INSTITUTING THE PATHWAYS ADVISING MODEL AT PENSACOLA STATE COLLEGE: A FEASIBILITY STUDY
Abstract
This project is a feasibility study focused on whether Pensacola State College administrators should implement the guided pathways advising model to replace the current advising model in use at the college. The guided pathways model is a re-design of the entire student experience from the student’s first interaction with the college through their completion that involves four main areas: mapping the guided pathways, helping students choose a path, keeping students on the path, and ensuring students are learning (Bailey et al., 2015).
The project assesses the internal and external resources needed to implement the guided pathways model at the college. It focuses on three research questions: (1) did implementing the guided pathways advising model at institutions similar to Pensacola State College positively affect their retention and completion rates for their students; (2) what internal and external resources will be needed if Pensacola State College implements the guided pathways advising model; and (3) what is the potential financial cost to Pensacola State College if administrators implement the guided pathways advising model?
The data collection utilized secondary, descriptive data including benchmarking other institutions, utilizing data from public databases, data from the Community College Research Center, and personal email requests. The data analysis process included narrative passages, descriptive statistics, and charts/graphs. Overall, there was not enough information to support a true answer to research question one. Research question two determined nine potential internal resources needed, and two potential external resources needed if implementation were to occur. Research question three indicated $487,220 would be needed in order to fully implement guided pathways at Pensacola State College. The final recommendation was that I do not recommend implementation of the guided pathways model at Pensacola State College at this time.