Pathway Design
A core component of the Guided Pathways framework is the development of clear and coherent maps that integrate academic and support services across the student experience. It starts at students’ entry points to higher education and guides them at each step of their journey to keep them on track to completion.
As one of the three focus areas of Highline’s Degree Pathways, pathway design focuses on the creation and alignment of pathways, programs, and courses that have been thoughtfully designed and scheduled.
Programs of Study (clustered into Pathways) are well-designed with clearly defined learning outcomes aligned with industry identified needs and transfer pathways and are clearly mapped to guide and prepare students to enter employment and/or further education regardless of point of entry and course load. Students know which courses they should take when, are directed to default course selections designed to lead to on-time completion, and are able to customize their academic plans by working with an adviser or faculty member to address their individual context.
Course outcomes are aligned with program and pathway outcomes, and those learning outcomes inform a default course taking framework.
Default structured exploratory experiences have been included in the first two quarters of each program/degree map to enable each student to narrow, confirm, or change their program/degree choice. These experiences may be offered as a course, sequence of courses or be embedded in a First Year Experience course or identified program courses. These experiences should support students in exploring the world of work (through ethnographic study, building professional network access, etc.) in addition to exploring programs within their pathway.