Guided Pathways is a comprehensive framework that revolutionizes the educational experience by providing students clear and structured roadmaps to achieve their academic and career goals. It encompasses four essential pillars: Connect, Enter, Progress, and Succeed. Each pillar plays a crucial role in supporting student success and ensuring their seamless journey through higher education.
Pillar 1 – Connect: Mapping pathways to student end goals
The Connect pillar focuses on creating clearly defined pathways that align with students‘ end goals. It involves mapping out academic programs and courses in a way that guides students towards their desired careers or further educational pursuits. By providing a clear understanding of program requirements and course sequencing, students can make informed decisions and see a direct connection between their studies and their future aspirations.
Pillar 2 – Enter: Helping students choose and enter a pathway
The Enter pillar aims to assist students in choosing the right pathway that aligns with their interests and strengths. It involves providing comprehensive guidance, counseling, and support during the enrollment process. By offering personalized advising, career exploration resources, and academic support services, students can make informed decisions about their educational pathways from the outset, leading to a greater sense of purpose and direction.
Pillar 3 – Progress: Keeping students on path
The Progress pillar focuses on ensuring students stay on their chosen pathway and make steady progress towards completion. Pillar III involves proactive academic support, regular check-ins, and early interventions to address any challenges students may face. By providing timely guidance, monitoring academic performance, and offering targeted support services, ACC can help students overcome obstacles and stay motivated, improving retention rates and supporting the timely completion of their educational goals.
Financial aid recipients and the percentage of eligible students receiving financial aid increased over the past five years (34.3% and 15 percentage points, respectively), with the most significant bump between AY21 and AY22 (27.9% and 11 percentage points, respectively). Total financial aid dollars disbursed to students also increased by 58.6% between AY18 and AY22 and by 24.0% from AY21 to AY22.
Demonstrated evidence of Pillar III is a decrease (improvement) in the average number of years to complete an associate degree at ACC over the past five cohort years from 5.4 years on average for the 2016–17 graduation cohort to 4.1 years on average for the 2020–21 graduation cohort.
Pillar 4 – Succeed: Ensuring students are learning
The Succeed pillar centers on fostering an environment of academic excellence and ensuring students achieve the desired learning outcomes. It involves high-quality instruction, engaging classroom experiences, and continuous assessment of student progress. By providing effective teaching strategies, access to resources, and opportunities for experiential learning, ACC supports students in acquiring the knowledge, skills, and competencies necessary for success in their chosen fields.
The implementation of Guided Pathways has shown compelling evidence of supporting student success. By offering clear and structured pathways, students experience reduced confusion and uncertainty, leading to better decision-making and increased motivation. The availability of comprehensive support services ensures that students receive the guidance they need, increasing their likelihood of staying on track and completing their educational goals in a timely manner.
Over the past five years, the number of academic degrees (i.e., A.A., A.A.T, A.S.) increased 47%, from 2,174 (AY18) to 3,187 (AY22). Overall, the total number of awards has increased from 8,704 in AY18 to 11,870 in AY22. Guided Pathways also addresses achievement gaps by providing all students, regardless of their backgrounds, with access to resources and support. By intentionally designing pathways that consider diverse student needs and incorporating strategies to eliminate barriers, ACC fosters an inclusive and supportive environment where all students have the opportunity to succeed.
The focus on continuous improvement and assessment within Guided Pathways ensures ACC can identify areas for refinement, enhance teaching and learning practices, and adapt to evolving student needs. This commitment to ongoing evaluation and enhancement ensures that students receive a high-quality education that prepares them for future success.
In conclusion, Guided Pathways provides a comprehensive framework that supports student success by creating clear pathways, providing personalized guidance, offering proactive support, and fostering an environment of academic excellence. By implementing this framework, ACC continues to enhance student outcomes, improve retention and graduation rates, and ultimately empower students to achieve their educational and career aspirations.
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