Site exchange guide

Colleges across California that are undertaking the momentous process of Guided Pathways redesign can learn from one another’s ideas and approaches, missteps and successes. 

This guide summarizes the process of planning and facilitating visits by administrators, faculty, and staff to other colleges to learn how they are exploring and pursuing a variety of aspects of redesign. 

These visits can: 

  • Catalyze peer-to-peer learning 
  • Surface evidence-based practices 
  • Clarify the redesign process
  • Help scale Guided Pathways redesign 
  • Foster relationships for future collaboration 

College leaders should carefully consider how they will approach numerous aspects of conducting a site visit, from choosing the participating team to funding the travel and time involved. Above all, they should engage staff, administrators, and faculty across campus in planning, and they should ensure that each visit is constructed to (1) meet specific goals, (2) minimize unpredictability, and (3) anticipate and acknowledge the various approaches of individual participants. Engaging an outside facilitator early on can help address these challenges. An outside facilitator also can help colleges prepare for and conduct a visit and then process, internalize, and implement what they learn. 

This guide outlines seven steps: 

  1. Establish clear project roles, and think about goals for your visit
  2. Set goals and topic(s) of the visit (in inclusive conference calls led by facilitator)
  3. Choose one or more potential partner colleges
  4. Connect the colleges using all available resources
  5. Frame the day (concurrent with Step Six)
  6. Focus on the nitty gritty (concurrent with Step Five)
  7. Record and report on what you learn
Step 1. Establish clear project roles, and think about goals for your visit
Step 2. Set goals and topic(s) of the visit (in inclusive conference calls led by facilitator)
Step 3. Choose one or more potential partner colleges
Step 4. Connect the colleges using all available resources
Step 5. Frame the day (concurrent with Step Six)
Step 6. Focus on the nitty gritty (concurrent with Step Five)
Step 7. Record and report on what you learn
Authors of this guide | Laura Impellizzeri and Cristina Sandoval
This guide is a product of Career Ladders Project.