Guided Pathways
Guided Pathways
Guided Pathways (GP) is a framework for critically reflecting on ourselves, the College, and the institutional barriers that interfere with student success.
Guided Pathways at our College is being implemented with an equity lens. We recognize that revisions to our processes need to account for the needs of each student, meeting them where they are and supporting them on the journey to where they want to be.
Guided Pathways is an institution-wide initiative. It is not limited to the Guided Pathways office or specific teams. Any efforts made to meet Guided Pathways goals are part of Guided Pathways implementation.
The goal of Guided Pathways at the College is to improve the student experience from the moment someone considers coming to the College to the moment they meet their educational goal.
To meet this goal, we are adjusting our processes to better serve students and meet their unique needs. This includes:
- Providing students with intentional exploration of academic options, allowing them to make informed choices about their majors and careers.
- Eliminating uncertainty about requirements, reducing the chances of taking excess units.
- Providing support resources to help students succeed in college level courses as soon as possible.
- Helping students build community and feel valued and understood at the College.
Your excellent work on program maps was an important early step in GP. You have probably done lots of other GP work too! A few examples of Guided Pathways efforts in instructional programs:
- Partnering with Counseling to share your program information with students in contextualized CG-51 courses
- Incorporating career or transfer information into classes in the program
- Connecting students to resources/services (e.g. ASC, Library, ILC, CTC, STEM Center, Academic Counseling, Student Health Services, food and housing resources, financial assistance, technology loans)
- Promoting the On the Horizon event highlights (Google slide) to students
Food for thought
At our College, Guided Pathways implementation is grounded in equity. If your program is doing equity work, consider whether this is also improving the student experience (Guided Pathways).
Where in your program plan do you envision infusing your department's Guided Pathways work?
Which of your data, interventions with students, or department activities do you think are relevant to Guided Pathways?
Resources to help:
- Guided Pathways (GP) website Links to an external site.
- Overview of Guided Pathways at the College, with links to more information for students and for employees.
- GP info for employees Links to an external site.
- Information tailored to employees, including flex events, annual reports, and resources.
- Aspirational Student Experiences Links to an external site.
- A list of specific goals that keep us student-focused in our work. Note that the student experiences are framed as goals for each student, indicating that they need to be tailored to meet each student's needs, rather than assuming that one solution works for all students.
- Career and Academic Pathways Links to an external site. (CAPs)
- Overview of the CAPs, with links to each CAP where you can learn more about the CAP Communities, events, and programs.