GUIDED PATHWAYS SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOL
Self-Assessment Outline
/ Scale of Adoption /Key Element / Pre-Adoption / Early Adoption / In Progress / Full Scale /
Inquiry / 1. Cross-Functional Inquiry / X
2. Shared Metrics / X
3. Integrated Planning / X
Design / 4. Inclusive Decision-Making Structures / X
5. Intersegmental Alignment / X
6. Guided Major and Career Exploration Opportunities / X
7. Improved Basic Skills / X
8. Clear Program Requirements / X
Implementation / 9. Proactive and Integrated Academic and Student Supports / X
10. Integrated Technology Infrastructure / X
11. Strategic Professional Development / X
12. Aligned Learning Outcomes / X
13. Assessing and Documenting Learning / X
14. Applied Learning Opportunities / X
Overall Self-Assessment / X
2
Self-Assessment Items
INQUIRY (1-3)Engage campus stakeholders in actionable research and with local data; create consensus about core issues and broad solutions. /
KEY ELEMENT / SCALE OF ADOPTION /
Pre-Adoption / Early Adoption / Scaling in Progress / Full Scale /
1. CROSS-FUNCTIONAL INQUIRY
College constituents (including staff, faculty across disciplines and counselors, administrators, and students) examine research and local data on student success and discuss overarching strategies to improve student success.
College engages in broad, deep and inclusive discussion and inquiry about the Guided Pathways approach, framework and evidence. / ○ College currently does not have or is not planning to form cross-functional teams to regularly examine research and data on student success. / x Inquiry around guided pathways and/or student outcomes is happening in areas of the college (e.g., by department, division, learning community, special project, initiative), but it is in siloes.
Some programs have examined local data, agreed that improvement is necessary, and are engaged in actionable research but action is limited to solutions within programs. / ○ Inquiry is happening in cross- functional teams that include faculty, staff and administrators.
Student voice and/or research on student success and equity are not systematically included and/or focused on closing the equity gap(s).
Guided pathways are consistently a topic of discussion. / ○ Inquiry is happening in cross-functional teams that include faculty, staff and administrators.
Student voice is brought in systematically through focus groups, interviews and representation of students in key meetings.
Research on student success and equity are systematically included and focused on closing the equity gap(s).
Guided Pathways are consistently a topic of discussion.
Please respond to the following items (500 word maximum per item)
1. Please briefly explain why you selected this rating. –
Guided Pathways inquiries are currently limited to isolated groups, with hopes of improved interdepartmental communication in the future. Primary inquiry efforts are still largely focused on concept introduction and education, rather than deeper dialogues on development and implementation. Regarding data inquiry, our Institutional Research Office has provided background data when needed, and this information is further enhanced by ‘Tableau’ visualizations. In order to scale, these data sources will need to be leveraged with greater specificity relative to guided pathways work. Furthermore, once guided pathways are commonly used at our college, data tracking and analysis will be paramount to assuring students are having improved and continued
success within their paths. Plans to create part-time and alternative pathways are still very much in development, but need broader cross-functional dialogue. We need greater representations across stakeholder groups, including part-time faculty and classified staff, which have previously had limited input into the construction of Pathways. We also need additional input from a variety of student groups. We are currently in the planning stages and have not finalized an approach for overall scaling of pathways.
2. Describe one or two accomplishments the college has achieved to date on this key element.
A primary accomplishment to date has been the acceptance of College of the Canyons into the California Guided Pathways Project. CA GP acceptance into this program helped to start the dialog campus-wide. Certain departments are doing this work already (for example, Sociology has a 2-year plan for students, but has flexibility; they have selected GE courses to go along with the degree). However, not all departments have pathways for full-time students and very few departments have pathways for part-time students. The existing pathways are published online, but currently are very difficult to locate and are not widely disseminated. With the additional resources, institutes, and support provided, our guided pathways understanding and implementation has accelerated.
A second accomplishment has been the successful formation of a diverse and committed team of faculty, administrators, and staff willing to work on Guided Pathways development. In particular, participants from within our Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusive Excellence
Committee (IE)2, who subsequently volunteered to serve on the Guided Pathways sub-workgroup.
3. Describe one or two challenges or barriers that you anticipate may hinder progress on this key element.
Counselors are currently not using the existing pathways, either because they are difficult to find or they are not comfortable recommending them to students in their current state; Pathways are also not populated into the MAP (online educational tool). Pathways are also not published widely on the website. Classified Staff may not be aware of guided pathways or the purpose of it; additional time for Classified Staff to become educated on Guided Pathways is needed.
A barrier, specifically related to data inquiry, is the assumption that stakeholders already have the training to interpret data for guided pathways development. In reality, many stakeholders are not commonly exposed to data analysis work, and therefore, without guidance,
could inadvertently lose their voice in critical discussions. Additional data coaching and data deep dives will be needed to help identify barriers and challenges.
4. Comment (optional): is there any additional information that you want to add that is not addressed sufficiently in the questions above?
I’m not sure the degree to which Classified Staff have been able to engage in the research, data, and strategies to improve student success
.
INQUIRY (1-3)
Engage campus stakeholders in actionable research and with local data; create consensus about core issues and broad solutions. /
KEY ELEMENT / SCALE OF ADOPTION
Pre-Adoption / Early Adoption / Scaling in Progress / Full Scale
2. SHARED METRICS
College is using clearly identified benchmarks and student data to track progress on key activities and student academic and employment outcomes.
Those benchmarks are shared across key initiatives. / ○ College is currently not conducting or planning to conduct research on shared metrics that could be used by cross-functional teams to come to consensus on key issues. / ○ Key benchmarks and progress on student data are used.
They are beginning to be aligned across initiatives. / xCollege has defined metrics that are shared across its different initiatives.
But, student data are not systematically or regularly tracked to inform progress across initiatives.
Data for all metrics are not disaggregated and are not systematically and consistently examined with a focus on promoting equitable outcomes for students. / ○ College uses shared metrics across the different initiatives to understand how student success has improved.
College regularly revises and revisits college plans in response to those findings.
Data for all metrics are disaggregated.
Data for all metrics are disaggregated and systematically and consistently examined with a focus on promoting equitable outcomes for students.
Campus stakeholders meet regularly to examine progress on benchmarks, discuss strategies for improvement, and revise plans as needed.
Please respond to the following items (500 word maximum per item)
1. Please briefly explain why you selected this rating.
Data are shared at (IE)2 and with 3SP but could be shared more broadly with all campus stakeholders invested in the work of student success and Guided Pathways. Scaling has occurring for this element, in part driven by the Chancellor’s Office switch to an integrated program plan between the Basic Skills Initiative, Student Equity, and the Student Success and Support. This has generated greater cross-communication and collaboration, reflected by improved transparency and shared metrics. These data are additionally shared at CPT (the College Planning Team) and other campus planning groups, including the Accreditation taskforce.
2. Describe one or two accomplishments the college has achieved to date on this key element.
The Institutional Effectiveness and Inclusive Excellence Committee (IE)2, has helped foster greater resource sharing, including semi-regular student success data discussions. Beyond this, metric sharing has increased systemically, bolstered in part by the Institutional Effectiveness
Partnership Initiative (IEPI), resources provided through the RP group, and enhanced internal data visualizations and analysis amongst others. These data visualizations are available to campus groups via the Office of Institutional Research, Planning and Institutional Effectiveness website as well as the (IE)2 website and in the departmental program review modules. Collectively, metrics sharing, both internally and externally, have already helped inform qualitative and quantitative goal setting for the college.
3. Describe one or two challenges or barriers that you anticipate may hinder progress on this key element.
The Institutional Research Office has several demands for data. The Office is planning to add staff, but hiring takes time. Furthermore, metrics on employment may be scaling, but have historically been difficult to obtain beyond graduation or post student enrollment, with limited (but improving) alumni contact and tracking abilities. The CTE Outcomes Survey has limited effectiveness, and one group often left behind are those who seek self-employment.
4. Comment (optional): is there any additional information that you want to add that is not addressed sufficiently in the questions above?
INQUIRY (1-3)
Engage campus stakeholders in actionable research and with local data; create consensus about core issues and broad solutions.
KEY ELEMENT / SCALE OF ADOPTION
Pre-Adoption / Early Adoption / Scaling in Progress / Full Scale
3. INTEGRATED PLANNING
College-wide discussions are happening with all stakeholders and support/commitment has been expressed by key stakeholders to utilize the Guided Pathways framework as an overarching structure for the college’s main planning and resource allocation processes, leveraging existing initiatives and programs such as (but not limited to):
· Student Success and Support Program (SSSP)
· Basic Skills Initiative/Basic Skills Student Outcomes and Transformation Program (BSI/BSSOT)
· Equity Planning (Student Equity/SE)
· Strong Workforce Program (SWF) / ○ College is currently not integrating or planning to integrate planning in the next few months. / x Initial conversations have taken place, mostly among stakeholder leadership including administrators, faculty, and staff.
There is a commitment by constituency leaders to engage in institution-wide dialogue to improve student success and align different planning processes.
College governance bodies are routinely and formally apprised of opportunities to engage in integrated planning. / ○ Some conversations have taken place, with all of the key constituency groups at the table.
Consensus is building on main issues. Exploration of broad solutions to align different planning processes is still in progress.
College governance bodies are routinely and formally apprised of opportunities to engage in integrated planning, and with the help of internal partners (i.e. Classified Senate and Academic Senate) are beginning to routinely inform and engage their constituents around integrated planning. / ○ College-wide conversations have taken place with all key constituency groups including:
Instructional, counseling, and student support faculty and staff, administrators, and students.
All stakeholders reach consensus or agree to move forward on main issues and have identified possible broad solutions.
Research, evidence, student data and a Guided Pathways framework inform ongoing planning. Regular joint planning meetings revisit and revise existing plans and strategize about key overarching strategies across the main college initiatives.
Integrated plans and over-arching strategic goals drive program improvement, resource allocation, as well as professional development using a Guided Pathways framework.
College governance structures are regularly used to discuss issues, vet solutions, and communicate efforts.
Please respond to the following items (500 word maximum per item)
1. Please briefly explain why you selected this rating.
Some people or groups are very invested, but many are not. Some faculty and staff feel that they already have too many competing initiatives and priorities, and will never do this until they are forced to or we have an institutional change in attitude. This year, with an integrated Equity, Basic Skills, and SSSP program plan, along with increased participation in (IE)², it is clear that student success collaborative work efforts are growing. However, there are still signs that planning participation is selective. Greater opportunities and time for dialogue and discussion are needed for more effective planning. Additionally, while the Integrated Plan is a good start, there are still too many unincorporated plans (AEBG, SWF, etc.). Overall, the integrated plan needs also to be more effectively worked into the overall college planning processes.
2. Describe one or two accomplishments the college has achieved to date on this key element.
Many departments created these four years ago and continue today to use. Overall, the college has a remarkable track record of being committed to improving student success and student outcomes.
A new online submission process was started through the (IE)² committee that allows project proposals to be reviewed by a panel for funding purposes. This panel streamlines the vetting process and guides proposals to appropriate funding sources (SSSP, Equity, Basic Skills). In addition, an online ‘Canvas’ course shell was created for (IE)² to foster better resources sharing and discussions, which will help support integrated guided pathways planning.
3. Describe one or two challenges or barriers that you anticipate may hinder progress on this key element.
A key facet of this element is the ability to leverage existing initiatives and programs. For example, funding for SSSP has fluctuated wildly across colleges in recent years, especially with a philosophical shift to outcome-driven allocations. While guided pathway resources will potentially be stable in the short term, it is unclear what resources will be needed (and provided) to support ongoing guided pathways work in years to come. Additionally, there is a fundamental lack of integration in our current program review process and system to allow for notation of activities and objectives that relate to these initiatives. Similarly, there is no way to denote if an item in program review is already on a list for funding from a categorical or grant, or if district general funds are required.