Redesigning the Student experience: A Guided pathways framework

WELCOME TO SORTING DAY!!! Guido, Kiersten and Maria: Skit

Redesigning the Student experience: A Guided pathways framework An integrated, inclusive approach to comprehensively redesign the SMC student experience. Reshaping the college as an equitable institution that is more effective and more efficient at serving our diverse student body. Maria: So what is this we’re calling Redesigning the Student Experience? It’s an integrated, inclusive approach to comprehensively redesign the SMC student experience. SMC is “good”, but we can and MUST do better for our students. Redesigning the Student Experience is about what SMC is becoming… an equitable institution that is more effective and more efficient at serving our diverse student body.

Redesigning the Student experience: A Guided pathways framework Seeing ourselves through a STUDENT LENS and using a student-centered approach we seek to create an equity- driven SMC that: reduces/eliminates equity gaps reduces time to completion increases rates of completion Maria: It’s about … Seeing the institution through a STUDENT LENS. It’s about putting student’s the center of this redesign as we seek to create an equity-driven institution that: reduces/eliminates equity gaps reduces time to completion increases rates of completion

SMC New Students and First-time Freshmen Status Among students new to SMC in Fall 2013 (non-F1), more than 6 in 10 were first time to college (first-time freshmen). N = 8188 61% Guido: So let’s set the stage for what’s driving this redesign by sharing with you some data. 60% (roughly 5000) arrive at SMC each fall as a first time in college student.

Incoming Freshmen and Their Educational Goals Among first-time freshmen entering SMC in Fall 2013 (non-F1), nearly 9 in 10 reported a transfer, degree, or certificate (credential) goal. N = 4401 88% Guido: 88% of first time in college freshman to SMC identify a goal transfer, degree or certificate. So very few first time in college students entering SMC come to just take a few courses.

Entered SMC with a goal of degree, certificate, or transfer Guido: So here is 100% of our first time college students with a goal of degree, certificate or transfer.

Three Year Completion Rate Only 18% of these students completed a degree/certificate and/or transfer within three years of entry. Guido: Yet only 18% of them complete a degree, certificate, or transfer within THREE years. And while you are certainly aware that SMC is #1 in transfers to the UC, … we’re #1 with some really low numbers.

Three Year Completion Rate by Race White Students: 32.9% Asian Students: 23.4% Latina/o/x Students: 11.9% Black Students: 10.9% Guido: Here is the data broken down by race. So this is why were are REDESIGNING the STUDENT EXPERIENCE. Precisely because these rates are really UNACCEPTABLE. BACK POCKET: We gave you some pretty drastic numbers of non-persistence. 20% for Spring, 40% for fall. Pretty startling. But perhaps they simply went somewhere else? That wouldn’t be so bad, right? … As long as they are still reaching for their goal. Unfortunately, most do not. Of the cohort which was seeking a degree, certificate, or transfer, after 3 years, 46% had not achieved that and they were no longer enrolled in any institution of higher education. And as you can see, the percentage is 20 points higher for our African American students than for our White students.

Redesigning the Student experience Elements of the Guided Pathways Framework are not necessarily “new” SMC and institutions around the country have been using some of the elements: cohort model, contextualized & applied learning, targeted & proactive advising, block scheduling, course sequencing, … Maria: We plan to reduce the equity gaps, reduce the time to completion and increase the rate of completion using a guided pathways framework. But many of the elements of the framework are not “new”…

Redesigning the Student experience The innovation of the Guided Pathways Framework is strengthening these elements and bringing them “to scale” For an institution of 30,000 students, this means transformational change to “business as usual” Maria: The innovation … So that the ideas and practices become the STANDARD (the DEFAULT) student experience

Guided pathways framework: 4 Pillars Clarify the Path for Students Help Students Get on a Path Help Students Stay on a Path Ensure Students are Learning Maria: So to make it the “default experience”, we are Redesigning the Student Experience based on the Guided Pathways Framework which consists of the following 4 pillars:

Guided pathways framework: 4 Pillars Clarify the Path for Students Help Students Get on a Path Maria: Today’s focus, the construction of “Meta-Majors” is really part of these 2 pillars as meta-majors will both “clarify” and “help students get on” academic and career paths.

Guided pathways framework: 4 Pillars Help Students Get on a Path Maria: In particular, meta-majors is about helping students get on a path EARLY!

“meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early Most students (particularly 1st gen students) don’t know what they want to do Thus … don’t know why they are here Thus … they are more likely to stop-out Guido: “meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early Most 17 and 18 year old students (particularly 1st gen students) don’t know what they want to do Which also means they often don’t know why they are here. Which also means they are more likely to stop-out.

“meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early Most students don’t know they want to study “x” Therefore, they are typically NOT ready to pick 1 of the 143 options BUT: Students do know they “like certain things” or know certain things “interest them” Guido: While a student may not know at first that they want to study “X” … They are NOT ready, however, to pick 1 of the 143 options we offer them. HOWEVER: Many students do know they like “certain things” or “certain things” interest them …

“meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early Nearly 30% of our first-time freshmen select “undecided” “Undecided” doesn’t help them … and it certainly doesn’t help us in helping them Guido: The data we showed earlier tells us students know they want a degree/cert/ transfer when they arrive to SMC but they don’t know in what… “Undecided” doesn’t help them … and it certainly doesn’t help SMC help them. So the idea is that if we can at least identify the “general interest” of students, we can get them on a path. That’s what meta-majors are about.

“meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early “Meta-majors” help ALL students: Get started on a path Build a community Narrow the choices of required Math courses Enroll in courses that will MOST LIKELY count toward their goal of completion Guido: Meta-majors aren’t just for the “undecided” students. They are designed to help all students. Meta-majors help students get started on a general path early ……

“meta-majors” are about helping students get on a path early “Meta-majors” do NOT limit student choices or options Instead: “meta-majors” help “structure choices” for those students who want structured choices Guido: To be clear: “Meta-majors” do NOT limit student choices or options Any student can take any course from any discipline at any campus during any semester Instead: “meta-majors” help “structure choices” for students who want structured choices (which, BTW, is almost all of them)

What are “meta-majors”? Meta-majors are collections of programs that have related courses.  Meta-majors group together degrees, certificates, & transfer preparation that are considered similar from a student’s perspective. Meta-majors are designed to simplify the process of selecting a major. Maria: So what are meta-majors? Meta-majors are collections of programs…….

What “meta-majors” are not “Meta-majors” are NOT program maps Program maps are for specific program (degrees, certificates, transfer prep into a specific major) Maria: “Meta-majors” are NOT program maps Program maps are for specific awards (degrees, certificates, specific courses for transfer into a specific major) We will be building maps for each of our 143 programs, but that is different.

What “meta-majors” are not “Meta-majors” are NOT “majors” or “areas of emphasis” No student will be granted a degree or certificate in a “meta-major” Maria: Again, meta-majors are about helping students simplify the process of selecting a major and staying on path.

Common Math Requirement Common Core Courses Common Math Requirement Common Career Options Specific Program META-MAJOR Guido: Think of it this way: Meta-Majors are the top of a funnel and each meta-major will lead to MULTIPLE specific programs. Think about the examples we sent via email and that are also at your table.

Benefits of meta-majors for students Students accumulate fewer “excess” units (i.e., units that do not satisfy program requirements) Guido: So we’ve shared so far what a meta-major IS, what it is NOT, and some of the benefits include:

15 Most Common “60 unit Degrees”: Degree-applicable units ONLY SMC Degree Average Units Earned Average "Excess" Units Accounting (AS) 81 21 Art (AA) 92 32 Art History (AA-T) 94 34 Business (AS) 74 14 Business Administration (AS-T) 85 25 Communication Studies (AA-T) 75 15 ECE (AS) 100 40 ECE (AS-T) 95 35 Film Studies (AA) 80 20 General Science (AA) 83 23 History (AA-T) 76 16 Liberal Arts: Arts and Humanities (AA) 82 22 Liberal Arts: Social and Behavioral Science (AA) 77 17 Political Science (AA-T) 71 11 Public Policy (AA) 91 31 Guido: This is a list of those who met the following criteria: ·         Earned degree in 2016-2017 ·         First degree earned at SMC was in 2016-2017 ·         Earned only 1 degree in 2016-2017 ·         May or may not have earned a certificate (any time) ·         Includes degree applicable units transferred in ·         Grades of D or better were counted ·         Excess was defined as more than 60 degree applicable units This has SIGNIFICANT implications. Financial Aid, cost of education, reduced income, … This is the equivalent of about 2 extra semesters, essentially a full academic year. So one of the benefits of getting students into a meta-major early is to reduce this number of excess units that students accumulate.

Benefits of meta-majors for students “Student exploration” is encouraged early in the meta-major and via general education requirements Career exploration is now planned and intentional within a general field of study Maria: Another benefit of meta-majors is “guided or intentional exploration” … Career Exploration Sections of courses, extra- & co-curricular activities, counseling services, … can now be TARGETED to particular students

Benefits of meta-majors for students Students engage in major content early which clarifies for student why they are here. If they can answer “why am I here?” they are far more likely to succeed and complete. Guido: Engaging in major CONTENT early has significant implications

Benefits of meta-majors for students Maria: This is from a study of Tennessee community college students, but the results around the country are showing a very similar pattern. Students who earned 9 units in their focus area in their 1st year had a 40% (yellow) graduation rate in 6 years. Compared to 16% (blue) for those students who did not attempt 9 units in their focus area in their 1st year , in 6 years. NOTICE that even students who ATTEMPTED but DID NOT EARN 9 units in their focus area (green), still had a 34% graduation rate. The graduation rates of even those that only ATTEMPTED those 9 “focus area units” have a significant payoff.

Benefits of meta-majors for students Meta-majors facilitate learning communities and cohorts as students are likely to be taking similar courses at the same time Maria: Lastly, meta-majors facilitate learning communities and cohorts which we’ve known for a long time help students in terms of persistence and success. This also means meta-majors COULD lead to a modified counseling model, COULD lead to designated physical space

Logic/Principles for the construction of “meta-majors” Must have focus on STUDENT Perspective/Perception Keep an open mind “Traditional ways” may NOT make the most sense This is for and about STUDENTS! Guido: Ease of identifying where a student’s interest leads them Don’t bury programs in overly broad categories Make it easy to understand the clustering of disciplines

Logic/Principles for the construction of “meta-majors” Common intellectual pursuits Similar Career Options Similar Transfer Options Eventually, this might create opportunities to develop shared courses that might not currently exist … Maria

Logic/Principles for the construction of “meta-majors” Shared ways of knowing Shared core content Common Major Prep Common Math requirement Shared methodology Examples: Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Scientific Method, Artistic Expression, … Guido

Logic/Principles for the construction of “meta-majors” Efficiency in moving students along their path Shared pre-requisites Overlapping degree requirements Maria

Logic/Principles for the construction of “meta-majors” SUMMARY Focus on STUDENT perspective Common intellectual pursuits (goals) Shared ways of knowing Efficiency for student completion