Start with the End in Mind: Building Guided Pathways to Student Success

1. Start with the End in Mind: Building Guided Pathways to Student Success Davis Jenkins, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University Washington Community and Technical Colleges 2013 Best Practices Exchange October 29, 2013

2. Loss/Momentum Framework CONNECTION From interest to application ENTRY From entry to passing program gatekeeper courses PROGRESS From program entry to completion of program requirements COMPLETION Completion of credential of value for further education and labor market advancement Consider College Education Enter Program of Study Complete Program of Study

3. Pathway Analysis Questions CONNECTION From interest to application ENTRY From entry to passing program gatekeeper courses PROGRESS From program entry to completion of program requirements COMPLETION Completion of credential of value for further education and labor market advancement • How do we increase the number of new students who are motivated and prepared to enter a college-level program of study? • How do we ensure our programs prepare students for further education and career advancement? • How do we increase the rates at which new students choose and successfully enter a program? • How do we accelerate rate at which students complete their program requirements?

4. Student Completion Metrics

5. Connection/Entry: Findings • Many students drop out after 1-2 terms • Many students undecided • Many defaulted into “general education” • Students’ program progress not tracked • “Concentrators” more likely to complete • Math & English 101 not only “gatekeepers”

6. Entry/Connection: Majors

7. Entry/Connection: Concentrators

8. Progress: Findings • Enrollment continuity may be as important as enrollment intensity • Students very confused by transfer process • Many students don’t follow recommended program curriculum • Low rate of gen ed core completion • Many students self-advising

9. Progress: Core Completion

11. Progress: Core Completion

12. Completion: Findings • Most students transfer without associate, despite research showing importance • Many graduates earn “excess” credits • Many students “linger” • Need to examine credential “stacking” patterns • Critical to track outcomes by program

13. Student Outcomes by Major

14. Transfer Student Outcomes Bachelor’s Completion by Credits Earned Probability of Earning Bachelor’s in 6 Years Source: Crosta & Kopko 2013

15. Transfer Student Timing Proportion of Transfer Students by Number of College-Level Credits Completed Source: Crosta & Kopko 2013

16. Community College Net Benefits Source: Belfield, 2013

17. Transfer Destinations

18. Transfer Destination Grad Rates 2005-06 FTIC "Credit" Students' 5-Year Transfer Destinations Share of Transfers and Graduates

19. Transfer Bachelor’s Earners

20. Transfer Bachelor’s Majors

21. Credential “Stacking” by FTIC Community College Cohort Over 5 Years

22. Status Quo Pathway Design • Little upfront career or college planning • Remediation narrowly focused on math and English, little “soft skills” prep • Programs paths unclear; too many choices • Poor alignment with requirements for further education and career advancement • Students’ progress not monitored • Limited on-going feedback and support

23. Career-Path Employment Transfer as Junior in Major Career-Path Employment A.A.S. A.A. Electives Business Electives A.S. Pre-major Nursing Allied Health Certificates General Education Core Health Prereqs Math 101 ENGL 101 ABE, ESL, GED Dev Reading Dev ENGL Dev Math Intake Meet with Advisor (1st Term Schedule) Voluntary Orientation Strong connection - Weak connection - Placement Testing

24. Guided Pathways to Success • Clear roadmaps to success • On-ramps to programs of study • Progress tracking, feedback and support • Bridges to college (from high school, adult basic skills, non-credit workforce programs) • Collaborative communities of practice

25. Model Implementation at Scale • Florida State U (Exploratory majors) • Georgia State U (Structured Interventions) • Arizona State U (TAGs) • Austin Peay University (Degree Compass) • Valencia CC (Lifemap + Pre-majors) • Queensborough CC (Freshmen Academies) • Miami Dade (Communities of Interest)

26. Career-Path Employment Transfer as Junior in Major Career-Path Employment A.A.S. English, Arts, Humanities Education, Child Care Social Services Business Health Sciences STEM Social/Behavioral Science Certificates First-Year Experience Program On-Ramp Program On-Ramp Program On-Ramp Program On-Ramp Program On-Ramp Program On-Ramp Contextualized Basic Skills (e.g. I-BEST) Meet with Advisor (Choose initial program stream; plan full program schedule) Strong connection - Required Career Interest and Academic Readiness Testing Weak connection - Required Initial Orientation

27. Supporting Evidence • Highly varied student enrollment patterns • Students say they want guidance • Experimental evidence re: “nudges,” “defaults,” “active choice” • K-12 research on “instructional program coherence” and “constrained curricula” • Higher education research on “structure,” “contextualization” and “acceleration”

28. Pathway Redesign Principles Give each student a clear roadmap to success Ensure maps lead to further education and career advancment Simplify choices for students Monitor student progress, providing frequent feedback and support as needed Engage faculty and staff across silos to map pathways and design integrated supports

29. Start with the End in Mind STEP 4 STEP 2 START HERE STEP 3 CONNECTION From interest to application ENTRY From entry to passing program gatekeeper courses PROGRESS From program entry to completion of program requirements COMPLETION Completion of credential of value for further education and labor market advancement • Align academic program outcomes with requirements for success in further education and (for CTE programs) in the labor market • Market program paths • Build bridges from high school and adult ed. into program streams (e.g., strategic dual enrollment, I-BEST) • Help students choose program pathway and track entry • Build prescribed “on-ramps” customized to largest program streams • Clearly define and prescribe program paths • Monitor students’ progress and provide feedback and supports JIT • Incentivize progress

31. Stakeholder Engagement Get on the Same Page Purposeful Engagement Fundamental Restructuring, Tie to Mission Collaborative Redesign Respect & Recognition Honesty & Clarity Quality Facilitation, Goal & Role Clarity Source: Public Agenda 2013

32. For more information Please visit us on the web at http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu where you can download presentations, reports, and briefs, and sign-up for news announcements. We’re also on Facebook and Twitter. Community College Research Center Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY 10027 E-mail: ccrc@columbia.edu Telephone: 212.678.3091

33. Ideal CC Student Pathways Source: Crosta 2013.

34. Actual CC Student Pathways N=14,429. Source: Crosta 2013.

35. Actual CC Student Pathways N=14,429. Source: Crosta 2013.