Guided Pathways Five-Year Work Plan: Ten Weeks and Counting
by on Jan 18, 2018Focused inquiry transforms to shared governance under the Academic Senate as Gavilan College shifted gears, on track to deliver a five-year Guided Pathways work plan to the State of California by March 30. More than $665K is at stake.
The June article outlined statistics reflecting student achievement at the community college level: after six years' attendance, fewer than 48% depart with a degree, certificate or transfer. The State of California set aside $150 million in seed funding to assist the 114-college network to redesign pathways, help students choose and stay on their academic paths, and ensure learning is paired with intentional outcomes. A number of Gavilan administrators, staff, faculty and students met in August to plan these next steps.
A giant change and cultural shift
"If students are perceived as not ready for college, we need to change the college to be ready for the students, to meet them where they are," said Karen Warren, Title V Director.
During the two-day summer retreat, participants invested hours exploring Gavilan data, noted observations, worked in small groups and then joined others to share what they discovered and ways the college could create change to improve student success.
The accelerated track to funding included biweekly meetings, attendance at a Northern California conference and engaging everyone on campus to contribute. At the day-long self-assessment in November, students, staff and faculty could drop in at any time, review the 14 areas under review and place commentary about the college's performance. The results were compiled in a draft self-assessment report, which was reviewed by Academic Senate and the Gavilan College Board of Trustees.
Brianna Everett, ASGC Academic Senate Representative, talks with a Puente class about
the 14 elements of Guided Pathways readiness to assess the college.
Using GavData, staff and students research college majors, year and inbound
colleges and universities where Gavilan students successfully transferred.
"While some programs are already using Guided Pathways," said Cherise Mantia, "we are charged with bringing the model to the rest of Gavilan's programs." Mantia, theater faculty and Gavilan alumna, serves as co-chair of the Guided Pathways taskforce leading the campus engagement workgroup.
Two academic programs at the college, Child Development and the STEM III program, drafted changes to their programs last spring to align with Guided Pathways fundamentals. Steps include high school recruitment and dual-enrollment coursework at the college, summer bridge programs to prepare students, intensive and accelerated classes to move students along quickly, and first year exploratory events to learn about career opportunities.
Which major, why, and what happens if a student wants to change?
Gavilan offers more than 140 degrees and certificates, and students can be baffled at the number of choices, while not understanding the career paths associated with the degrees. If they need to change majors, they want to know which of their successfully completed classes will apply. Meta majors combining similar areas of study are one component in the pathways model underpinning student success.
"Many colleges are coming up with six to eight ways to cluster pathways," said Fran Lozano, Dean of Fine Arts and Sciences. "Students can explore and inquire and choose majors along their pathway."
Genesis Maravilla plays a special game of Fish, trying to match the academic
requirements to each of the degrees and certificates offered by the college.
Step smartly, deadlines await!
The task force is sponsoring two upcoming events to build on the self-assessment framework.
On January 22 from 10 a.m. until noon, Guided Pathways will host a work party to set goals, create work groups and develop action plans.
On February 14 from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., the group will host a five-year work plan retreat.
Once the work plan meets with approval from shared governance bodies and the Board of Trustees, it will be sent to the State, generating funding to implement programs designed to measurably improving student success at Gavilan.
Everyone at the college is encouraged to contribute. Sign up for the work party and the work plan retreat at the Guided Pathways web page.