Pathways: Insight into Faculty Coordination Efforts

1. Setting the Path: Exploration of Faculty
Coordination Efforts within Pathways
Discussant
Dr. George Taylor, III
University of Oklahoma

2. Statement of the General Problem
and Research Gap
 Issue: An increasing percentage of high schools and higher
education institutions are developing pathways that prepare
students for postsecondary career options, career tech, or college
success (Goldrick-Rab, Carter, & Wagner, 2007)
 General problem: Coordination efforts between secondary and
postsecondary education institutions are needed to achieve the
aims of pathway courses of instruction (Bragg, Kim, & Barnett,
2006; Goldrick-Rab et al., 2007; Raff 2003).
 Literature Gap: There is scarce peer-reviewed research that
provides insight into planning and coordination efforts undertaken
by faculty members responsible for the design and delivery of
pathway courses of instruction.

3. Statement of the Problem
and Research Purpose
 Specific problem: As collaborative efforts between secondary,
career tech, and higher education institutions are expected to
increase, recommended faculty coordination efforts are not
known or consistently prescribed (Ross, Rouse, & Bratton,
2010).
 Research purpose: Gain insight into faculty pathway
collaborative efforts among high school, career tech, and
higher education.

4. Research Questions
RQ1: How do faculty perceive collaboration efforts related to
pathways between their internal and external faculty peers?
RQ2: What activities and tasks do faculty members perform in
preparing and delivering pathway courses of instruction?
***These RQs explore collaboration efforts between faculty
members within the sites as well as faculty members across
institutions (i.e. secondary-to-career tech; secondary-to-higher
education).

5. Methodology
•Qualitative Method (Phenomenological)
•Researcher Developed Questionnaire (4 prepared questions with prompts)
•Administered to a total of 4 Research Participants:
• Pryor 9th Grade(1): Pryor, OK – Family & Consumer Science
•19Years of Teaching Experience
•Selected Basis: Secondary Education
•Female
•Identifier: Participant 1
•Tulsa Career Tech (1): Tulsa, OK – IT
• 15 Years (Public and Career Tech Schools, 5 Years Higher Ed)
• Selected Basis: Post-secondary Education
• Female
• Identifier: Participant 2
•Tulsa Community College FM (2), Tulsa, OK – Math (Calculus & QR)
•25 Years (Total)/19 Years (TCC)
•29 Years (Total)/21 Years (TCC)
•Selected Basis: Higher Ed
•Female
•Identifier: Participants 3 and 4

6. Participant
PART. SCHOOL Grade Course Level Gender
P1 Pryor Junior
High School
9th Family &
Consumer
Science
Secondary Female
P2 Tulsa Career
Tech
N/A IT Career Tech
Postsecondary
Female
P3 Tulsa
Community
College
N/A Math
(Calculus/QR)
Higher
Education
Postsecondary
Female
P4 Tulsa
Community
College
N/A Math
(Calculus/QR)
Higher
Education
Postsecondary
Female

7. Data Collection
Semi-Structure Questionnaire
Data Analysis: NVivo
Interviews: Average of 30 minutes

8. Findings
Recurring Themes: Coordination, Soft-Skills, Curriculum Review, Retention
Coordination efforts are informal in nature
o Generally internal and external coordination efforts are organic
P4 (Higher Ed – Math): “I started a pre-calculus program based on experience with calc-project. I knew what the
students were given . . . I could see what we were teaching yet we were losing students, so it was obvious to me that
if we target students earlier with 4th year calculus then that would lead to more efficient outcomes at the college
level.”
o Little policy exists that mandates coordination efforts internally or
externally
P1: (Pryor Middle School): “We just get together informally and chat about what we can do to meet the needs of
students, so that we can figure out what’s best for our kids to move forward.”
• Internal Coordination is more common than external coordination.
• Coordination efforts is more likely between internal colleagues, yet external
coordination faculty coordination efforts do occur

9. Findings
• Recurring Themes: Coordination, Soft-Skills, Curriculum, Readiness
• There is benefit in internal and external coordination
• Faculty preparation and coordination brings forth need for content
knowledge and soft skill development
P1: Pryor 9th Grade Teacher: “ Students don’t have a concept of coordination, time-management, and meeting
deadlines and you can’t teach a pathway course of instruction that’s partly focused on jobs without teaching soft
skills.”
P2: Tulsa Tech Educator: “In addition to portfolio building there is also development on soft skills.”
• Coordination efforts viewed logical, yet little deliberate external
collaborative efforts taken
P3: TCC Pathway (QR): “I coordinate activities with my counterparts in higher education generally through email because of
time constraints and it’s required, but the emails help us identify problems students are facing and we seek ways to work
together for a scheduled PCLC [professional community learning conference].”
• Internal and external deemed important to career readiness
• External coordination efforts are generally mandated

10. Significance to Practice
• Faculty coordination efforts are primarily organic and not
widely shared which may contribution to fragmentation
efforts.
• Absence of policy may provide little insight into need for
faculty coordination efforts.
• Internal coordination efforts, based on response, are
perceived as having an impact on student readiness.

11. Significance to Leadership
• Pathways has emerged over time, moving beyond
achievement gaps between students of color (Goldrick-Rab
et al., 2007; Hooker & Brand, 2010).
• An introduction to career and development of core general
education was emphasized consistent with the literature
(Hooker & Brand, 2010).
• Coordination efforts between faculty are most often organic
and coupling an informal approach with policy may be
beneficial.
• Pathways curriculum design may benefit from more
deliberate focus on soft skill development.
• External coordination efforts though perceived valuable may
benefit with policy mandates requirements.

12. Limitations
• Population site selection is limited
• Disciplines covered is limited
• Limited number of research participants
• Limited geographic

13. Future Research
• Creditable first step yet more insight is needed
• Gain quantitative insight (mixed-study)
• Conduct a longitudinal study

14. Q&A