Making the Case for Pathways and Lessons Learned from Early Implementation of the Pathways Project

Making the Case for Pathways and Lessons Learned from Early Implementation of the Pathways Project

Dr. Gretchen Schmidt

Executive Director, Pathways Project

October

27, 2016

How did we get here?

Achieving the Dream

Over a

decade of institutional reformDevelopmental Education InitiativeSmall pockets of success“Get with the Program”Making the connection for studentsCompletion by DesignInitial investment in structured pathwaysGuided Pathways to SuccessA growing pathways movement….

What we know after more than a decade of reform….

The proportion of community college students completing community college and earning a credential has not changed

Problems of scale

Pilots cannot be scaledChallenges in institutional transformationInstitutions not prepared to restructureDemographic and economic changesDeclining enrollment and declining state appropriationCulture change vital to implementation and sustainabilityCulture trumps strategy every time

Making the Case for Pathways Implementation

The Business Case

Growing accountability for program

outcomesFinancial aid tied to making progress in a programStudents spending more, want ROIThe Academic CaseLack of curricular coherence

2 + 2 ≠

4

Lacking evidence of

learning

Developmental education divergence

The Student Services CaseLittle support for college/career planningLimited intake advisingStudent’s progress not monitoredTransfer pathway morassStudents want a clear path

New Students

Want to Know

What are my career options?

What are the education paths to those careers?What will I need to take?How long will it take and how much will it cost?How much financial aid can I get?Will my credits transfer?

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

(Select 12 courses from this list of more than 300)

6

Returning Students

Ask

How far along am I toward completing my program? Am I on-schedule?

How much more will I have to pay?What will I need to take next term and what will my scheduled be?What if I want to change programs?How can I get work experience in my field of interest?

Cafeteria

College

Paths to student goals unclear

Intake sorts, diverts students

Students’ progress not monitored

Learning outcomes not defined and assessed across programs

Churning

Early transfer

Completion

Time to degree

Excess credits

Skill building

Welcome to our World - CSCC

The Open-Access Cafeteria College

AA

ASAASCertificatesNon-CreditFour divisions

83 majors

TTPs

Transfer

Careers

online

On-ground

hybrid

NSAR

Advising

Cleveland

Athens

Tuition

Books

Financial Aid

Learning support

High Schools

Employers

Adults

TN Promise

Reconnect

College Ready ?

1

st

generation

Diverse populations

Low economic

5 counties

Jobs

Families

Drive to 55

Early College

DE

Workforce Needs

Universities

Military

TBR

DOE

Guided Pathways

College

Clear roadmaps to student goals

Intake redesigned as an on-ramp

Students’ progress closely tracked

Learning outcomes/assessments aligned across programs

Churning

Completion

Early transfer

Excess credits

Time to degree

Skill building

The Pathways Model

An

integrated, institution-wide approach to student success, based on intentionally designed, clear, coherent and structured educational experiences, informed by available evidence, that guide each student effectively and efficiently from her/his point of entry through to attainment of high-quality post-secondary credentials and careers with value in the labor market.

Central to the pathways model:

clear, educationally coherent program maps

—which include specific course sequences, progress milestones, and program learning outcomes…—that are aligned to what will be expected of students upon program completion in the workforce and in education at the next level in a given field...

Essential Practices

Clarify paths to student end goals

Help students choose and enter a pathway

Help students stay on path Ensure that students are learning

Pathways Colleges

Characteristics

30

colleges from 17 states totalEnrollment range: less than 3,000 to almost 60,000 students (fall credit headcount)Fewer than 6000 students: 10/30Approximate total students: 505,453State clusters:

4 Texas – 3 Ohio

4 Florida – 3 Washington

3

California – Upper

Midwest – 3 OH, 2 MI, 1 WI

Pathways Institutes

6-institute series (2016 through 2017)

Each institute 2.5 days in length

5-person teams from each Pathways CollegeRequired team “homework” in advance of each instituteEach institute focused on a critical aspect of pathway design and implementation at scale Assigned Pathways Coach Teams work with college teams during institutes – 12 coaches

College teams produce action plans by the end of each institute, including component plans for campus engagement, professional development, and technical assistance

Institute Topics

Institute #1

-

Leadership for Transformational Change: Implementing Pathways at Scale (February 4-6, 2016)Institute #2 -  Pathway Design I – Mapping Pathways through the Institution

 (April 14-16, 2016)

Institute #3

-

Redesigning Student Intake Systems and Ongoing Academic and Non-Academic Supports 

(October 2-4, 2016)

Institute #4 - Ensuring Students are Learning and Progressing along the Pathway (February 2-4, 2017)Institute #5 - Pathway Design II:  Pathways to Transfer and Employment

 (June 22-24, 2017)

Institute #6

-

Policy Meets Pathways:­

­Governing Board Roles and Policy Change

 (October 26-28, 2017)

Seeking funding for additional Institutes focused on

Equity

by Design

and

Developmental Education Reform

based on

Core Principles

Highlights from Year 1

AACC Pathways Colleges –

Pathways Implementation Progress

Leadership throughout the organization necessary

All 30 colleges on path to all programs mapped for incoming students in Fall 2018Universal use of “meta-majors” (4 to 11)Many have organized all completion-related initiatives under pathways umbrella - ecosystem

Some restructuring general education at same time

Some working on contextualized

developmental education

reform

1/3 moving to new advising structure this Fall

AACC Pathways Colleges –

Innovative Approaches

Transfer speed dating (Jackson)

Learning teams to peer institutions (Front Range)Year-long schedule (Cuyahoga)Color-coded program structures (Broward & Monroe)“Project Integration Summit” (NE Wisconsin)

“My Pathway to Graduation” (St. Petersburg)

Website Development

(Indian River State College)

AACC Pathways Colleges –

Challenges

Technology & system integration

On-going communication and engagement (internally & externally)Need for common terminology & common definitionsAligning pathways with multiple transfer destinationsOngoing enrollment / budget challenges

AACC Pathways Colleges –

Needs Identified by Colleges

Examples of reorganized websites

Examples of communication / marketing materialsProfessional development models for faculty / advisorsCase studies / practical implementation examples

More opportunities to interact with other colleges

Examples of default scheduling

Examples of adjunct faculty engagement

A National Movement

Academic Pathways

28

-6-

Show Students Their Path

Making the Case – St. Petersburg College (FL)

Guided Pathways at St. Petersburg College

Momentum Works for CC Students

1

st

semester momentum1st year momentumAdditional credits earned822Probability of degree attainment7pp

(27%

vs.

34%)

18pp

(25%

vs. 43%)Tuition and fees per degree-9%-20%Expenditures per degree-9%-14%Tuition and fees avg.+$620+$1,740

*Adjusted results, controlling for student characteristics

Source: Belfield, Jenkins, Lahr, 2016.

Effects* of Momentum on Six-Year Outcomes

Tennessee Community Colleges, FTEIC Fall 2008 Cohort

The Numbers are Moving…..

Sinclair Community College (OH)

*Research at Sinclair finds that students who are concentrators complete credentials at a higher rate across all student groups

QUESTIONS?

gschmidt@aacc.nche.edu

AACC Pathways Project Website