The idea behind guided pathways is straightforward. College students are more likely to complete a degree in a timely fashion if they choose a program and develop an academic plan early on, have a clear road map of the courses they need to take to complete a credential, and receive guidance and support to help them stay on plan.

-Bailey, Jaggers, & Jenkins, Community College Research Center

Two Design Principles

Relentless Clarity: For students, the difficult part of college should be the coursework, not figuring out what courses are needed or where they can find support. GP helps to develop systems that are "relentlessly clear," designed by looking through the lens of our students to see what achieving their goals will require and what resources are available to help them.
Integration of Support: We can all be doing a great job individually, but until all of the structures under which we work are integrated to benefit students, reforms and initiatives are less likely to bring about significant improvement. GP is not an initiative, but a structure under which other initiatives can be integrated to better support students.

Four "Pillars"

GP reforms can be broken into four main practice areas (Jenkins, Lahr, Fink, & Ganga, 2018):

mapping pathways to student end goals,
helping students choose and enter a program pathway,
keeping students on path, and
ensuring that students are learning

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

Six Core Components

Programs that are fully mapped out and aligned
Proactive academic and career advising
Responsive student tracking systems
Redesigning and integrating basic skills/developmental education classes
Structured onboarding processes
Instructional support and co-curricular activities

Textbox: Bailey, T., Jaggars, S. S., & Jenkins, D. (2015, March). What we know about Guided Pathways.

Page text and graphics adapted from An Introduction to Guided Pathways, available on the Vision Resource Center, by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

Jenkins, D., Lahr, H., Fink, J., & Ganga, E. (2018, April). What we are learning about Guided Pathways.