EmpowerED Community of Practice (CoP) Project

Vision Statement

The EmpowerED CoP is an equity-driven network of early adopter colleges working together to reimagine advising. We center student voices, experiences, and needs in every decision, using technology to strengthen human connection, advance equity, and help all students feel seen, supported, and capable of achieving their goals.

Our collaboration focuses on effective adoption of technology-based solutions that improve student outcomes, empower advisors, and create sustainable, student-centered systems.

Our Shared Commitments

Centering Students

We engage students as partners in designing, testing, and improving advising technology, prioritizing strategies that build agency, clarity, belonging, and accessibility.

Collaborative Learning

We share practices, stories, and data that advance equity, celebrate student success, and strengthen advisor skills through shared, equity-informed training and tools.

Equity & Inclusion

We use disaggregated data to address inequities, centering implementation on students from marginalized communities and ensuring those most excluded benefit first.

Collective Action

We align cross-institutional efforts to simplify the student experience and create shared resources that support both students and staff.

Sustainable Impact

We track and share progress, adapt based on feedback, foster proactive advising cultures, and ensure technology enhances—never replaces—human connection.

Documentation

We contribute to a robust knowledge base of effective practices, resources, and case studies to facilitate smooth and equitable adoption of advising technology systemwide. (Note: SBCTC and technical assistant from Jobs for the Future will anonymize and synthesize CoP information before broad, public sharing.)

Our Community

The CoP will be comprised of college teams from

• Bates Technical College
• Edmonds College
• Pierce College
• Spokane Community College
• Spokane Falls Community College
• Whatcom Community College

Each team will have about 10 members including a primary point of contact and representatives from across college functions (including IT, academic advising, career services, transfer, financial aid, academic support, faculty, student services, and/or academic affairs leadership).

CoP Meetings

The CoP will have two (2), in-person meetings - a June 2025 Kick-off and an Aug/Sept 2026 Closeout Celebration.

The CoP will have at least four (4) virtual meetings to discuss topics relevant to different stages of implementation. Topics will be determined by CoP members with support from the SBCTC and JFF. Every meeting will include time for peer sharing, guidance, and feedback.

CoP colleges may invite any faculty, staff, or students supporting design and implementation to these meetings. In-person meetings may require limiting the number of participants per college.

Communication

The CoP uses MS Teams for chat across colleges and with technical assistants at the SBCTC and Jobs for the Future (JFF).

If you do not have access to Teams, please contact Amunoo Tembo, Student Success and Pathway Navigation Policy Associate, 360-704-1020.

EmpowerED CoP Project Guidelines, FY 2026

Overview

This FAQ includes responses from the ConexED team to questions submitted by the EmpowerED Community of Practice (CoP) during the in-person convening activity (From Current to Present to Change Management) and by early adopter colleges during monthly Office Hours.

It is intended to support college teams as they plan for implementation.  

If you would like to receive invitations to upcoming SBCTC IT-ConexED Office Hours, please contact Amunoo Tembo, 360-704-1020. 

Implementation & Project Management

Integration with Campus Systems

Features & Functionality 

Training, Support & Resources

The Early Adopter Advising Technology Implementation Application Informational Webinar was held April 8, 2025.

 Topics include:

• Early adoption advising technology implementation project overview
• Request for proposals (RFP) process and the alignment of the project with Guided Pathways and Student Success efforts
• Selection of colleges for a grant-funded pilot program
• RFP for student success software
• Final decision on the RFP results and vendor announcement
• The four vendors that provided demonstrations
• Extended grant application deadline

The EmpowerED Community of Practice met for the first time in person at the SBCTC offices in Olympia, WA. During the session, the group clarified its purpose and engaged in visioning exercises to outline key goals for the coming year. Colleges began the project with a range of local challenges (e.g., outdated systems for scheduling, case management, and tracking), but all shared a vision for improving the future state of advising for their students.

The group previewed the new advising platform, ConexED, and discussed anticipated implementation challenges, including change management, two-way integration, and college-wide user adoption. Colleges also began developing strategies to ensure students and staff have timely technology support, manageable processes for case notes, and accessible reporting tools.

The second meeting was held virtually via Zoom and focused on ConexED features, implementation timelines, student engagement strategies, and team progress.

Highlights from colleges:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Teams are forming across departments and districts with shared planning underway.
• Student Engagement: Students are providing input via surveys and focus groups, with compensation (e.g., gift cards) for their time and expertise.
• Advising Reform & Frameworks: Colleges are conducting advising scans with JFF and restructuring advising models, launching frameworks and degree planning tools.
• ConexED Adoption: Demos are underway, with contracts anticipated in September.

Colleges are also addressing key priorities:

• Continuity: Sustaining advisor capacity during staff transitions.
• Streamlining: Strengthening referral systems to clarify support connections.
• Integration: Ensuring smooth two-way integration with ctcLink and transitioning from existing platforms.
• Optimization: Aligning ConexED with Guided Pathways and business processes for maximum impact.