Managing Guided Pathways Redesign and Engaging the College

Their Approach

CCSF’s RiSE Team approached Guided Pathways with equity at the foundation and students at the center of its planning. RiSE, an acronym for Reimagining the Student Experience, is working to connect disparate college efforts that have emerged out of multiple categorical funding streams and create a student experience that’s welcoming, inclusive, and focused on supporting students in meeting their goals.

What They Did

The RiSE leadership team includes faculty leaders and administrators from across the college—from Institutional Development, Workforce and Economic Development, Academic Affairs, Student Equity, and Student Development. In the second semester, students who represent all of the disproportionately impacted groups at the college, as identified in the Student Equity Plan, were hired as the Student Advisory Team to work with the leadership team and four inquiry teams.

Using multiple strategies to build momentum and visibility for Guided Pathways redesign, RiSE has:

• included student advisors in all of its work, including leadership meetings, mapping workshops, and workshops with administrators and staff
• built a grassroots effort, led by faculty, by strategizing with students and middle leaders across CCSF to ensure that communication about redesign penetrates all channels
• developed videos—of workshops where students are critical partners, of interviews with students, and of interviews of faculty—so the wider college community can engage with the work from students’ vantage point
• mapped programs with general education requirements, academic and non-academic milestones, and student supports using student characteristics consistent with disproportionately impacted groups.

What They Learned

• We are not starting from ground zero—or working alone. “The RiSE Team supports existing student success efforts across the college while embarking on new efforts to clarify offerings and ensure students can reach their goals,” says Michelle Simotas, lead faculty coordinator on the RiSE team.
• Other colleges offer great models: Including a student advisory team, following Santa Monica College’s model, increased the RiSE Team’s drive and focus.
• Braiding funding streams together, and collaborating with groups across CCSF that already are addressing achievement gaps, has sped RiSE’s work and increased its impact.