Every one of us at Skyline College has a reason, or what the Design Team Co-Leads at their Opening Day presentation referred to as a “WHY,” for engaging in the work we do on campus every day. With our busy schedules, it is easy to lose sight of what motivates us, but the college redesign work is an opportunity for all of us to reconnect with our WHY and let our passion shine.
Meta Majors & Guided Pathways Design Team Co-Leads (DTCL): Lorraine DeMello, Luis Escobar, Carla Grandy, Mary Gutierrez, Jessica Hurless, Mustafa Popal and Jesse Raskin, were excited to provide the campus an update on all the work that has been completed around the college redesign. (For a more detailed report, please visit the Meta Majors & Guided Pathways website: http://skylinecollege.edu/metamajors/index.php)
In their presentation, the DTCL discussed the workshops, flex day activities, campus forums, campus-wide division meetings, work team meetings, student focus groups and Promise Scholar Program work completed this last academic year that laid the foundation for the Meta Majors and Guided Pathways work. Whether it was sorting degrees and certificates to create tentative lists of Meta Majors or working in interdisciplinary teams to answer questions and provide feedback, all of this preliminary work led to the most significant activity of the year, the mapping of each department’s required courses for degrees and certificates. During the sequencing, departments were able to take an intentional look at their courses, prerequisites, and what it would take for a student in their program to complete their academic goal in a timely manner.
A lot was accomplished this past year, but it became clear that the general education component of the college redesign was missing. So, the Design Team Co-Leads worked over the summer to develop a long-term plan to more effectively integrate all of the college redesign components and connect instruction and counseling.
As the implementation of Meta Majors and Guided Pathways continues into its second year, the plan is to build on the work of the GE Collective and spend time exploring potential GE models and choosing a model or models that can be implemented on a larger scale and engage students on a deeper level to make their education more meaningful. This will include explorations of undergraduate research, service learning, e-portfolios, culminating projects, study abroad, internships and a whole host of other High Impact Practices.
It will be another busy year, but the DTCL are here to ensure that there will be a variety of ways for the campus community to remain involved in the work and help shape the student experience at Skyline College!
Taking a moment to remember your “WHY” is not only powerful, but speaks to the reason Skyline College would commit to the work of a comprehensive college redesign, because at the core of what we do is students, their success and equity. So, “What is your WHY?”
Article by Jessica Hurless | Photo by Skyline College PR & Marketing
