Quality Enhancement Plan

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Quality Enhancement Plan

focus-2-finish-logoHelping students stay on track and graduate on time

The Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, is part of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) re-affirmation process. The QEP is an initiative of the college to address student learning outcomes and/or improve student success. Each college chooses the topic and goals for its QEP, and the QEP is implemented over a five-year period.

QEP Timeline

  • Fall 2018: The QEP Topic Research Committee was formed and began studying topic ideas for the QEP. The initial 10 topics proposed were narrowed to an overarching “Student Wellness” theme to look at academic and non-academic barriers for students.

  • Spring 2019: Faculty and staff were invited to attend a meeting during Welcome Week in which a vote was taken to decide the topic for the QEP. The topic of “Accelerated Learning with Collaborative Yearlong Scheduling” was selected. Current 91自拍 students were surveyed regarding the proposed QEP topic. Throughout the semester, the newly formed QEP Steering Committee met to gather data and identify implementation needs. Subcommittees were formed.

  • Summer 2019: Subcommittees began work on the budget, master schedule, student success outcomes, and faculty training.

  • Fall 2019: The implementation committee identified specific tasks to ensure successful implementation of the 8-week model in fall 2020. Student focus groups were held to address student concerns and interests pertaining to 8-week scheduling and to explore marketing recommendations. Faculty and student training plans were developed.

  • Spring 2020: Eight-week schedules were built initially for fall semester 2020 followed by spring and summer 2021 semesters. Faculty training commenced during Welcome Week with additional training provided during the semester. The QEP marketing campaign to the campus community was initiated during Welcome Week and continued via a multi-pronged approach throughout the semester.

  • Summer 2020: The Quality Enhancement Plan was submitted to SACS. Read the Executive Summary.

  • Fall 2020: The 8-week course model will be implemented to scale on main campus. SACS will conduct its on-site peer review and evaluate the QEP.

FAQ

Accelerated learning with collaborative year-long scheduling will be the focus of our QEP. Accelerated learning is a relatively generic term that can have various connotations. 91自拍’s use of the term “accelerated learning” means that the College will adopt an 8-week scheduling model. Further, the College will implement collaborative yearlong scheduling to ensure that students can enroll in courses as stipulated in course maps. 91自拍 will be able to plan their schedules at least one year in advance.

In fall 2018, the QEP topic research committee, comprised of faculty and staff, began meeting to research various topic ideas. Through this process, potential topics were identified, refined, research was consolidated, and preparation was made to select the final topic for the QEP. In spring semester 2019, all faculty and staff were invited to the topic selection meeting during Welcome Week. Those in attendance voted to make “Accelerated Learning with Collaborative Year-long Scheduling” the focal topic for the QEP.

Published research over the past four decades has overwhelmingly demonstrated that accelerated courses and programs lead to better student retention, completion, and graduation rates. Three Texas colleges that have moved to an 8-week model (Amarillo, Odessa, and Grayson Colleges) have obtained promising student success data as a result. For example, Odessa College, which implemented the 8-week model in fall 2014, has seen growth in enrollment and increased persistence of students. Odessa College now has the highest graduation rate of any community college in Texas. Amarillo College has experienced a 12% increase in course success rates since implementing the 8-week model in fall 2016.

Based on studies of other colleges that have implemented an 8-week model, 91自拍 anticipates that student success, retention, and graduation rates will improve; that course withdrawal rates will decline; and that more part-time students will become full-time students. By decreasing the time to graduation, students will have lower costs for attendance.

The mission of 91自拍 is to foster student success for our diverse community by providing quality lifelong learning and enrichment experiences that empower students to achieve their dreams and aspirations. The QEP will help students achieve their dreams and aspirations by timely completion of their program of study at 91自拍.

In the 91自拍 Strategic Plan covering the years 2016-2021, its first goal is “Foster Student Success.” Each of the five objectives for achieving this goal relate directly to the QEP:

  1. Increase course completion with an earned grade of “C” or better.

  2. Increase students’ attainment of recognized credentials.

  3. Increase retention of credential-seeking students from term to term and year to year.

  4. Increase the number of career and technical education students who are employed or continue in higher education within one year of graduation.

  5. Increase the number of transfers to baccalaureate-granting institutions.

SACS recommends the following steps in developing the QEP:

  1. Selecting a Topic

  2. Defining the Student Learning Outcomes and/or Student Success Outcomes

  3. Researching the Topic

  4. Identifying the Actions to be Implemented

  5. Establishing the Timeline for Implementation

  6. Organizing for Success

  7. Identifying Necessary Resources

  8. Assessing the Success of the QEP

  9. Preparing the QEP for Submission