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Overview

The California Community Colleges Education Planning Initiative (EPI) is designed to develop and implement a comprehensive education planning system that will customize and sequence matriculation information and activities to lead students towards successful completion of their educational goals. The EPI intends to provide college campuses with an online education planning tool; a degree audit system; and a student services portal system.

The RP Group is leading the evaluation of this initiative to provide ongoing feedback and concluding insights to EPI project lead (Butte-Glenn Community College District) and partners. This evaluation is seeking to determine:

1. The impact of a statewide education planning and degree audit system on student completion and/or graduation rates

2. The role counselors and academic advisors play and how student support is delivered once education planning and degree tools are adopted

3. The impact of an increased understanding of students’ educational plans on colleges’ course scheduling and program delivery as well as any financial impact

As a result of performing a comprehensive evaluation, EPI, the Chancellor’s Office, and the entire California Community College system will have formative and summative information about how the initiative (1) helps students make informed choices, (2) clarifies goals and plan for success, (3) leverages technology to assist under-resourced counseling services, (4) coordinates within and between colleges, and (5) designs effective management solutions.