Engaging Faculty in Guided Pathways

Community colleges across the country are taking on the challenging work of redesigning students’ educational experiences through institution-wide guided pathways reforms. That is to say, they seek to create clear, coherent educational pathways for all of their students, in the process questioning many traditional practices and cultural norms in higher education. Clearly, that work cannot succeed without effective strategies for broadly, continuously and authentically engaging faculty—including both full- and part-time faculty—in the work. Well-intentioned colleges continue to discover to their chagrin that they too often underestimate the need for that intentional engagement. Now Christine Harrington brings to the field a welcome and comprehensive resource to support substantive and meaningful faculty engagement with guided pathways reforms, with her book, Engaging Faculty in Guided Pathways: A Practical Resource for College Leaders. Addressing a whole range of faculty work that must be taken on—from defining meta-majors and creating program maps, to defining and assessing student learning outcomes, to building an effective syllabus and employing effective teaching strategies, to building leadership from within the faculty—Harrington brings attention to an important reality: new pathways will guide neither students nor colleges to desired outcomes if they do not focus renewed energy on excellence in teaching and learning. -- Kay McClenney, PhD, senior advisor to the President/CEO, American Association of Community Colleges
As Christine Harrington points out in this book—guided pathways is a massive movement aimed at improving student success, and faculty engagement is a key component to its success. Harrington explores the critical role of faculty within each guided pathways pillar and shares reflective questions that should be asked of faculty. This is a must-read for college leaders who seek to engage and support faculty in guide pathways. -- Linda García, Executive Director, Center for Community College Student Engagement
Guided pathways will not substantially improve student outcomes unless faculty are able to expand their focus from learning in courses to learning across programs and from teaching skills and knowledge to teaching students how to become confident learners in a field. This book, based on Christine Harrington's extensive experience as a community college faculty member, researcher, and trainer, provides an excellent guide on how practically to help faculty rethink how they teach and promote student learning as part of their colleges' larger guided pathways reforms. -- Davis Jenkins, Senior Research Scholar, Community College Research Center, Teachers College Columbia University
Christine Harrington’s Engaging Faculty in Guided Pathways: A Practical Resource for College Leader is an invaluable book for colleges that are in the midst of Guided Pathways implementation or are just in the beginning stages. This book provides a detailed guide of how to engage faculty at each stage of development in the Guided Pathways model. In addition to providing essential tasks, the book addresses how faculty expertise is to be incorporated. The book is a must-have for college leaders who are guiding institutions through the Guided Pathways transformational journey. -- Sam Hirsch, Vice President for Academic and Student Success, Community College of Philadelphia
Christine Harrington rightfully elevates the faculty role in the Guided Pathways movement in her important new book, Engaging Faculty in Guided Pathways: A Practical Resource for College Leaders. Throughout this thoughtful and erudite book, Harrington persuasively argues that teaching and learning are at the center of the Guided Pathways model. Filled with both sound theory and practical advice, Harrington’s book highlights why faculty engagement with the planning and implementation of Guided Pathways—including a long-overdue discussion of the important role of part-time faculty—is critical to success. Whether a college is deep into implementation or just beginning to weigh the merits of Guided Pathways, Engaging Faculty in Guided Pathways: A Practical Resource for College Leaders should be a touchstone to this important work. -- Michael Sparrow, Dean, Enrollment Management and Retention at Northampton Community College
Dr. Christine Harrington is a leader in faculty engagement and guided pathway implementation. Her innovative approach to best practices is shared throughout her professional development sessions, with energy and passion. Dr. Harrington’s knowledge and expertise for guided academic pathways help to build the platform for leadership, providing guidance for faculty members, assisting them with conversations to have with students. The ultimate result is to ensure students select the appropriate pathway, remain in that program, and complete with success. -- Judy Mitchell, EdD, president, Joliet Junior College