SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College has been selected to participate in the California Guided Pathways Project. SBCC was selected through a competitive process, along with nineteen other schools. The Guided Pathways project is designed to substantially increase the number of students who earn a certificate or degree at a California Community College. The project will help California Community Colleges implement an integrated, institution-wide approach to student success by creating structured educational experiences that support each student from beginning to end. The selected colleges will design and implement structured academic and career pathways for all incoming students by 2019.
“This has the potential to be a game-changer for our students. As part of this project, we will be engaged in a very student-centric, intentful review, evaluation, and alignment of our programs and services to improve student success and decrease the time it takes for students to attain their educational goals,” from Dr. Paul Jarrell, Executive Vice President.
The Santa Barbara City College team will be co-led by Executive Vice President, Dr. Paul Jarrell, and Academic Senate President, Dr. Priscilla Butler. The team will participate in six two-day institutes, which focus on planning required to implement a pathway model on campus. Each college will also receive support from a team of pathway coaches to assist with implementation.
Dr. Priscilla Butler believes this approach “will help us create a more cohesive structure for the many initiatives and programs we offer in order to increase equity and student success. Helping our students is our primary and shared aim.”
What are Guided Pathways?: Guided Pathways are based on structured educational experiences that guide students from entry to graduation. The model helps colleges clarify paths to student end goals, helps students select and stay on path, and ensures quality learning. California Guided Pathways project was modeled from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project and adapted for implementation in California Guided Pathways are centered around clear, coherent program maps—which include specific course sequences, progress milestones, and program learning outcomes—that are aligned to what will be expected of students in the workforce and in continued education for their field. Students receive help with exploring academic and career options, choosing a program of study, and developing a plan based on the program maps.
California Guided Pathways Project: The project, which was launched in December of 2016, is funded by College Futures Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, the Teagle Foundation, and participating colleges. The California Guided Pathways project was inspired by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project to support increased certificate and degree completion within the California Community Colleges.
For more information on the California Guided Pathways Project, please visit www.caguidedpathways.org/