BUILDING GUIDED PATHWAYS:
MDC’S SHARK PATH
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Objectives for Today
• Learn how one large college deployed resources to
• Institutionalize a new integrated pathways model
• Drive action and results
• Build organizational capacity and flexibility
• Create and sustain change
• Identify strategies, processes and structures you can
implement
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Agenda
• Overview
• Shark Path
• Strategies, success
indicators and
continued improvement
• Lessons learned
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Miami Dade College: A Brief Overview
The challenges of a large, urban and diverse institution
• 7 campuses and 3 centers
• 67K degree seeking students
• 90% minority
• 67% low income
• 70% employed
• Historically, more than half placed into at least one level of
Dev Ed
• Completion rates ranging from 13-39% at start of CBD
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Aggressive College-wide Goals
Improve Progression and Completion Rates via increased
• Enrollment
• Progression, persistence and retention
• Benchmark (25%, 50%, 75%, 100% ) achievement
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The MDC Student Pathway
Integrated academic and student services support
from high school through graduation/transfer
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Pre- College Advising: Strategies
• Pro-active outreach and case management
• Connecting HS career academies to MDC programs
• Target reminders about registration requirements
• Shark Academy summer enrichment program
• Scholarship opportunities
• Relevant on-campus events and workshops
• Financial Aid
• Program of Study
• Career Exploration
• Collaboration with academic affairs for recruitment
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Pre- College Advising: Success Indicators
• On-site advising at 53 high schools covering 88%
enrollment
• Applications increased 22% since 2012
• Enrollment increased 10% over same period
• High schools with PCAs have a 56% conversion rate,
compared to 52% overall
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Pre College Advising: Next Steps
• Expand career assessment and exploration activities
• Recruit career academy students for AS programs with
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articulation credits
Redesign Shark Academy to improve college readiness
Offer Shark Start orientation in high schools
Create strategies for 10th and 11th grades
Roll out to non-FTIC-DE students
Course Sequence Guides Strategies
• Simple and clear description of courses and course
sequences
• Required for graduation
• Required for admission into baccalaureate programs at
most common transfer institutions
• In logical order to build pre-requisite skills and
competencies
• For programs of study representing ~80% student
population
• Including algebra vs on-algebra math tracks depending
on program of study
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Multiple Measures of Assessment
Placement Recommendations
• Multiple measures algorithm translates student transcript
data into recommendations for first math and English
courses
• Existing placement test information
• High school courses and grades
• Program of study choice
• Course placement recommendations populate first
semester MAP before students meet with advisors
• Academic departments support advisors at Shark Start
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Academic & Career Advising Strategies
• Prior to campus orientation
• Non-cognitive diagnostic
• On-line orientation
• At mandatory Shark Start campus orientation
• Meet assigned advisor
• Discuss placement recommendations and course selection
• Register for first semester
• At first semester advising
• Confirm program of study and transfer institution
• Complete MAP
• Discuss non-cognitive issues
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Academic and Career Advising
Success Indicators
• 95% FTIC-DE now attend Shark Start, up from 86% at
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beginning
94% students choose program of study and have full MAP
by end of first semester and have
Enrollment in math, English and first program of study
courses up significantly
Approximately 80% AA students enrolled in FYE course
But,
• Students with sophomore status increased only slightly
from 11%-15%
• Fall to fall retention increased by 2 percentage points
only
Academic & Career Collaboration
Next Steps
• Redesigned gateway math
• Active learning
• Aligned supplemental instruction
• Pro-active interventions
• Intentional linking of FYE and first semester advising
• Non-cognitive and academic interventions
• Earlier pro-active career exploration
• Greater emphasis on second semester
• Sequential course-taking
• Early alerts and interventions
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Coaching & Mentoring Strategies
• Provide more in-depth career and transfer advising for
students at 25%+ benchmarks
• Progress monitoring and intervention
• Internship and community engagement opportunities
• Career planning and guidance
• Mentorship
• Coach/mentors include faculty, departmental advisors and
academic chairs
• All participate in intensive training and development
• “Buddy” relationship and support with Student Services
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Coaching & Mentoring
Success Indicators
• 12,500 students transitioned to date
• More than 300 volunteer coach/mentors, including
~40% full time faculty
• Strong feedback about benefits from students
• But, student participation is low—not mandatory!
• Outreach/awareness campaign in fall 2015
• Registration hold for students in academic difficulty
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Coaching & Mentoring
Next Steps
• Local coordinators to celebrate student success and drive
participation
• Improved assignment and re-assignment processes
• Prior-learning assessment training requirements
• Expanded professional development, especially career
exploration
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Communities of Interest:
The Glue for Shark Path
Network of students, faculty and advisors with similar
academic interests and career goals to promote
• Student engagement and development
• Progress and persistence
• Global citizenship and lifelong learning
Currently operational in
• Health Sciences
• Criminal Justice
• Business
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What we learned
Lesson 1
Moving the needle on student success takes time
• Cumulative impact of a system of strategies,
processes, interventions and structures
After 3 years, most leading indicators moving in the right
direction
• But no meaningful movement in retention or benchmark
achievement yet
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What we learned
Lesson 2
Improving student success is an on-going, iterative process
• There is no perfect solution
We learn best by doing the work
• Best practices identified and proven
• Success is defined by execution: “the devil is in the
details”
• Broad and deep scale is required
• People own what they create
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What we learned
Lesson 3
Significant progress can be made without a lot of new
investment
Re-allocate existing resources strategically
• Focus on what we can influence/control
• Stop doing low value-add activities
• “Prove-in” new models and ways of doing business first
Redesign business processes before adding new people or
technology
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What we learned
Lesson 4
Measuring progress regularly and routinely drives learning
and improvement
• Clear metrics/KPIs
• Timely assessments and data sharing
• Data in every discussion
• Operational decision-making vs reporting data
• Transparency and visibility
• Structured methodologies, tools and templates
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What we learned
Lesson 5
Success and sustainability require organizational strength
• Broad and inclusive engagement, collaboration and
learning
• Culture of inquiry and innovation
• Capacity, flexibility and adaptability
• Tolerance for risk, uncertainty and setbacks
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What we learned
Lesson 6
On-going and intentional professional development is
necessary to change a culture
• Practical, hands-on strategies for daily interactions
• Structured opportunities to leverage discrete strategies
into integrated solutions
At MDC, 15 minutes of training for every hour of service
delivery over first two years
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Summary
Just do it!
Build the foundation for student success and achievement
Big
Urgent
Inclusive
Leadership at all Levels
Data-informed
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