 11/2015)
@EvoLLLution
“Guided pathways are to students what GPS systems are to drivers.”
Rethinking the “cafeteria” approach to community college (The Washington Post, 05/2015)
Maine Voices: Connected Pathways further tightens the bond between SMCC, USM (Portland Press Herald, 8/2016)
Guided Pathways helps students find their direction (The Watchdog, 8/2016)
“Community Colleges trying to increase pathways for students” (Inside Higher Ed 8/2016)
And for most, Guided Pathways offers a solution to many, if not all, of those questions – some even term it ‘the’ student success solution
Guided Pathways quickly becoming ‘silver bullet’ solution – likened to something as essential as a GPS in a car…
Education pathways critical to meet workforce needs (Upstate Business Journal, 6/2016)
A Simpler Path, Authors Say, Is Key to Community-College Completion (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 4/2015)
Community colleges adapt to job trends with new degrees, student support ( Crain’s, 5/2015)
Lessons Learned About Guided Pathways (Inside Higher Education, 6/2016)
Pierce College received grant to enhance student success (The Suburban Times, 7/2016)
Free Community College, Structured Pathways: Survey of 2-Year-College Leaders (Inside Higher Education, 4/2015)
New model of support gives transfer students a leg up (ASU News Now, 10/2014)
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.

6. Mystery of Ubiquity
Dozens of Confusing Connotations for an Oft-Cited Term
When Colleges and Universities Talk About Guided Pathways, They Might Mention…
Program maps
Accurate placement testing
Course milestones
Default scheduling
Educational plans
Cohort-based model
Non-academic assessment
Success coaches
Faculty advising
Employer-driven outcomes
Personalized learning
Active learning
Skills-based competencies
Career ladders
Adaptive technologies
Contextualization
Backwards design
On-time completion
Institutional collaboration
Predictive analytics
Early warning system
Meta-majors
Streamlined intake
Transfer agreements
A Tower of Babel
Each term has multiple definitions
Guided Pathways model emphasizes different components
Not typically new ideas—often, just good pedagogy
Unfortunately, there’s a ton of confusion about Guided Pathways actually is.
At the surface, it’s easy to think we’re all talking about the same thing – but when we’re forced to really define what we mean by guided pathways, the definitions can vary – widely.
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.

7. Compelling Reasons to Adopt, But Pause First
Campus Interest in Guided Pathways Intensified by External Drivers
Compelling Reasons to Adopt, But Pause First + ≠
Top-Level Support
Public and Private Funding
Guaranteed Success
Critical Questions for Each Institution
Mission-Alignment
Is this right for our students?
Have we exhausted existing options?
Can we help them succeed? !
FITW Grants $100M program to test innovative and evidence-based interventions that increase completion and scale proven practices for student outcomes (awarded , proposed 2017)
“These are the best of times for community colleges. I call it a Camelot moment. Pathways is “the next evolution of that…..”
Walter Bumphus, AACC President
(February 2016)
Lot of compelling reasons to adopt a guided pathways framework – the smartest people in the room, from Walter Bumphus, Karen Stout, and Kay McClenney, are all throwing their support behind the model.
There is also ample money from both public and private funders available to implement and scale –
Many of you are the recipients of such funds, and have even used these dollars to support your EAB memberships.
But we caution you against jumping in head-first.
There are a lot of critical questions we must answer before moving forward
Relevant whether you’ve adopted or still considering:
Mission alignment – is this even the right model for our students? Does this fit with our culture?
Implementation preparedness – are we ready to bring this to life on campus?
Budget realities – can we afford the costs of sustaining this long-term? Do we understand the logistical effort to make this happen?
Today, I want to focus on the second question, about implementation preparedness.
Implementation Preparedness
Are we ready?
Back-office
Faculty !
iPASS $6M program funds technologies that improve student experiences through educational planning, counseling and coaching, and risk targeting and intervention (awarded 2015) !
Budget Realities
Will we be able to afford the costs now or when our grant runs out?
Source: “Social science research offers insights on pathways.” Community College Daily, February 2016; EAB interviews and analysis.

8. Bringing Guided Pathways to Life
New Model Offers Transformative Promise, But Technology Crucial to Scale
Guided Onboarding with Custom Enrollment Steps Individualized to Each Incoming Students’ Needs
Smart Academic Planning Matches Students to Best-Fit Careers and Relevant Courses
360º Advisor Dashboard empowers frontline staff to meaningfully reach cohort
Actionable Administrator View gives leaders relevant data to serve students and report on outcomes
Clarify Paths to End Goals
Help Students Choose and Enter a Pathway
Help Students Stay on Path
Ensure All Students Are Learning
Navigate Platform Features
Pathways Project Pillars
Providing personalized support at entry for all students to…
After over a year of research, development, and hundreds of student testing calls, we launched the Student Success Collaborative—Navigate: a direct to-student platform that provides comprehensive support from before the start of class, through pathway selection and to graduation.
From the start, we create a more streamlined, customized experience through GUIDED ONBOARDING. No longer will new applicants be thrust into a chaotic enrollment experience on their own—Navigate simplifies the process, avoiding that early attrition before Day 1 of class.
We’re not just making processes simpler, we’re also introducing SMART ACADEMIC PLANNING that leverages onboarding insights to match students’ goals, skills, and interests to best-fit majors and optimized schedules.
Every major student input is fully available to front-line staff at your college through a 360 DEGREE ADVISOR DASHBOARD, to empower them to become much more effective at identifying students in need, and providing personalized support at scale. Advisors in the Navigate platform leverage student insights at an aggregate and individual level to proactively outreach to students, connect them with resources, and ensure students are on track to completion.
All the while, administrators have access to an ACTIONABLE ADMINISTRATOR VIEW that can inform major leadership decisions: check on applicants’ progress towards enrollment before Day 1 of class, understand each new cohort’s support needs and backgrounds, to cater support services accordingly, and finally—see what, how, and when student support services are used, and adjust offerings to meet students needs and maximize the impact of services on campus.
Meeting every piece of the AACC Guided Pathways model, at scale, in one place, built around students.
Balancing structure with flexibility for part-timers to…
Empowering advisors as completion coaches to…
Highlighting the most relevant data for leaders to…
Sources: American Association of Community Colleges; EAB interviews and analysis.

9. Defining “Guided Pathways”
Creating Pathways at Arapahoe Community College
Bringing Guided Pathways to Life with Navigate

10. 10,004 80% 60% ~100 Arapahoe Community College in Brief
Helping Students ‘Move Mountains’ in Littleton, Colorado
Quality Educational Experiences for a Diverse Student Population
Three-campus college serving southern part of Denver metro-area
Founded in 1965, 1 of 13 members of Colorado Community College System
Serving roughly 10,000 students through degrees, certificates, and university transfer
Arapahoe Community College By the Numbers
10,004
80%
60%
~100
Total students enrolled
Students attending part-time
Traditional students age 24 and under
Number of degrees and certificate programs offered
Source: EAB interviews and analysis.

11. 70% 40% Guided Pathways Conversations in Colorado
Leaning on National Research and Institutional Data
*Average of Data
70%
Arapahoe CC applicants lost before Day 1
40%
Arapahoe CC students lost after first term

12. Biggest Opportunities for Change at Arapahoe
Strategy #1: Agreeing on the Challenge
Biggest Opportunities for Change at Arapahoe
EAB Process Mapping Reveals Major Student Pain Points
Reviewing National Attrition Data
…and Comparing to ACC Outcomes
Describing and quantifying early attrition during student onboarding (56% loss before Day 1, nationally)
Teaching faculty and staff the behavioral economics rationale for minimizing number of student options
Sharing real stories of pain points encountered via focus groups, student interviews, and secret-shopping
Created new student process map with representatives from different campus departments at Arapahoe CC
Identified several pain points:
Overwhelming orientation
Jargon-filled websites
Unclear program maps

13. Meta Majors
Colleges Condense Program Offerings to Ease Major Selection Decision
Meta-majors in Brief
A logical grouping of majors based on common requirements
Early adopters: Florida State, Arizona State, CUNY Lehman
2012: Recommended by Complete College America in “Guided Pathways to Success”
2013: Florida state legislature adopts meta- majors for all of its community colleges
Now Launching Meta-majors:
Arapahoe CC
Palm Beach State College
Ivy Technical Community College
Queensborough Community College
Monroe Community College
Macomb Community College
Arapahoe Community College’s Meta Majors
Arts, Communication & Design
Public Services
Global, Human & Social Services
Math & Science
Criminal Justice
Law Enforcement
Paralegal
Early Childhood
Biology
Chemistry
Mathematics
Music
Studio Art
Interior Design
Economics
Political Science
Languages
Technology
Business
Health
Automotive
Game Design
Computer Info System
Business
Accounting
Construction Mgmt
Nursing
Mortuary Science
Physical Therapy Asst.
Source: Arapahoe Pathways, 2016; Accessed Feb. 2017; EAB interviews and analysis.
Many leaders have introduced meta majors to help students with initial program selection. Rather than selecting from a long list program offerings, students have a choice of a short list of meta majors—families of like majors clustered under broad thematic titles (e.g., Business, Health Science, etc.).
Note challenges – EMT – health or public service? Mortuary Science.
Note card sorting exercise.

14. Making It Real for Faculty
Strategy #2: Streamlining Curriculum Requirements
Getting the House in Order
College Leaders Sit Down With Arapahoe Faculty & Review Data
Few on Campus See Value in Long List of Elective Options
Making It Real for Faculty
75%
Percent of students enrolled in top 20 most popular courses
Faculty have idea of ideal courses to take for programs, but not systematized anywhere 1
Ask faculty to write an ideal schedule for first two terms of an AA, AS and general degree program
Fight or Flight: Behavioral economics research reveals importance of minimizing number of options to facilitate difficult choices 2
Discuss as a group why certain courses were chosen over others
Explain merits of streamlining academic plans to support on-time completion 3

15. Defining “Guided Pathways”
Creating Pathways at Arapahoe Community College
Bringing Guided Pathways to Life with Navigate

16. Reimagining the Incoming Student Workflow
Strategy #3: Guiding Program Selection with Technology
Reimagining the Incoming Student Workflow
Goals, Skills, and Interests Tie to Interest Areas, Which Tie to Programs
Charlotte uses Navigate’s Personality Profile tool to explore community college pathways that map to her interests and preferred subjects.
Activities
Subjects 1
Navigate recommends ten interest areas for Charlotte based on her selections. She ranks her top three. 2
In this new workflow for incoming students, we gather as much information as possible about Charlotte right when she enters the college. We find out her favorite activities, as well as her favorite subjects in school.
The main question is – WHO is Charlotte? What is she interested in? What does she VALUE?
After answering these questions, we wanted to provide Charlotte with directional guidance on the “Interest Areas” she should pursue. I’ll define this more precisely on the next page, but essentially Interest Areas are similar to meta-majors, but designed to support our proprietary algorithm.
Charlotte’s affinity towards these recommended Interest Areas, by ranking her top three, help the algorithm identify the programs that are a likely fit for her needs, and can even rank them as ‘Good’, “Better’, and “Best” Matches.
This is the guidance students BEGGED us for, but couldn’t get without waiting in line, speeding through an advisor meeting, or going it alone on the wide world of the Internet. For a student like Charlotte, this new workflow is REVOLUTIONARY, and totally self-directed.
It’s a new layer of support for institutions looking to take the best practices in meta-majors Ron discussed earlier to a new level.
Charlotte views four new suggested programs based on her ranked interest areas. She discovers a program that fits her interests better than her previously selected program (Nursing). 3
Personalized to student
Guided decision support

17. The Student Success Collaborative
National Best Practice Research and Network
50+ Best Practice Publications, Toolkits, and Expert Presentations
Preventing Early Attrition
Turning High School Partnerships into Enrollments
Reengineering Developmental Math
1500+ Site Visits and Interviews with Frontline Staff, Administrators, and Students
Direct-to-Student Guided Pathways Platform
Put students on right path…
User-friendly interface
Powered by EAB analytics
Platform design guided by behavioral science research and breakthrough research practices
…While providing personalized support from entry to exit
Scaled communication tool for advisors and students to connect
Administrator dashboard shows where biggest pain points exist
Dedicating Consulting and Change Management
Kickoff: Onsite Leadership Kickoff and Enrollment Pain Point Audit
Strategy Formation: Report on Key Opportunities to Improve Student Success
Implementation Support: Custom Build Teams and Implementation Blueprint
Ongoing Consulting: Leveraging Data Insights for Continuous Improvement
RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
CONSULTING

18. Early Results and Looking Ahead
Student Feedback and Early Utilization Data Shows Promise of Platform
92%
Agree
Overwhelming majority of 71 survey participants agree “Navigate was easy to use.”
Spring 2017 Applicant Data
220+
73%
42%
Total logins in Arapahoe CC pilot group
Students completed intake survey
Students returned to Navigate 3
Top 2 Student Goals
Top 3 Links Clicked 1 2
New Student Orientation Sign-Up
FAFSA.gov
Schedule meeting with your advisor
Inspires Confidence
“As an incoming first year student, I was really overwhelmed with all of my tasks. I didn't feel like there was a clear list for me to get these tasks accomplished. Navigate answered all of my basic questions without even needing to ask someone for help."
Simple to Use
"The system worked well and was fluid. It made the experience of getting ready for college much easier."

19. Thank You Questions and Discussion Want to Learn More About EAB?
Lisa Matye Edwards
Arapahoe Community College
Melinda Salaman
EAB Strategic Research
Want to Learn More About EAB?
Visit Booth #500 to learn about our research and technology offerings
Grab a blogazine: EAB’s latest insights on Guided Pathways and success
Melinda Salaman
Connect with Melinda
@msalamanderman