New Vision Resource Center Connects Stakeholders, Solutions

In 2017, the California Community Colleges was introduced to the Vision for Success, the “north star” for the system, and Guided Pathways, the new framework to support that vision. The new Vision Resource Center is an online hub that will help every person and college in the system build on their efforts toward full Guided Pathways implementation, and the fulfillment of goals set forth in the Vision for Success.

The Vision Resource Center is the next evolution of the Professional Learning Network (PLN). The new center is focused on connection and collaboration across the California Community Colleges, and providing access to professional development tools and resources. It helps align everyone’s movement toward the Vision for Success, by facilitating dialogue and providing relevant support.

“Just as the Guided Pathways framework is transforming how we help our students succeed, the Vision Resource Center will transform how we help each other succeed,” says Rob Rundquist, senior executive, Guided Pathways. “The added connection from the Chancellor’s Office to the 115 colleges will be invaluable.”

The main points of focus for the Vision Resource Center are “Connect” and “Learning.” There is also a systemwide calendar of events to help users find upcoming professional development workshops and events.

CONNECT – In the Connect menu, users will access online communities built around key topics such as the Vision for Success, Guided Pathways, Instructional Design, etc. Community members can ask questions and provide input in discussion boards, and find related resources, materials and tools to download. Going forward, more communities will be added, as areas requiring support are identified. Communities are each moderated by subject matter experts, who facilitate discussion and provide helpful materials.

LEARNING – The Chancellor’s Office is building learning modules specific to system topics that will help foster common understanding about systemwide goals and initiatives. Users can also continue to access instructional materials from Lynda.com and Skillsoft in the Learning area.

The Vision Resource Center will help support all California community colleges in their work towards Guided Pathways implementation by facilitating online connection and collaboration, and providing helpful resources and tools. Guided Pathways learning modules (in progress) will support continued communication about Guided Pathways, reinforcing the purpose and value of the framework and aligning stakeholders’ understanding and expectations.

Indeed, the support goes both ways. The Chancellor’s Office staff will be engaged in the Vision Resource Center communities to help inform development of additional support resources and workshops.

Want more? Colleges and districts can request to be fully integrated into the Vision Resource Center. This entails the creation of user accounts for all personnel at the college, and provides a custom welcome screen for those users. Colleges can include their own local messages and announcements on this custom page, and will have the ability to create their own local communities for campus collaboration.

For example, an integrated college’s Guided Pathways team could create a community to collaborate with each other and with other key campus colleagues. The team has a place to keep discussions going, share new information and resources, and easily access related system resources, as needed.

The Vision Resource Center will open with a soft launch on September 5, with the full launch slated for early October. Users who already had a PLN login can use those same credentials to log in to the Vision Resource Center, while new users are encouraged to create a new account, in just a few simple steps.

Visit the Vision Resource Center and sign up: visionresourcecenter.cccco.edu.