PATHWAVES TO SUCCESS: INTEGRATING GUIDED PATHWAYS WITH OCEANOGRAPHY PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

One reason to push for increased enrollment in Oceanography is the value in having a public that is better informed and a workforce that is better trained especially in coastal issues. Based on years of student feedback, we concluded that there are a number of students who had become interested in pursuing a career in Ocean Sciences by the end of the Introductory class, but there was no clear path for them to do so. Having no clear path is contrary to the Guided Pathways ideology that we are implementing on our campus.

We initiated a workshop (“PathWaves to Success”) and invited colleagues from 2- and 4YC/Us to discuss how we can best collaborate to help these students. We had been provided with tools, assistance, and support to do this through a SAGE 2YC project known simply as Agents of Change that was spearheaded by Heather Macdonald and her team.

The purpose of our initial workshop was generally to identify and nurture a small but enthusiastic cadre of colleagues (this will sound familiar to those who have attended a COACh workshop, an option supported by our Change Agents program) who were willing to work on changing the Oceanography programs at their 2- or 4YC/U. We showcased our programs and coursework in order to improve the alignment of related curricula between 2- and 4YC/Us; then we had round-table discussions about what could be done about the lack of clear paths into Ocean Sciences. We ended the day with lots of ideas and offers among attendees to collaborate on future field trips and research projects, and with action plans for what to do next at our respective campuses.

In this presentation we will share important details about the initiation, expected outcomes, and facilitation, as well as feedback and insights gained from this workshop. We would also like to invite you to join us for a follow-up workshop this Fall as we continue the discussions and strengthen this ocean educator network in Southern California.