Pathway Advising Yakima Valley Community College Pathway Advising Model

Yakima Valley Community College  Enrollment:  8,250 Annual Headcount  4,503 Full-Time Equivalent  Demographics:  Gender: 63% Female/37% Male  Ethnicity: 56% Hispanic, 37% White, 3% Native American, 2% African American, 1% Pacific Islander  Graduating Class:  1,054 Graduates  558 Transfer Degrees  309 Associate of Applied Science Degrees  321 Certificates

Achieving the Dream Leader College What we found in our data:  Significant drop out rates within the first year  Students needing multiple quarters of developmental math  Performance gaps YVCC’s AtD Intervention:  Improve the First Year Experience

Improving the First Year Experience  Focus on the “front door”  Placement testing orientation and policies  End late registration  Mandatory New Student Orientation  Delivered to small groups of students by faculty teams  Registration for first quarter classes  Tour of campus, Student IDs, Parking, Books, etc.  Advising Tools  Degree Search  Degree Audit  Academic Early Warning

Wal-Mart Press Grant in 2012 What we found in our data:  Students who start underprepared don’t finish  <50% FT and <10% PT students take Math and English in the first year  <30% of students complete a quantitative degree requirement  Retention is up for Hispanic students – but continues to drop off from the first to the second year  Degree completion rates decreasing What advising structure will help us achieve our goal of increasing student success?

Advising Redesign Reviewed:  Past practice: what hasn’t been working  Advising load issues  Not all students seeking advising  Too many choices with too little guidance  Faculty and Staff focus groups  Technology needs  Literature on advising and student success  Dr. Davis Jenkins

Advising Redesign Plan  Mandatory Advising until student reaches 30 college level credits  Students Identify Pathway  Start with the end in mind  Faculty grouped into Six Advising Pathways  Provide feedback and support  Guide students’ choices; do not limit their options  Advising Day – designated day each quarter  Outreach – call students who did not meet with advisor

Pathway Selection Tool  Six Pathways w/ all YVCC programs  Students select Pathway  Registrar generates lists for Pathway Leads  Pathway Leads assign students to faculty

Pathway Advising Tool  Manage our advisee list  Monitor for 30 credits  communications

YVCC Pathway Communications Strategy  NSO – New Student Orientation messaging and Pathway Selection  Week 1: from official faculty advisor  Week 2 & 3: Community Relations produce print materials (posters, table tents, etc.) and post online  Week 4: Faculty Advisors students w/ link to Advising Day schedule online  Week 5: Community Relations re-posts on social media and set up banners on campus  Week 6: Advising Day – faculty advise students and track those who do not attend

YVCC Pathway Advising Day  Designated day  Pathways reserve an area on campus  Faculty set schedules  Students sign in  Faculty report “no shows”

YVCC Pathway Advising Block Process  Week 7: Faculty /reach out to students who “no showed” to schedule meetings Registration s students informing of block process  Week 7-11: Students who “no-showed” meet with their Pathway Advisors individually Pathway Advisors Registration to have blocks removed  Week 9: Registration blocks students who have not met with an advisor (Unusual Action Code) Faculty Counselors call students who are still blocked  Week 12: Students can meet with counselors/advisors in Counseling & Advising Center Counselors/Advisors Registration to have blocks removed

YVCC Pathway Advising Benefits & Advantages For Students:  Mandatory = all students receive advising  Information from expert/trained faculty  Build rapport with faculty advisors  Exposure to other programs in the Pathway For Faculty/Staff:  Helps assign students more evenly  Cross-training, e.g. “Buddy System”  Networking - fosters collegiality  Dedicated day/time to see many students

YVCC Pathway Advising Model Challenges  Work in Progress – takes time (years)  Allocating an Advising Day each quarter  Clarifying leadership roles and communication  Faculty concerns to advising outside their area  Faculty concerns to others advising in their area  Administration & Logistics: managing advisee loads, communications, registration blocks  Students who “no show”  No “crystal ball”

YVCC Pathway Advising Leadership/Management VP Of Instruction & Student Services Dean of Arts & Sciences Dean of Workforce Education Dean of Student Services Dean of Adult Basic Education Pathway Leads: Pathway Leads: Arts & Humanities Business Exploratory Social Sciences & Education STEM Healthcare Faculty Advising Lead YakimaFaculty Advising Lead Grandview Registrar Director of Technology Services Community Relations

Student Feedback on Advising Day

References:  Jenkins, Davis Redesigning Community Colleges for Student Success: Overview of the Guided Pathways Approach. Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.  Yakima Valley Community College Pathways: