Making the Guided Pathways Principles Work for Your Institution

2023 marks the eighth year since the Community College Research Center (CCRC) first introduced its community college redesign program, Guided Pathways. First outlined in the book “Redesigning America’s Community Colleges: A Clearer Path to Student Success,” the program’s goal is to boost efficient and affordable achievement in two-year colleges.

Since 2015, 16 states have offered funding and support to encourage two-year colleges to adopt Guided Pathways principles for their own institutions. More than 400 community colleges in these states have implemented Guided Pathways, with additional institutions developing independent initiatives outside of state programs.

In 2021, the researchers shared new guidelines based on what they’d learned from six years of Guided Pathways. The cornerstones of the program include:

• Program organization and design: Colleges should create academic and career communities and ensure all students have individualized education plans.
• New student onboarding: Students should undertake “guided explorations” of pathways and make connections with other students and faculty in their chosen disciplines.
• Remediation and academic support: Students should learn college-level skills in all subjects, not just math and English.
• Student advising: Advisors should be trained to guide students to and through meta majors (groupings of related academic majors), help schedule students’ classes, and keep track of their progress.
• Teaching and learning: All college programs incorporate “active and experiential learning.”

Community colleges are as diverse and multifaceted as the areas where they’re located, so each college develops a unique program based on Guided Pathways principles. Factors that influence how colleges design their programs include student demographics, location, completion rates, and other factors.

These three case studies demonstrate how differently Guided Pathways tenets have been applied at three community colleges or college districts.

Motlow State Community College in Smyrna and Tullahoma, TN – Supporting Adult Learners

Significant features:

• Adult-centered recruitment events. Multigenerational Recruitment nights at the college invite both high school students and their parents to learn about the college’s programs. The college also hosts Information Nights for Adults so that non-traditional students can speak with college personnel one-on-one about their concerns.

• Educational planning tools. Motlow State implemented an online planning and advising system that helped students and their advisors create individualized graduation plans. If students know how long it will take them to graduate, they are more likely to take more classes per term or enroll during summer sessions.

• Modified class pace. Motlow State started offering condensed, intensive courses that let students earn course credits over a shorter period. Classes in the Adult College Express (ACE) program meet for four hours one evening a week for five weeks, while the Weekend Warrior program lets students complete general ed requirements in three weeks with class meetings on Friday nights and Saturdays.

• Creation of Director of Adult Initiatives position. This role supports only adult students from outreach through graduation. Adult students may need enrollment, financial aid, academic, and non-academic support. In connection, Motlow State offers a basic computer skills workshop for adult learners who need help using the college’s course management system.

North Central State College in Mansfield, OH – Guided Pathways Initiatives at a Small, Rural College

Significant features:

• Encouragement for high school students’ post-secondary pursuits. Many students in rural Mansfield were not pursuing college, and college completion rates were low. So, North Central State hired two College Credit Plus (CCP) advisors and a program director to host information sessions at local high schools and advise one-on-one. The college also offers Tuition Freedom Scholarships, which pay for associate degree completion for students who take at least eight credits through CCP and/or career-technical programs while in high school.

• Improved transparency on the website. North Central State’s website now shares general information about cost per credit hour and price of degree. Each program website also provides tuition data, including how the course of study’s value compares to competitor colleges. Program websites also share information about course requirements and sequences.

• Increased online support. As courses have increasingly moved online post-COVID, North Central State has paid for all full-time and some adjunct faculty to receive online instruction training through the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE). The college has also increased its instructional design support for night classes so that faculty who teach these courses receive added support. Previously, these night instructors, many of whom have jobs in other industries as well, received only limited help in designing their courses.

Alamo Colleges District in San Antonio, TX – Building Community Partnerships

Significant features:

• Experiential learning in all programs. The AlamoEXPERIENCE requires students to participate in at least one experiential learning program, which can include service learning, internships, or apprenticeships. In part, this requirement helps students test their interest in their programs of study.

• Transfer Advising Guides (TAGs) and advisors ensure students are taking the appropriate coursework to pursue their programs of study at transfer institutions. Created in connection with four-year institution partners, these guidelines also ensure students are meeting grade requirements and include “recommendations about the optimal timing for transfer in specific programs.”

• Enrollment coaches. Alamo College District enrollment coaches encourage underrepresented high school students to pursue post-secondary education. Throughout the year, senior high school students connect with coaches in small groups and individualized meetings. If a student decides to attend an Alamo College District institution, they work with the same coach, who will help them enroll and meet with an advisor in their area of interest. In addition, the college has beefed up its dual enrollment offerings at under-resourced schools in the San Antonio area.

What Community Colleges Can Learn from Eight Years of Guided Pathways

Some principles of the Guided Pathway model stay the same across states and institutions. For instance, most colleges create “pathways” that help students efficiently advance, build in individualized education programs, and offer robust advising.

But as these three case studies demonstrate, colleges have the flexibility to boost certain initiatives based on student demographics, college size and location, and programmatic needs. For instance, Motlow State’s large population of adult learners spurred them to create basic computer skills training that may not have been necessary at institutions of primarily traditionally-aged students.

So, while some critics are skeptical of the “murky” tenets of Guided Pathways, college leaders can also use the freedom inherent in the program to focus on their college’s priorities and stay within the parameters set by Guided Pathways funding and initiatives.