Northwest Aerospace News December 2018 | January 2019 Issue No. 6 | Page 47

CENTER OF EXCELLENCE SPOTLIGHT
A
t first glance, you’ll see the differ-
ence in visiting a community and technical
college website with the words “Career
Pathways,” (https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/)
or “Pathways and Programs” (http://www.
everettcc.edu/). It is immediately apparent
in the website navigation that the college
is organized and intends to educate people
seeking gainful employment.
This is a change because of what used to
be called the “cafeteria model” of com-
munity college enrollment. Many adults,
who didn’t immediately know what they
wanted to be when they grew up (aka most
of us), would take a host of classes at a
community college.
One semester might be math, psychology,
and a business class. The next semester
might be English, geology, and pottery. At
the end of a year, the student emerges with
credits, but no path. They are learning, but
don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel for
a career path.
For students of color, and those that are low income and first-generation college
students this can be compounded by financial and social strictures according to
Kristi Wellington-Baker, student success center director at the SBCTC. She elab-
orated that many students through the years can be considered wanderers. She
explained that there is a difference between exploring and wandering, “Exploring
can be structured exploration; wandering lacks that structure – both can be good,
but the most vulnerable populations have the most to lose when they are unclear
where they are going.”
According to a video on the SBCTC website regarding guided pathways, “Many
college students don’t graduate on time, or at all, at a high cost to themselves,
their families and taxpayers.”
Debra Gilchrist, Vice President for Learning and Student Success, Pierce Col-
lege, said that they were one of the first CTCs to implement this model. They
started last spring for fall 2018 enrollment and she said, “We have implemented
guided pathways and are making good headway.” Their goal? Every new student
would be on a pathway for fall 2018. Pierce College had 3,000 students that
enrolled in a pathway this fall. While they are one month into the program, they
feel that things are going well. Prior to setting up guided pathways, they did some
focus groups and students said, “Please be more intrusive, tell us what to take,
don’t let us enroll in credits without a plan.” They asked the college to help them
to stay on track and to keep them from making mistakes like enrolling in classes
that won’t be covered by financial aid.
01 C L A R I F Y
CHOOSE
The four elements of guided pathways are:
1. Clarify paths to student end goals
2. Help students choose and enter a pathway
3. Help students stay on the path
4. Ensure that students are learning
03
02
S TAY
ENSURE
04
DECEMBER | JANUARY 2019 ISSUE NO. 6
47