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Texas Pathways Institute #6: Ensuring Students are LearningShort-Term Action Plan

All parts of the Short-Term Action Plan document will be drafted during the institute. Following the institute, team leads will engage key college stakeholders to complete a final version of the plan and submit a copy of this complete document to the Texas Success Center through the Document Center on the https://tacc.org/tsc/events page by May 17.

Institution Name: South Texas College Date: April 2019

TEAM STRATEGY SESSION #1: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 4:45 PM.-5:45 PM

Beginning with the End in Mind to Improve Teaching and Learning

To establish each college’s priority outcomes for improving teaching and learning, discuss the institute’s first five purpose statements and consider the college’s current status on each. Discussions will lead to fulfilling the sixth institute purpose of producing a draft action plan for continuing work to align all academic and career pathways with transfer and employment goals. Purpose statements are closely related to identified items on the Scale of Adoption Assessment (SOAA). Consult the college’s recent responses to these SOAA items as they relate to the college’s progress and potential institute learning opportunities.

This review of your college’s progress on key objectives and the identification of topics your team needs to know more about should set the stage for team learning throughout the institute. Focus on your college’s intended outcomes that will inform action planning in Team Strategy Sessions #3-4. After reviewing the purpose statements below and related SOAA responses, record the team consensus about the college’s current status and additional information needed. The table will expand as you enter text.

Institute Purposes and SOAA Considerations(review existing college status, success and challenges)

College Responses

1. Analyze challenges and opportunities associated with existing teaching and learning models and processes

In addition to a review of existing practices, also consider your college responses to:SOAA 4a“Program learning outcomes are aligned with the

Where we are:

Workforce (BT and NAH) is solid.

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Texas Pathways was developed for Texas community colleges by the Texas Success Center based on the American Association of Community Colleges’ Pathways Project.

https://tacc.org/tsc/events

requirements for success in the further education and employment outcomes targeted by each program.”

SOAA 4c“Faculty/programs assess whether students are mastering learning outcomes and building skills across each program, in both arts and sciences and career/technical programs.”

We need to know more:

What each (B.A. / B.S.) program at our receiving institutions expect in terms of learning outcomes mastered prior to transfer; and the process by which we will review this regularly in concert with our four-year counterparts.

2. Begin to refine models and processes to ensure students learn skills critical to further education and employment

In addition to a review of existing practices, also consider your college responses to:SOAA 4b“Students have ample opportunity to apply and deepen knowledge and skills through projects, internships, co-ops, clinical placements, group projects outside of class, service learning, study abroad and other active learning activities that program faculty intentionally embed into coursework.”

SOAA 4e “The college helps students document their learning for employers and universities through portfolios and other means beyond transcripts.”

Where we are:

Happening in various ways, in pockets (esp. Workforce programs; BASOL).


How to develop analogous initiatives in, e.g., academic / transfer programs. How to leverage our Core Objectives (General Education) improvement plans in this regard. How to ‘encourage’ faculty to intentionally embed such initiatives without impinging upon academic freedom.

What is, and how to utilize, (for example) the “Comprehensive Learner Record” or “SharePoint” (including Marketable Skills). And how, by whom, and where, would these kinds of documentations be stored.

3. Discuss how instructional reforms integrate with other pathways redesign efforts

In addition to a review of existing practices, also consider your college responses to:

Where we are:

Working with all sorts of stakeholders. All internal reforms are cast in

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SOAA External Partnership, Successes and Challenges of all four dimensions of guided pathways

discussion vis-à-vis ongoing and/or upcoming “Guided Pathways” work at the College.


How often instructional reforms need to be considered, and how often stakeholder (membership/representation) needs to be revisited.

4. Consider how to better support the professional development of faculty and other stakeholders including instructional staff and administrators and program advisors


SOAA 4d “Results of learning outcomes assessments are used to improve teaching and learning through program review, professional development, and other intentional campus efforts.”

SOAA 4f “The college assesses effectiveness of educational practice (e.g. using CCSSE or SENSE, etc.) and uses the results to create targeted professional development.”

Where we are:

LO’s are assessed. Results are used to design improvement plans.


How to design processes to share results of various existing/ongoing assessments and evaluations with our Office of Professional and Organizational Development (OPOD) in a meaningful and reciprocal manner. Chairs getting faculty invested in reviewing data/results with an eye toward requesting specific POD.

5. Initiate or advance conversations about whether and how institutional policies and practices have differential impact on historically underserved groups and how the college can leverage pathways work to close equity gaps


SOAA Equity Considerations of Area 4: Ensuring Students are Learning

Where we are:

Questions: Older vs. younger students? Gender disparity in different disciplines and/or class modality? Faculty/staff representative of communities that we serve?

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“How is the college ensuring that underrepresented students participate in program-relevant active and experiential learning opportunities?”

“As faculty make curricular changes to better align course assignments with program learning outcomes, how does the college support faculty to implement pedagogical changes that better support learning outcomes success for underrepresented students (e.g., culturally responsive teaching)?”

“What opportunities exist for faculty or advisors to critically examine their role in advancing equity-minded teaching and advising practices at the college (e.g., critically examining the role of unconscious bias in the classroom or advising that could affect student aspirations for a particular field and/or program selection)?”

“Is the college disaggregating program learning outcomes data, program retention and completion data, and other assessment measures by race, income, age, and gender to examine equity gaps? How is this data disseminated and discussed among college staff, with students, and with the outside community?”


See above (“Questions”).

Equity in Action

What particularly stood out to your team from Dr. Rendón’s message on an asset-based framework and high-impact practices as it relates to the priority outcomes the team just identified? What validation practices could be implemented and scaled across the institution? How might the college encourage these types of changes?

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Asset-based framework: The Importance of the Humanities

High-impact practices: The Importance of the Humanities

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TEAM STRATEGY SESSION #2: THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 10:30 AM-11:30 AM

Responding to What Students are Saying

Review the findings from your recent student interviews and focus groups concerning:1. students’ experiences with pathways changes 2. comparison of students’ experiences to the college design 3. college assumptions of the student experience that were confirmed and contradicted by students 4. student experiences that speak to the need for pathways reforms5. implemented reforms that seem to make a difference to students 6. aspects of the student experience that merit further investigation

List three to five messages from students about the most important ways the college is supporting their academic aspirations and ensuring they are gaining knowledge and skills leading toward further education and careers. Also list three to five most common challenges students shared about what they may still need from the college. Note potential college responses that may expand support to more students or could mitigate students’ challenges. These lists should inform your college’s action planning tomorrow.

Students say…Most important ways the college/faculty supports my goals

College Response

Clarifying pathways: offering college courses to high school students Deliberate faculty-led “pathways” initiatives Entering pathways: offering various “introductory” courses in multiple disciplines; offering developmental education courses for underprepared students

Course sequencing allowing for decision-making based on course experience (first-year experience / Learning Framework course)

Staying on pathways: advising, faculty, faculty advisors, DegreeWorks, peers, tutors, counselors

Where does the path go (post-STC)? Addressing declining persistence rates? Keeping vs. supporting students on the path. ‘Cohorting’ majors? Students identifying potential transfer institutions?

Ensuring learning: course learning outcomes listed on syllabi (mixed response), interactive/engaged faculty (some), internships (mixed responses)

Professional Development on Faculty Student engagement. Develop/clarify requirements for project-based, service-learning, etc., assignments

Students say…Challenges the college/faculty could help to resolve

College Response

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Clarifying pathways: (How) will these (DC) courses count/transfer? Clarifications: Accepted vs. Applied. Academic vs. Workforce. Teaching student self-advocacy.

Entering pathways: developing study skills, self-navigating “First Year Experience” Staying on pathways: the prevalence of the “ask a neighbor” approach “First Year Experience” Ensuring Learning: Why/how do these CLO’s matter to me? Clarity of “requirements” (internships, etc.)

Revisit CLOs (seriously) – problem: THECB/ACGM mandated FOS

Other: “What’s a meta-major?” (typical student response) Marketing; more student focus groups and/or surveys

Core Characteristics of a Coherent Curriculum

Texas Pathways colleges are committed to improving student learning and the quality of students’ experiences on their way to achieving their goals of further education and careers. The primary vehicle for accomplishing this will be through college’s deep dive into curricular structures including the identification of fragmented, misaligned or incoherent components and processes. Pathways colleges are intentionally mapping and offering well-aligned default pathways for each program—a coherent curriculum.

Review your college’s advance work on mapping programs. Reflect on the process of building new curricular structures and note the ideal or aspirational core characteristics of the redesigned curriculum. Core characteristics of your curriculum may be described in statements such as:

1. Our curriculum is based on what we know about students’ experiences and successes at our college.2. Our curriculum makes clear to students what they can expect to learn and how the curriculum’s program-level architecture scaffolds this

learning.3. Our program sequencing provides the best opportunity for student success in progressively aligned and paired courses.4. Our program courses are scheduled in consideration of students’ best opportunities for success and timely completion.5. Our curriculum is supported by faculty development and collaboration and targets scaling high-impact student engagement practices.

Using the table below, identify the core characteristics of your ideal approach to the curriculum, and note evidence of these characteristics in the current curriculum and additional components that would improve curricular coherence.

Statements about core characteristics of our redesigned curriculum

Components of our current curriculum Potential new components to our coherent curriculum

[Replace the following example with the team’s ideas about your curriculum]

Faculty review student success data when considering changes to the curriculum.

Identified key performance indicators on student success in courses and in programs are

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1. Our curriculum is based on what we know about students’ experiences and successes at our college.

CCSSE data is informally considered in some course curriculum changes.

embedded in the curriculum review process.

Regular use of CCSSE data and student interviews/focus groups are embedded in the curriculum review process.

2. For transfer Core (42) FOS (18)

Foundational skills for transfer PLOs tied to BA/BS degree requirements

(regular feedback from four-year receiving institutions)

Review the Core Monitor TX SB 25 (2019)

3. For career Gen Ed. (15) FOS (45)

Marketable skills for employment Regular advisory committee input

Review the Gen. Ed. req’s, w/ AC input, of all A.A.S. degrees

Address the TSI MATH issue for A.A.S. degrees

Program review xxx

Annual reporting of program review(s) KPI, including, e.g., CO and PLO data

Address the INDS A.A. degree …

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TEAM STRATEGY TIME #3: THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

MAKING SENSE AND MOVING FORWARD

Your team’s discussions should now turn from information gathering toward action planning by synthesizing the work to this point. Consider highlights from your previous team strategy times, your SOAA results, program mapping summary, student interviews or focus group findings, and plenary and concurrent sessions at this institute.

1. Which issues/approaches/strategies discussed in institute sessions are potentially of greatest interest to the college?

The Great Questions Seminar: HUMA-1301 & the “student success course requirement” at ACC (cf. SASA 2b) “Open Books” for Affordable Learning: free / not-more-than-x / plus (added to tuition) … info available to students (San Jac) Academic Mindset: faculty nurturing this “success/growth” mindset Enhancing Student Engagement with Data: Data Summit with all faculty – faculty presenting/reporting (Grayson) Pathways to Technology: employer internships with high school students Intro to Guided Pathways: transfer and apply; “teaching excellence” (esp. PD, see below); front-loading FOS courses

Pathways to Career Success: what industry wants … Mi Casa Es Su Casa: Title V stuff; Summer Bridge, EDUC and MATH Professional Development through Professional Associations: podcasts on faculty engagement, contagion (cf. SASA 4d) We Have Our Data Disaggregated: specific targets, lagging/leading indicators, compelling scoreboard, cadence of responsibility Critical Thinking: fluency (as pre-req for) critical thinking – concurrent vs. sequential teaching (?) Student Portfolios: how to document, internally (cf. SASA 4e)

2. What existing knowledge and/or college work has been reinforced?

The Great Questions Seminar: Interdisciplinary approach to ‘student success course(s)’ (cf. SASA 2b) Open Books for Affordable Learning: everyone is considering the same set of options we’re considering Academic Mindset: “growth mindset” is a thing Enhancing Student Engagement with Data: being selective and deliberate in data collection is important Pathways to Technology: Workforce internships are a good idea Intro to Guided Pathways: we know what the problems and tension points are

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Pathways to Career Success: our Advisory Committees are solid practice Mi Casa Es Su Casa: we’re already doing a lot of what everyone else is planning on doing Professional Development through Professional Associations: involving faculty in PD initiatives is essential (cf. SASA 4d)We Have Our Data Disaggregated: we’re on the right track Critical Thinking: no one can say what it is Student Portfolios: they’re great, but no one seems to know how to scale this practice across all programs (cf. SASA 4e)

3. Discuss insights the team has gained from these conversations. As a team, determine three to five key insights.

Key Insight 1: Implementation of a “first-year experience”

Key Insight 2: Faculty-friendly data summit – driving OPOD initiatives

Key Insight 3: Identification of the KFC (key foundational course) in each program – and when it’s sequenced

Key Insight 4: What does “excellent teaching” (environmentally) mean to us? “What do I need in order to excel as a teacher?”

Key Insight 5: How do we adopt/adapt students’ initial dream(s), and channel that into momentum?

4. What do you need to learn about these issues/approaches? How will you obtain that information? What technical assistance and/or professional development will the college require?

What do we need to learn? KI-1: How are other institutions doing this? KI-2: What do faculty care about? KI-3: Which courses are these? KI-4: A lot … KI-5: What students’ initial dreams are …

How will we obtain the relevant information?

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KI-1: One of the QEP Topic Selection Teams is working on this … KI-2: Share all current KPI, and related data, with the faculty, and ask them (honestly, and open-endedly): “what else matters?” KI-3: Ask the program chairs; check the data on attrition rates, per major, vis-à-vis course pass/fail rates KI-4: Ask the teachers. KI-5: Ask the students.

What technical assistance will we require? KI-1: Unknown KI-2: Presentation of KPI, and the establishment of a survey/feedback process for faculty to respond KI-3: RAS KI-4: RAS KI-5: RAS

What professional development will we require? KI-1: TBD KI-2: Introducing faculty to “data” (Part I); persuading faculty that “data” might not be an instrument of Satan (Part II) KI-3: Unknown KI-4: Awareness training of all the resources currently available; and an open and honest venue for proposing other potential

resources, as well as discussing institutional barriers (real or perceived) to actualizing excellent teaching KI-5: Unknown

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TEAM STRATEGY TIME #4: FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 10:30 AM-NOON

IDENTIFYING PRIORITIES AND ACTION PLANNING

At this point, your team has reviewed and discussed (a) your college’s priority objectives for improving teaching and learning, including equity considerations and leading from an asset-based framework; (b) progress in mapping to students’ end goals and means for ensuring students are learning, (c) your students’ related successes and challenges, and (d) how to improve equity at your institution. This session is an opportunity for the team to reflect on its learning, think through options for the college’s strategic approach to designing and implementing guided pathways at scale, and establish new or refined priorities for the work on campus. The college team should discuss next steps: whom to involve, how to communicate findings and broaden engagement on campus, and how, when, and by whom follow-up steps will be taken.

The action planning template is provided for more detailed planning that will identify priorities/strategies/goals, activities, key personnel, timelines, resources, and potential issues for designing and implementing guided pathways at scale. Add rows as necessary.

Our 60X30TX Plan to Ensure Students are Learning

PRIORITIESNext Steps By Whom By WhenSEE BELOW …

ACTION PLANNING

Priority/Strategy Goals Activities/Tasks

Responsible Persons Timeline Resources

Potential Issues or Concerns

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Identify top priorities for next steps in the work

Based on these priorities, name specific desired student outcome

List steps required to accomplish these priorities

Who will assume leadership responsibility?

Implementation date

Formative evaluation date

What resources (time, people, facilities, and money) need to be allocated/reallocated?

What challenges do you anticipate?

Clarifying pathways and meta-majors for students

Declared meta-major by 15 credits (or less)

Meta-major information dispensed by advising, at orientation, and in a first semester “student success course”

Chris NelsonNancy Garcia Eli Nguma PR&M

Spring 2020 Spring 2022

Activities/topics currently covered (quickly) in advising and orientation could be covered in more depth in a semester long “student success course”

Getting all relevant info settled prior to developing marketing strategies and materials

First year experience

Students persisting fall-to-fall

Implementation of meta-major/career exploration over the course of a student’s first semester; Priority registration for students before they leave for break(s)

Chris Nelson Nancy Garcia

Fall 2020 Fall 2023 (?)

Faculty advisors would need to take on more of this responsibility for continuing students

Implementation of a “student success course” requirement could meet some resistance

Identifying and clarifying various post-STC pathways

Persistence, graduation, placement

Generate transfer maps for all programs, to all four year IHE in TX

Kelli DavisCelinda Palacios

Fall 2020 Fall 2022 More staff is needed in the University Relations and Transfer Office

Labor intensive

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Identify “gateway courses” per program [part of Data Summit, below?]

Student success

Each program identifies one “gateway/foundational course”

Chairs Serkan Celtek

Fall 2020 Fall 2022 None How to determine … and the possibility of passing the “gateway” ‘buck’ to the next course

Targeted PD Better teaching

Develop processes for faculty input into PD offerings

Jessica Galloso

Fall 2021 Fall 2023 None Faculty taking ownership of their data

Data Summit Programs participating in data-based planning

Schedule and host the first inaugural Data Summit

Fernando Chapa

Fall 2020 Fall 2022 A day, and a room Organizing, preparing data, getting chair/faculty participation

Documenting learning

Students able to display their learning to external audiences

Explore options (CLR, Marketable Skills ‘transcript’, etc.)

Chris Nelson SAEM

Fall 2021 Fall 2023 Means of dispersal (hard copy, electronic copy, archived copies)

Translating workforce / portfolio type models to other (academic transfer) programs

Our definition of equity (gaps) at STC

Find the gaps so they can be intentionally addressed

Brainstorm alternatives to the typical (ethnicity, income, gender) gaps

Fernando Chapa Serkan Celtek

Fall 2020 Fall 2022 Time Thinking outside the box …

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Cultural humility vs. competence

Cultural humility

Come up with an informed and institutionally accepted definition of “cultural humility,” and then map process for operationalizing

Anahid Petrosian Jessica Galloso Yolonda Jaramillo

Fall 2021 Fall 2023 Undetermined Another brand new “buzz phrase” / “initiative?”

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