How to Design Meta Majors

PATHWAYS TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Lexie WaughJobs for the Future | February 2016

HOW TO DESIGN META-MAJORS:ADVICE FOR COLLEGES AND STATES

OVERVIEW

> Introduction to meta-majors

> Meta-majors as a pathways design principle

> Example: Lorain County Community College

> Implementing meta-majors

– Design principles decisions

– Group exercise

> Discussion and wrap up

A GROWING GUIDED PATHWAYS MOVEMENT

GUIDED PATHWAYS PRINCIPLES

Self-Service (Status Quo) Guided Pathways“Opt-in” career & college planning Required plans, exploratory majorsProgram paths unclear Clear roadmaps to student end goals

Too many choices Default, whole-program schedules

Dev ed narrowly focused on Math & English 101, no “soft skills” prep

Intake systems redesigned as “on-ramp” to program of study

Students’ progress not monitored Progress tracking, regular feedback & support

High school, ABE/ESL, non-credit poorly aligned with college

Bridges to college programs from high school, ABE/ESL, non-credit

Source: Jenkins, Davis and Johnstone, Rob. “Start with the End in Mind: Building Guided Pathways to Student Success.” Washington, DC: Presentation at Jobs for the Future’s Student Success Summit, September 2014.

META-MAJORS EMERGED AS A PATHWAYS DESIGN PRINCIPLE

> “New students who are undecided about a major must choose one of a limited number of exploratory or ‘meta-majors’ that expose them to educational and career options within broad fields. The meta-majors also include program maps of default sequences of courses.”- Thomas R. Bailey, Shanna Smith Jaggars, Davis Jenkins. Redesigning

America’s Community Colleges. Community College Research Center, Columbia University, 2015.

META-MAJORS EMERGED AS A PATHWAYS DESIGN PRINCIPLE

Business Health Sciences

Industry/Manufacturing & Construction

STEM

Accounting A.A. Health Information Technology A.S.

Building Construction Technology A.S.

Computer Information Technology A.S.

Human Resources Mgmt. A.A.

EMT Certificate Building Construction Specialist Certificate

Computer Information Technology Specialist Certificate

Office Mgmt. Certificate

Nursing A.S. Drafting & Design Technology A.S.

Biology A.A.

Medical Office Admin. A.S.

Dental Hygiene A.S.

Landscape & Horticulture A.S.

Engineering A.A.

Source: “New Student Experience,” Valencia College, http://valenciacollege.edu/academic-affairs/new-student-experience/meta-majors.cfm. Accessed Jan. 2016.

http://valenciacollege.edu/academic-affairs/new-student-experience/meta-majors.cfm

WHAT IS A META-MAJOR: COMMON ELEMENTS

EXPECTED BENEFITS

> Meta-majors are designed to:– Help students narrow their program interests early in their academic

careers.– Ensure students register for relevant courses that add up to a coherent

degree program.– Map general education cores so that students can branch off to programs

within the meta-major.– Receive program information systematically to help them select a

program by a specified milestone (e.g., at 30 credits).– Create cohorts of students with related interests.– Expose students early to faculty with relevance to their career interests.– Align support services (e.g., advising, career services) so that

experiences are relevant and well-informed.– Create more “stickiness” for the student at the college.

WHAT IS A META-MAJOR: BUSINESS EXAMPLE

“[A]t the end of the 2nd semester, a student can choose 8 different business majors with nothing lost.”Source: Jonathan Dryden, Stephanie Sutton. “Designing with the End in Mind: LCCC’s Approach to Meta Majors & Guided Pathways.” PowerPoint Presentation, slide 18. November 17, 2015.

EXAMPLE: LORAIN COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

How We Began• Transfer & Applied Team charged with

investigating structured pathways and meta-majorso Subgroup of LCCC’s Core Completion Teamo 12 meetings held during AY to process and

move work forward• Davis Jenkins’ work with T&A team in

November 2014 was important in setting the framework and why it was important – best practice & evidence-based

• Identification of Career/Major Interest Areas (meta majors) by T&A Team

Exploratory Majors for Undecided

• Transfer and Applied Team identified categories and mapped all programs

• Originally 20 but narrowed down to 12 9o (based on behavioral economics data – Rob Johnstone)

• LCCC will brand as Career/Major Program Areas• Imbed in LCCC on-line application

o Reduces choice from 130 to 12 9 for undecided students

• Students who know what they want can select specific major at application

• Website redesign that will link ALL pages regarding career and programs to labor market data and these 12 9 areas

• Working out details to launch by in Spring 2016

Default Program Maps• T&A Co-chairs (all faculty) held work sessions to

identify common courses o Pivot tables used to find common courses among all programso Gap analysis of LCCC programs with the labor market outlooko Created spreadsheets by program of clustered common courseso Used flip charts to begin flowcharting common courses

• Met with Program Coordinators with flowchart info o Changes made based on new info and feedback from coordinatorso Student focused approach to changeso Widely accepted by coordinatorso 75% of coordinator meetings completed – remainder Fall 2015

• 2015-16 focus will be on default pathwayso Faculty involvement will be paramounto Large # open-ended electives need pared down to a few choiceso As meta major narrows down to path, programs coordinators will need

to be involved in decisions

Career & Major Program Areas

Draft Catalog LanguageCareer & Major Program AreasCareer & Major Program Areas are designed for regularly admitted, degree seeking students who may have a particular degree focus in mind but haven’t narrowed it down to a specific major. This affords these students the opportunity to explore in defined areas of study such as Business and Entrepreneurship; Education; Health Wellness and Safety; Science and Math; etc. While in the Career & Major Program Area, students are required to meet with their Career and Academic Advisement Professional or Academic Counselor every semester to ensure proper course selection. Additionally, students are encouraged to engage in career exploration activities either through their Academic Counselor or with a Career Development Specialist in the Counseling and Career Services area. Students may remain in the Career and Major Interest Area for up to 24 credits. Upon achieving 24 credit hours, the student will then be required to select a specific major.

Design Principles• College Composition I, math, and College 101

should be included in the first semester of the curriculum;

• The common meta-major courses should be included in the first two semesters of the curriculum; and

• One course from the student’s major should be included in each semester. This can be a technical course or a career-related general education course (e.g. Anatomy and Physiology can serve as a “majors” course in the healthcare meta-major).

ACTG 151

CISS 121

CMMC 151

ENGL 161

ENGL 162

MTHM 151

SDEV 101

Accounting - AAB - 0011Administrative Office Information Systems - AAB - 0209Business Administration - Entrepreneurship Major - AAB - 0224Business Administration - Financial Services - AAB - 0018Business Administration - Human Resource Management Major - AAB - 0229Business Administration - Management Major - AAB - 0227Business Administration - Marketing Major - AAB - 0226Business Administration -- Supply Chain Management - AAB - 0208Computer Information Systems - Mobile Device Application Development - AAB - 6639Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology Major - AAB - 6649Computer Information Systems - Software Development - AAB - 6618Computer Information Systems -- Web Development Major - AAB - 6601

Take any of these 7 courses and they will fit into any of the 12 Business Programs (Majors)

12 Business Programs

ACTG 152

Accounting - AAB - 0011

Administrative Office Information Systems - AAB - 0209Business Administration - Entrepreneurship Major - AAB - 0224Business Administration - Financial Services - AAB - 0018Business Administration - Human Resource Management Major - AAB - 0229Business Administration - Management Major - AAB - 0227Business Administration - Marketing Major - AAB - 0226Business Administration -- Supply Chain Management - AAB - 0208Computer Information Systems - Mobile Device Application Development - AAB - 6639Computer Information Systems - Network Communications Technology Major - AAB - 6649Computer Information Systems - Software Development - AAB - 6618Computer Information Systems -- Web Development Major - AAB - 6601

A student who wants to try another accounting class can take ACTG 152 and is still on a path that leads into 10 Business Majors

Credits

Contact Hrs.

Lec H

rs.

Lab H

rs.

Com

pleted

Grade

Notes

! ACTG 151 Accounting I - Financial 4 5 3 2 Yes/No Needs to complete with ≥ 2.0ECNM 151 Macroeconomics 3 3 3 0ENGL 161 College Composition I 3 3 3 0MTHM 151 College Mathematics 3 3 3 0SDEV 101 College 101 1 1 1 0

14

! ACTG 152 Accounting II - Managerial 4 5 3 2 Needs to complete with ≥ 2.0CISS 121 Microcomputer Applications I 3 4 2 2CMMC 151 Oral Communications 3 3 3 0ECNM 152 Microeconomics 3 3 3 0ENGL 162 College Composition II 3 3 3 0

16

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

ECNM 151 and 152 are pre-requisites for FNCE 251 which is required in the second year of the Accounting Program. This would require a student to modify the default pathway and take ECNM in the first and second semesters of the Accounting Program. By doing so, there are still 7 other business majors that require ECNM if the student does not want to continue with Accounting. Nothing is lost.

1st Year Accounting Curriculum Guide

First Year

ACTG 151 Accounting I - Financial 4ECNM 151 Macroeconomics 3ENGL 161 College Composition I 3MTHM 151 College Mathematics 3SDEV 101 College 101 1

14

> ACTG 152 Accounting II - Managerial 4CISS 121 Microcomputer Applications I 3CMMC 151 Oral Communications 3ECNM 152 Microeconomics 3

> ENGL 162 College Composition II 316

Second YearFall Semester

> ACTG 251 Intermediate Accounting I 4> ACTG 267 Federal Income Tax Procedures - Individuals 4

BADM 165 Legal Environment of Business 3> FNCE 251 Business Finance 3

14

> ACTG 252 Intermediate Accounting II 4> ACTG 265 Cost Accounting 3

BADM 251 Principles of Management *** OR 3> MKRG 251 Principles of Marketing

Science Elective with lab** 4Electives* 2/3

16/17

Total Semester Credit Hours 60/61

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Spring Semester

The default pathway was modified slightly to fit the accounting program, but still at the end of the 2nd semester, a student can choose 8 different business majors with nothing lostAccounting - AAB - 0011Administrative Office Information Systems - AAB - 0209Business Administration - Entrepreneurship Major - AAB - 0224Business Administration - Financial Services - AAB - 0018Business Administration - Human Resource Management Major - AAB - 0229Business Administration - Management Major - AAB - 0227Business Administration - Marketing Major - AAB - 0226Business Administration -- Supply Chain Management - AAB - 0208

Full Accounting Curriculum Guide

Lorain County Community College Course Hiram Course Equivalent

Year 1 - Semester 1ACTG 151 Accounting I - Financial 4 ACCT 22500 Financial Accounting CISS 121 Microcomputer Applications 1 3 ElectiveECNM 151 Macroeconomics 3 ECON 20200 MacroeconomicsENGL 161 College Composition I 3 FSEM 17600 Writing in the Liberal Arts IMTHM 151 College Mathematics 3 ElectiveSDEV 101 College 101 1 Elective

Year 1 - Semester 2ACTG 152 Accounting II - Managerial 4 ACCT 22600 Managerial AccountingCMMC 151 Oral Communications 3 CORE: CA Social & Cultural Analysis MethodsECNM 152 Microeconomics 3 CORE: MM Modeling Methods ENGL 162 College Composition II 3 FSEM 17700 Writing in the Liberal Arts IIPSYH 151 Introduction to Psychology or 3 ElectiveSOCY 151 Introduction to Sociology 3 Elective

Year 2 - Semester 1ACTG 251 Intermediate Accounting I 4 ACCT 35100 Intermediate Accounting IACTG 267 Federal Income Tax Procedures 4 ElectiveBADM 165 Legal Environment of Business 3 ElectiveBADM 251 Principles of Management 3 MGMT 21800 Organizational BehaviorFNCE 251 Business Finance 3 MGMT 30200 Corporate Finance

Year 2 - Semester 2ACTG 252 Intermediate Accounting II 4 ACTG 35200 Intermediate Accounting IIACTG 265 Cost Accounting 3 ACCT 32500 Cost ManagementMRKG 251 Principles of Marketing 3 Elective

Natural Science w/Lab 4 *CORE: SM Experimental Scientific MethodsElective Course 3

Year 3 - Semester 1 Year 4 - Semester 1 ACCT 24000 3 ACCT 34000 3ACCT 31900 4 ACCT 33500 3INTD 32700 Electronic Crime in Business 4 INTD XXXXX 3CORE: IM 3 COMM 25000 4

Year 3 - Semester 2 Year 4 - Semester 2ACCT 30900 4 ACCT 44100 4ACCT 33000 4 ACCT 48000 4INTD XXXXX 4 CORE: CM 3

CORE: UD 3

Accounting Information SystemsFinancial Decision Making

Understanding Diversity - TBD

Communication Between Cultures

Advanced AccountingSenior Seminar/Capstone

Interdisciplinary Requirement - TBD

Total Hours through Hiram College = 53

Associate of Applied Business in Accounting at Lorain County Community Collegeto B.A. in Accounting at Hiram College

Courses Completed at LCCC

Professional Responsibilities (ES)Auditing

Creative Methods - TBD

Interpretive Methods - TBD

Federal Taxation AccountingFinancial Statement AnalysisInterdisciplinary Requirement - TBD

As a student completes LCCC UP Partnership courses, we will indicate completion towards the UP degree, as well. Example: Hiram College UP Accounting Program

META-MAJORS: DESIGN PRINCIPLES DECISIONS



> What are the college’s goals?

> What building blocks are already in place?

> Who will lead this implementation? Which other stakeholders need to know about this?

> How much will the cost be to implement?

> How does the college’s broader environment (e.g., state or college policy) support or inhibit meta-majors?


> Do the college’s programs align to the local labor market and/or transfer partner? Has the college validated its program offerings with employers?

– What are the right high-level program groupings?

• How many meta-majors make sense for this college?

– Which general education courses align best to each meta-major?

– How can the college integrate developmental education to ensure it serves as an on-ramp into meta-majors for students ?

– How will the college ensure students stay on their mapped pathways?


> How does the college communicate meta-majors to prospective and entering students?

– How does the college work with feeder high schools, Adult Education, and workforce partners to align student pathways?

> How does the college tell entering students what meta-majors are?

- Is there a college-wide orientation that includes an introduction to meta-majors?

> How does the college help students make informed choices about meta-majors?

– Does an advising session happen during orientation?

– Does the college integrate career counseling into early advising sessions?


> Do orientations, first-year experience courses, and student success courses align to the meta-major?

– Are these mandatory?

> Does the advising infrastructure align to the meta-major?

– Are there required advising milestones during the first semester?

> What types of early career counseling experiences are aligned to the meta-major?

– How does the college introduce students to specific majors within the meta-major?

> Does the college use an educational planning software to keep students on track in their mapped pathway?


> What support services can improve retention for this meta-major?– Do students have regular, mandatory check-ins with advisors?

> Are career services aligned to meta-majors?> What work-based learning opportunities are relevant for each meta-

major?> At what point in their academic career will students choose their major?

– By the halfway point for the major? After 30 credits or the appropriate milestone for the major, e.g., the first certificate?

> Are industry-recognized credentials built into the meta-major?– At what point are students encouraged to pursue appropriate

certifications?

LEXIE [email protected]

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