ECC Connect: Milestones Reached in Early Alert System

The ECC Connect (formerly Starfish) early alert system is up and running, offering support for faculty and staff in helping students with degree planning. This early alert system and degree planning tool helps facilitate communication between students, faculty and support services. Faculty members have the power to immediately engage with students and make a significant impact on students' lives, leading to increased retention and degree completion.

Milestones in ECC Connect include completion of a full series of program testing and faculty/staff training. Since the campuswide rollout this past fall, a survey of faculty and staff shows that the majority of respondents believe that the system is easy to access and navigate, indicating they would use the system again. Feedback suggests that students feel informed and supported regarding their performance and progress and have a sense that faculty and staff members care about them and their success. The next steps will be to identify "success coaches" and "ambassadors" to promote, support and increase use of ECC Connect. Integration with Canvas will also be finalized, along with multimedia training and marketing materials.

Guided Pathways Summit

A Guided Pathways summit kicked off the new year, offering about 125 faculty and staff members an opportunity to learn more about the framework and how we can better serve students. The successful Jan. 18 event in the East Dining Room featured presentations by representatives from John Hetts of the Educational Results Partnership, the Education Advisory Board, and the California Community Colleges Academic Senate. Topics focused on the research behind this growing educational framework, and different ways the framework is being implemented at other California Community Colleges.

The Guided Pathways program uses a student-centered approach to dramatically increase the number of students earning degrees and certificates, reduce excess units, shorten the time to earn a degree, and close equity gaps.

The four pillars of the Guided Pathways framework include:

• Clarify the Path
• Enter the Path
• Stay on the Path
• Ensure Learning

The Guided Pathways framework aligns with current campuswide efforts and provides a way to organize and structure the programs we already have in place to support student success. Thank you to the Guided Pathways Committee and leadership from co-chairs: Cesar Jimenez, associate dean of counseling and student success; Cynthia Mosqueda, faculty coordinator and counselor; Jean Shankweiler, vice president of academic affairs; and Chris Wells, communications faculty.