many the miles: Paving the Way to Post-Graduation Student Success
project overview
"The road to success is always under construction." - Lily Tomlin
In our pursuit of career success, we are like cars on a highway, speeding along in the same direction. Because we are so focused on our destination (the perfect career), we often believe that there is only one route to career advancement. This tunnel vision can keep us from seeking alternate routes, either on our own or by asking directions of others, who may guide us in a direction we would not otherwise have gone. Being open to other possibilities might allow us to progress more quickly—or lead us to a new and better destination.
This action research project is a self-study of a newly hired Student Success Center Manager (Carrington College California Pomona) with a broad background in education. I intend for this project to be an example of first-person action research in the search of practice improvement.
After spending a few months in my new role on campus, I feel that the faculty and staff on our campus are succeeding in meeting our position-specific goals in helping our students graduate. Our faculty is comprised of effective instructors in their specific classes. Our staff members meet our goals and communicate with each other effectively. Our goals are always centered on helping support our students.
The overall goals of my action research as I begin this project are:
1. To investigate how I can best assist students in meeting or exceeding long-term career goals at Carrington College California Pomona.
2. To broaden my initial job description so that it includes collaboration with the Career Services department.
3. To collaborate with faculty and staff so that we see a bigger picture of how we can work together to help our students succeed.
This project unveils a process of action and reflection in which I search for ways to improve my practice as Student Success Center Manager and ultimately set myself apart as a “quiet innovator” at work.
Evidence for reflection is drawn from survey feedback and from conversations with students and faculty on the CCCP campus.
what is action research?
"Action is the foundational key to all success." - Pablo Picasso
Action research is a process of deep inquiry into one's practices in service of moving towards an envisioned future, aligned with values. Action research is the systematic, reflective study of one's actions, and the effects of these actions, in a workplace context. As such, it involves deep inquiry into one's professional practice. The researchers examine their work and seek opportunities for improvement. As designers and stakeholders, they work with colleagues to propose new courses of action that help their community improve work practices. As researchers, they seek evidence from multiple sources to help them analyze reactions to the action taken. They recognize their own view as subjective, and seek to develop their understanding of the events from multiple perspectives. The researcher uses data collected to characterize the forces in ways that can be shared with practitioners. This leads to a reflective phase in which the designer formulates new plans for action during the next cycle (Margaret Riel, http://cadres.pepperdine.edu/ccar/define.html).
My workplace
Carrington college california pomona campus pomona, ca
I began working as the Student Success Center Manager at Carrington College California Pomona (CCCP) in February 2013. Formerly known as Western Career College, the Carrington College California system of nine campuses boasts extensive career assistance to students, helping them pursue professional success through education. Our instructors provide hands-on training that prepares students to enter the fields of medical assisting, dental assisting, pharmacy technology, veterinary technology, and medical billing and coding. Personal and professional development, communication skills, respect and responsibility are emphasized throughout the duration of our programs. Programs culminate in a Certificate of Achievement or Associate of Science degree awarded upon successful completion of all required coursework and externship.
My position as Student Success Center Manager is new to our campus. In fact, CCC Pomona was the final campus to add this position to the staff. Because our campus is so small, the budget did not allow the addition to the staff until enrollment reached two hundred students. My position was added when enrollment hit that mark.
The CCC Student Success Centers were developed as a result of student feedback (survey data) gathered in the last two years. When I was hired, my Executive Director and I explored the campus and chose a suite of offices to transform into Pomona’s Student Success Center. Two staff members actually had to move into another section of the office in order to transform the space.