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Guided Pathways

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The California Guided Pathways Project

The primary goal of the project is to implement an integrated, institution-wide approach to student success that guides each student from their point of entry to the completion of their educational goal. To this end, the Guided Pathways framework focuses on the following Four Pillars.

  • Clarify the Path
  • Enter the Path
  • Stay on the Path
  • Ensure Learning

The implication here is that community colleges in California need to examine existing institutional frameworks and rearrange them if needed so that we can "provide students with clear, educationally coherent program maps that include specific course sequences, progress milestones, and program learning outcomes."

Introducing our Academic Career Pathways (ACPs) 

 

With the collaborative efforts of our San Diego City College community, Guided Pathways is thrilled to introduce the all-new Academic and Career Pathways (ACPs). We believe in empowering our students to discover their passions and forge successful paths, and ACPs are designed to do just that.   

What are ACPs? 

ACPs open up a fresh approach for students to explore majors and careers. We understand that each student's journey is unique, and ACPs are tailored to provide a personalized roadmap to academic and career success. 

Why ACPs?   

Personalized Exploration: Discover majors and careers aligned with student’s interests and goals. 

Guidance and Support: Access resources and support systems to help you navigate your academic and career journey. 

Empowerment: Students will take control of their education and future with informed decisions. 

Want to see our ACPs? Visit Academic Career Pathways 

Guided Pathways at City

Our approach to this immense project is to start with structured inquiry.  It is indeed a unique opportunity to honestly and openly reexamine how effectively we have been serving our students, especially the student populations that are most disproportionately affected by educational inequity.  As such, San Diego City College has decided to dedicate the first year of the Guided Pathways to conducting various inquiry projects, so that we can effectively identify institutional processes and structures that we may potentially redesign to reach their full potential in serving our students. Due to the possibility that some service areas may encounter significant institutional shifts in terms of norms and practices, our focus also is to ensure that the decision-making processes regarding the Guided Pathways project is as inclusive and deliberative as possible. The structure and the membership of the Guided Pathways committee deliberately reflects this principle. 

What Guided Pathways is not...

Guided Pathways is not another initiative where we are mandated to apply a template of institutional redesign plans provided by the State Chancellor's office.  There is no one way to do this!

Guided Pathways is not designed to limit the existing faculty purview over the 10+1 domains.  Given the integrated nature of the Guided Pathways framework, it requires the active participation of both instructional and counseling faculty (as well as the management and classified professional staff) more than ever!

Guided Pathways does not have to eliminate students' ability to explore academically.  If fact, some colleges have considered "a path to explore" as one of the pathways. 

Guided Pathways is not opposition to the original CCC mission of access. 

For our Guided Pathways 2022-2026 Work Plan, the focus is twofold- (1) metrics and (2) integration of efforts across campus. Our Guided Pathways Committee and community members came together to review the data and form a plan to address the needs of our students across these metrics:  

  • Completion 
  • Persistence 
  • Successful Enrollment 
  • Transfer 
  • Transfer Level Math and English 

The work plan also focuses on collaborating with existent efforts on campus. We are integrating with the following efforts:  

  • Associate Degree for Transfer (ADTs) 
  • California Adult Education Program (CAEP) 
  • Strong Workforce Program (SWP) 
  • Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) 
  • Zero Textbook Cost to Degree (ZTC) program 

  • Curriculum structures and processes
  • Curriculum Development
  • Continuing Education/Noncredit to Credit Articulation
  • Governance structures
  • Basic Skills
  • Program/Degree requirements
  • Outreach and Communications - based on understanding the student experience

  • Onboarding/enrollment processes
  • Program structures and completion
  • Transfer articulation
  • Career planning
  • Class scheduling and academic calendars
  • Job placement and employment support
  • CE/Noncredit articulation
  • Counseling and Support Services
  • Guided Pathways Report

At City, we are centralizing our Professional development in one place. Check out our Professional Development Center for more information.  

San Diego City College Guided Pathways efforts are co-led by Dr. Susan Murray (smurray01@sdccd.edu) Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Dr. Cristina Carrillo (ecarrillo@sdccd.edu), Counselor and Assistant Professor.  

To further enrich this process, the Guided Pathways Committee has been formed by leaders in our City College community. 

Vice President of Student Services 

Marciano 

Perez 

Vice President of Instruction 

Tillie 

Chavez 

Dean, Institutional Effectiveness 

Susan 

Murray 

Guided Pathways Faculty Coordinator 

Cristina 

Carrillo 

Dean, Student Development and Matriculation 

Bernice 

Lorenzo 

Associate Dean, Workforce Development 

Sasha 

Knox 

Dean, Outreach/Community Relations 

Genevieve 

Esguerra 

EOPS Director 

Mireya 

Gutierrez-Aguero 

Outreach 

Clarissa 

Padilla 

College Research Analyst 

Brittney 

Carroll 

Public Information Officer 

Cesar 

Gumapas 

Faculty: CRC Chair 

Bobby 

Kostlan 

Faculty: Academic Senate President/Designee 

Maria-Jose 

Zeledon-Perez 

Faculty: Articulation 

Elizabeth 

Norvell 

Faculty: Arts, Humanities, & Comm  

Michael  

Espar 

Faculty: Arts, Humanities, & Comm  

Terri  

Hughes-Oelrich 

Faculty: Arts, Humanities, & Comm  

Sean 

Bacon 

Faculty: Business, Information Technology & Cosmetology 

Tania 

Mustafa 

Faculty: Behavioral & Social Sciences & Consumer & Family Studies  

Marilyn  

Espitia 

Faculty: Behavioral & Social Sciences & Consumer & Family Studies  

Kim 

Sweeney 

Faculty: Engineering & Technologies, Math, Sciences & Nursing  

Sarah  

Hawkins 

Faculty: Engineering & Technologies, Math, Sciences & Nursing  

Susan  

Smith 

Faculty: Information & Learning Technology/Library 

Sandra  

Pesce 

Faculty: Information & Learning Technology/Library 

Don  

Long 

Faculty: Counseling  

Nora 

Hinsley 

Faculty: Personal Growth   

Amber 

Alatorre 

Classified Professionals: Student Services  

Josolyn 

Hill 

 

 

If you have any questions/comments/concerns, please contact Dr. Susan Murray, Dean of Institutional Effectiveness or Cristina Carrillo, Guided Pathways Faculty Coordinator.