Unlocking Opportunity Progress Updates

Earning a Credential Prior to Transferring

• Revitalizing transfer partnerships with Wright State University and Central State University. Key administrators and transfer staff from both institutions are engaged in the discussions and planning.
• Successful promotion of National Transfer Student Week (October 21-25). Offered students several opportunities to engage with University Partners and the Transfer Center team.

In-Demand Living-Wage Credential Completion

• To encourage students to register for multiple courses within SmartBlock. In collaboration Registration and Advising designed a strategy to promote multi-course registration among students. By grouping four specific courses for each priority program, the system encourages students to register for multiple courses within the block. Through Colleague, corequisites and cross-listing features have been implemented, requiring students to enroll in at least two courses from that block. This creates a structured pathway for students to ensure they take key courses together while simplifying their registration process.

Increase Number of Students Completing Sinclair's Bachelor Degree Programs

• There are many steps that must happen for a bachelor’s degree program to fully launch and successfully enroll students. We documented steps to get the new Bachelor’s of Health Sciences ready for students to start class in Fall 2025. Those action items are underway with a variety of groups spanning several divisions. After nearly one-year of launching, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program evaluated their first year and made some recommendations to improve enrollment and student success for future terms. These insights are being collecting and will serve as a program checklist or handbook for faculty wishing to develop new programs in the future.

Prior Learning Assessment

• "How to Get Credit For What You Already Know" Video is complete; marketing plan for the video is in planning phase.
• New "Credit for Training and Credentials" website is published.

Technology, Advising, and Student Supports

• Finalized version of "Roadmap to Major Selection & Career Planning"
• TASS team members are supporting the launch of EAB Navigate360. Data validation and workflow development are currently underway. The team is collaborating with various departments to establish a 'super-user' group to spearhead the introduction of EAB Navigate360. This group will engage with the test site and pilot the Appointment Center’s queuing system, a feature designed to replace Sinclair’s current scheduling tools for the Welcome Center, on-site registration events, and on-demand advising periods. This is the first phase of the full-scale implementation of the Navigate 360 tool.

Earning a Credential Prior to Transferring

• Hosted 8 Bachelor Bound Workshop Series. (~150 students) and Hosted Transfer 101 Workshop Series. (~50 students to date).

In-Demand Living-Wage Credential Completion

• Through her work with School Partnerships, Dr. Cicchetti has identified three UO career pathways (IT, ADV MAN, HS) in 7 districts. Each of these districts already has a career navigator through a Learn 2 Earn Grant. Leveraging the Learn 2 Earn PACE grant and Perkins funding, an ESC career navigator will visit high schools, pull students, and talk about their aptitude per the YouScience test. Estimated cost is $5K per program, and we thought we'd start the pilot with IT and HS.
• Compression planning session to discuss Full Year Registration took place on October 14 with Academic Affairs leadership. A "viewable schedule" will be piloted by ENG, AUT, CAD starting in SU25.

Increase Number of Students Completing Sinclair's Bachelor Degree Programs

• The BSN and IST programs will host Sinclair Bachelor Bound Workshops this fall to generate interest among current Sinclair students in related associate degree programs.
• Bachelor's degrees will be included in the 2025 scholarship portfolio under the In Demand Jobs scholarship program.

Experiential Learning in Living-Wage Programs

• Experiential Learning Coordinator is working on an EL track intended to train and inform faculty on how they can incorporate EL into their curriculum.
• Grouptrail, an experiential learning tracking software, is slated to be operational by October 31, 2024.

Leverage and Build Custom Training Programs to Fill Workforce Demand

• 9 Westown IT Fundamentals Class students completed the summer cohort; 8 plan to continue at Sinclair; 9 started the Fall cohort on September 30, 2024; working with Technology First to expand IT apprenticeship opportunities beyond MCOhio.
• 5 students approved for 5G/Broadband Fiber Optic Certification Training by QUEST, the program funder, to begin on October 21, 2024.

Prior Learning Assessment

• Worked with faculty to develop proficiency exams for VIS1100, BIS1230, BIS 1260 and BIS 1221.

Technology, Advising, and Student Supports

• EAB Data Validation is ongoing; We have reached Care Unit scheduling functionality testing phase.

Earning a Credential Prior to Transferring

• UD Sinclair Academy (UDSA) Orientation for Fall 24 Co-hort; 125 students/parents

In-Demand Living-Wage Credential Completion

• Confirmed funding and next steps to partner with ESC Career Navigator who will work with high school districts, identifying students who show aptitude through youscience in specific programs, allowing Sinclair to host events and create marketing materials to target these groups of students for recruitment post high school.

Increase Number of Students Completing Sinclair's Bachelor Degree Programs

• Created solid drafts of bachelor degree program student profiles: planning tool, mindful tracking

Experiential Learning in Living-Wage Programs

• Survey distribution
• Identifying 1-2 Living Wage programs in each division to increase EL participation

Leverage and Build Custom Training Programs to Fill Workforce Demand

• Both the OSHA 10 Hour and OSHA 30 Hour courses will be offered as non-credit to any industry that may desire. The time of when that will begin depends on getting the new instructor up-to-speed.
• Three new IT certification training programs launch in the Fall: 5G/Broadband Fiber Optic, Fortinet, and AWS Cloud.

Prior Learning Assessment

• Draft webpage is live, with about 15 CRG links as of August 2nd.
• Draft Script created for PLA Video Series.

Technology, Advising, and Student Supports

• Delivered first draft of Road Map to Major Selection & Career Planning document

Earning a Credential Prior to Transferring

• Outreach: Framework for Bachelor Bound Workshops with university partners finalized and several sessions are scheduled for fall semester.
• Tracking: Plans are underway to develop an integrated referral and tracking process for transfer students with Academic Advising, ISSC staff and Transfer Specialists.

In-Demand Living-Wage Credential Completion

• Career Connection: Progress made on establishing connection with ESC to leverage YouScience results to target students.
• Smart Block: SmartBlock assessment of fall courses continues.
• UO Partnerships: Program Review Rubric shared with San Antonio College.

Increase Number of Students Completing Sinclair's Bachelor Degree Programs

• Process Improvement: Next steps in place to evaluate and refine current process by which students enroll in bachelor’s degree programs - from initial inquiry (RFI) to application, to registration, and scholarship opportunities - to make sure our processes are at parity with other 4 year competitors.

Experiential Learning in Living-Wage Programs

• WBL: Generating Living Wage WBL baseline data and exploring the use of WBL tool for student dashboard.
• Experiential Learning: Survey Distribution; Identifying 1-2 Living Wage programs in each division to increase EL participation.

Leverage and Build Custom Training Programs to Fill Workforce Demand

• Plan Development: Team working to define next steps, including resource needs, to expand the existing programs and launch the new programs identified as part of the Custom Training program portfolio to fill workforce demand.

Prior Learning Assessment

• Employer Connection: Template for PLA Agreements finalized and piloted successfully with local employer.
• Marketing/Communication: Framework for PLA Video Series finalized. Series to cover: military, proficiency, portfolio, and articulated credit with lengths not to exceed 60 seconds.

Technology, Advising, and Student Supports

• Student Support: Road Map to Major Selection & Career Planning document.
• Data: Report on "Changing a major" and the impact to student completion/retention.

Earning a Credential Prior to Transferring

• Toolkits: Created University Partner Toolkits
• Data: Obtained metrics needed to obtain transfer info from university partners. https://www.sinclair.edu/admissions/modalities/block-scheduling/

In-Demand Living-Wage Credential Completion

• Smart Block Scheduling: Student Promotional Videos and landing page for Smart Block scheduling. 

Increase Number of Students Completing Sinclair's Bachelor Degree Programs

• Benchmarking: Per Site Visit and debriefs, formed consensus on next steps regarding Connect with other community colleges who have more experience with bachelor’s degrees - what are some of their key insights or lessons learned? What did they find most helpful? How did their standard business processes or campus culture change? What advice do they have for us as we expand our bachelor offerings? We have a short list of schools with similar type programs who have been operating bachelor’s degrees for 5-10 years. We'll connect in June/July as schedules permit.

Experiential Learning in Living-Wage Programs

• Partnership: WPAFB Follow-up to match Living Wage programs with opportunities at the base

Leverage and Build Custom Training Programs to Fill Workforce Demand

• Prior Learning: Working with PLA Work Team to incorporate, without duplicating efforts, PLA opportunities into workforce pathways.

Prior Learning Assessment

• Tech Prep: Identified 15+ potential PLA Proficiencies and 30+ potential Tech Prep proficiencies that could be of interest to post-secondary CTE students.
• Mission: Created Theory of Change Document for PLA

Technology, Advising, and Student Supports

• Student Support: Implemented Coaching to Complete new cohort-based model for summer.
• Career Planning: Created first draft of "Road Map to Major Selection & Career Planning" a one-page workflow resource to help students and staff/faculty know the workflow for undecided students or student major selection conversations to better serve students.

Aspen visits all 10 institutions within the Unlocking Opportunity Network, and the most recent visit to Sinclair was May 15-16, 2024. The purpose of this visit was to assist their research by having focused conversations in key areas in order to better understand our institution. This research will help them evaluate, rethink and strengthen our existing programs and develop new program models that expand career and educational opportunity for all students.

What We Have Accomplished

• Built framework for Smart Block scheduling for top 5 completed programs with priority registration and 3 semester scheduling options – Fall 2024 start.
• Completed environmental scan of career assessment and current services and financial literacy resources to inform co-work team collaboration intent on unifying institutional career exploration opportunities and efforts.
• Official opening of Transfer Center.
• Career Exploration embedded into New Student Orientation.
• Submitted student Application revision to better identify and serve undecided students.
• Secured partnership with eLearn to use Articulate Rise to clarify and inform students about their majors.
• Created Living Wage Resource to guide Work Team efforts

In Progress Work Team Tasks

• Creating Value Propositions for each Sinclair BAS Degree.
• Developing processes to capture and respond to all BAS degree RFIs.
• Enrollment trend tracking within living-wage programs.
• Expanding PLA options; organizing existing options; communicating and informing students “How To” video.
• Identifying how to address in-demand programs that are not at capacity.
• Ensuring in-demand pathways are seamless for students.
• Identifying potential for-credit courses for consideration as complementary non-credit programs within Manufacturing, Healthcare, IT Unlocking Opportunity/Aspen.