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EducationDive
Community colleges embracing 'guided
pathways' see payoff
The model has promise for improving student outcomes, but experts say
data monitoring and campuswide collaboration are critical.
Natalie Schwartz
April 15, 2019
Community colleges are at a watershed moment. Long viewed as an
inexpensive pathway to a better job, deep budget cuts and low
graduation rates have raised doubts as to whether they can deliver on
their promise of an accessible education with a clear return on
investment.
Meanwhile, automation has reshaped workforce needs by gobbling up
unskilled jobs. The Great Recession marked the official "beginning of
the college economy," according to the Georgetown University Center on
Education and the Workforce. What that means, the Center explains, is
that "good jobs" — or those that pay at least $35,000 — now mostly go
to workers with at least a bachelor's degree.
Those forces have caused community colleges to question whether they
should shift away from a "cafeteria-style" education model, in which
students have many choices but little direction. Now, the idea of
creating "guided pathways," or a system that encourages students to
develop a road map early in their education, is taking hold.
How two-year institutions can best implement guided pathways, as well
as measure the results of such initiatives, was the subject of a
session Saturday at the American Association of Community Colleges'
annual conference, held in Orlando, Florida.
Speakers from the Community College Research Center pointed to an array
of problems that suggest the current system isn't working: Between 10%
and 40% of community college students who apply don't show up to their
first day of classes; roughly one-fifth are still enrolled in college
with no credential after six years; and those who do complete a
bachelor's degree usually end up with dozens of excess credits.
Although switching to the guided pathways system can often take upward
of five years, speakers said the effort is necessary to successfully
operate in the future. "If we're going to really move the needle on
student success, we need to re-engage and radically rethink the whole
college," said John Fink, senior research associate at the Community
College Research Center.
Measuring student success
Community college students need to start their education with their end
goal in mind, speakers said, whether that's transferring to a
bachelor's institution or earning a credential to land a better job.
Under the current system, however, many students feel lost among the
options and drop out as a result.
As such, more colleges are mapping out program pathways or bundling
courses to align with specific career goals.
In 2016, Michigan's Jackson College, an early adopter of guided
pathways, rolled out several "meta-majors" across fields such as the
health sciences, business and the liberal arts. Online descriptions for
each program indicate if they are a stepping stone to a four-year
institution or a direct gateway into a career, as well as what students
can expect in terms of career outlook and pay.
Colleges tend to use meta-majors to draw in students with a clear
pathway through the curriculum and ties to the workforce or other
institutions.
Jackson also overhauled its advising process by hiring more staff
members, adding extra supports and checking in with students more
frequently to ensure they stay on track.
Jackson College, in Michigan, has charted several paths students can
take through their curriculum. Credit: Screenshot of Jackson College's
website
Early data suggests the changes are working. The share of students who
earned at least six college-level credits in their first term jumped to
58% in the fall of 2016 from 35% in the fall of 2015. Moreover, the
percentage of incoming students who completed college-level math in
their first year rose from 19% to 43% over the same time period.
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