From the moment that Stella and Charles Guttman Community College (GCC) of the City University of New York opened its doors in August of 2012, work-focused experiential learning has been deeply embedded in the student experience. Guttman’s mission promises to support graduates in successfully completing their degrees and helping them prepare for jobs that offer them a family sustaining wage. As the college celebrates its 5th anniversary, we have taken the opportunity to step back and review our experiential learning pathway and assess the extent to which it is supporting this goal. In this session participants will: 1) Analyze the GCC experiential learning pathway, including the strong foundations set in the first year with the Ethnographies of Work (Hoffman 2016) two-part course, using the EEQ pilot framework; 2) Explore ways to elevate and assess work-based experiential learning in the Experiential Learning Pathway.

From the moment that Stella and Charles Guttman Community College (GCC) of the City University of New York opened its doors in August of 2012, work-focused experiential learning has been deeply embedded in the student experience (Concept Paper 2008). Guttman’s mission promises to support graduates in successfully completing their degrees and helping them prepare for jobs that will offer them a family sustaining wage. As the college celebrates its 5^th anniversary, we have taken the opportunity to step back and review our experiential learning pathway and assess the extent to which it is supporting this goal.

The assessment of our experiential learning pathway was bolstered by our participation in the Essential Employability Qualities (EEQ) pilot (EEQ Pilot Overview 2017). The EEQ pilot is a project of the Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Postsecondary Education funded through the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) under a grant from the Lumina Foundation. Though the pilot was focused on one program, the EEQ process encouraged GCC faculty, staff, and administrators to take a careful look at how EEQ learning was happening in experiential, work-related ways throughout a student’s experience.

Our examination of the experiential learning pathway through the EEQ pilot process pointed us toward three key next steps:

1. Define and scaffold work-focused experiential learning opportunities and related student learning outcomes along the pathway.
2. Elevate work-based experiences along the pathway.
3. Develop an assessment plan that will help our institution continue to strive toward our goal of helping students build the skills and competencies necessary to thrive in today’s dynamic workforce.

In this interactive session, we will work in small groups to 1) Analyze the GCC experiential learning pathway, including the strong foundations set in the first year with the Ethnographies of Work (Hoffman 2016) two-part course, using the EEQ pilot framework; 2) Explore ways to elevate and assess work-based experiential learning in the Experiential Learning Pathway. 

The City University of New York, Office of Academic Affairs. (2008). A new community college concept paper. Retrieved from http://guttman.cuny.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/ANewCommunityCollegeConceptPaperFinalAug152008withoutdraft.pdf

The Quality Assurance Commons for Higher and Post Secondary Education. EEQ pilot overview. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3tSjBEgUrybQ1FZV04zVDVLSkFRSFZUU2hSUzVFTC1Vd29r/view

Hoffman, N. (2016). Guttman Community College puts “work” at the center of Llarning: An approach to student economic mobility, change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 48(4), 14-23. doi:10.1080/00091383.2016.1198167

50-Minute Interactive Session

Measuring Transformative Learning