QEP: Quality Enhancement Plan

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Topic Selection

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a college initiative by which we identify key issues to improve student learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting learning in direct alignment with our Mission. Developing and implementing a QEP is part of the process for maintaining accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Central Carolina Community College began the process of choosing a QEP to guide us through the next decade. Campus-wide voting for the final QEP topic took place in fall 2015.

Voting on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) topics ran from October 20 to October 30. All students, faculty, staff, board of trustees, and the public were invited to vote using a unique email link to vote.

Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Topic Descriptions

The four QEP topics were:

  1. I AM Advising!: Advising Matters - Assure that academic advising is a personalized, student-centered, consistent, and effective learning process.
  2. MAP: My Academic Pathway - Ensuring that students make the most informed decisions about potential educational pathways to careers and transfer opportunities when they start at CCCC.
  3. BOSS: Boost Online Student Success - Evaluating students' readiness in order to provide support mechanisms for success and to maximize their online learning experience.
  4. Can you DIG IT?: Developing Innovative Guidance for Instructional Technology - Identifying and implementing best online educational practices to enhance our online learning environment.

Topic #1 - I AM Advising! Advising Matters

I AM Advising! Advising Matters focuses on engaging students in an enhanced, more effective advising experience through the better use of technology, improved advisor training and assessment of student knowledge related to advising. Strategies include committed, ongoing training for advisors, to perhaps include advisor certification, streamlined advising departmental checklists and processes, and the development and subsequent assessment of advising-related student learning outcomes. This will result in improved student success, more on-time completion, higher overall program completion and a more seamless transition to future academic goals or employment opportunities. I AM Advising!: Advising Matters will produce better advising, emphasize advising as a learning outcome, and give new definition and structure to academic advising.

Objective: To utilize technology, advisor training, and assessment of student knowledge related to advising in order to reduce the time to degree completion and the overall time spent obtaining a CCCC credential.

Data Support: Advising concerns were mentioned on multiple surveys of students, faculty and staff including the 2014-2015 QEP online survey, the December 2014 PD day forum, the Student Non-completer survey, and the 2013 Enrolled Student survey. National data suggest that community college students are not fully aware of how to use academic advising and in many cases accumulate extraneous courses, extending their time unnecessarily, and for those receiving financial aid, may be needlessly wasting it, endangering a student's opportunity to complete a program of study.

Strategic Plan Support: Learning First (Goal #1)

Future Assessment: Measuring the effectiveness of this QEP may include survey data looking at advising satisfaction, tracking students' academic goals (intent), time to degree completion, an analysis of credits taken that do not apply to students' exit major, and new metrics to assess student understanding about academic advising.

Topic #2 - MAP: My Academic Pathway

MAP: My Academic Pathway gives students an initial snapshot of what educational paths most align with their interests, values, or skills so that they can better select programs most consistent with their academic goals. A diagnostic assessment and subsequent advisement during application and enrollment will enable students to begin their most appropriate academic pathways. Improved career and program selection will help reduce program changes and delayed program completion, preserve more financial aid by reducing time to program completion, and improve student persistence. Subsequent advising will facilitate student engagement in their learning goals and provide a clearer pathway to academic success.

Data Support: This area of focus was mentioned in multiple surveys by students, faculty, and staff, including the QEP online survey and the 2014 PD Day faculty and staff forum.

Strategic Plan Support: Learning First (Goal #1)

Future Assessment: Measurement of this QEP topic may include tracking and comparing the number of times students change their major, comparing persistence rates after the first year, comparison of the length of times utilized to reach degree completion, and satisfaction ratings for programs of study.

Topic #3 - BOSS: Boost Online Student Success

BOSS: Boost Online Student Success ensures that students have the tools to be successful in the online learning environment. Students vary in their technological abilities, time management, organizational skills and ability to learn well in a more independent learning environment which can have a significant impact on their academic success. BOSS will develop and implement an assessment used to gauge a student's readiness for online coursework, initiate new educational support strategies for students to enhance their ability to learn as an online student, and focus faculty training on identifying and addressing challenges of the online learner.

Objective: To ensure that students have the skills and tools to be successful in the online learning environment.

Data Support: This was identified as an area of improvement in the QEP surveys, video surveys, email suggestions, and strategic planning sessions.

Strategic Plan Support: Learning First (Goal #1)

Future Assessment: Measuring the effectiveness of this QEP could be completed using comparison of results and enrollment numbers from distance courses to past courses, comparison between distance and seated sections of the same course, and by using student satisfaction surveys. With the implementation of a specialized distance education certificate, comparison of results and persistence in course sections could be done to those that are not certified by the new certificate.

Topic #4 - Can you DIG IT?: Developing Innovative Guidance for Instructional Technology

Can you DIG IT?: Developing Innovative Guidance for Instructional Technology ensures that faculty members are best prepared to offer quality online instruction. Students report being challenged by the inconsistent nature of online Blackboard course design, expectations for learning, and courses that are not engaging. Faculty teaching online classes will have specialized training in best online andragogy, online course peer assessment, and ongoing evaluation of online courses. Expanded use of videos and interactive elements will be emphasized. Excellent online faculty will be certified and will serve as peer mentors for newer online faculty. Enhanced online courses should address some of the barriers to student success in this learning environment.

Objective: To ensure that faculty members are best prepared to offer quality online instruction.

Data Support: This was identified as an area of improvement in the QEP surveys, video surveys, email suggestions, and strategic planning sessions.

Strategic Plan Support: Learning First (Goal #1)

Future Assessment: Measuring the effectiveness of this QEP could be completed using comparison of results and enrollment numbers from distance courses to past courses, comparison between distance and seated sections of the same course, and by using student satisfaction surveys. With the implementation of a specialized distance education certificate, comparison of results and persistence in course sections could be done to those that are not certified by the new certificate.

 

Timeline

2014

May

QEP Core Team nominees are presented to PC & decided on

June

1st QEP Core Team meeting - every 2 weeks after this, QEP Core Team will continue to meet

Summer

Begin data review

Fieldtrip to Wake Tech debrief - IE to debrief QEP core Team on what we learned from Wake Tech/Carrie Bartek

QEP presence on the Intranet

Identify what more data they need to develop QEP topic list

2015

Actively acquire needed data (coordinate focus groups/phone interviews) with specific questions related to QEP topics

November

QEP topic is identified - High performing proposals will be open for voting by all faculty, staff & students

 

Committee

This team is the early face of the QEP. They serve as the filter that all broad-based data collection will flow through. Based on their data review, deficiencies in student learning and/or the environment supporting student learning will be identified--these will be the topics of choice for proposals. The QEP Core Team will need to play an active and strategic role in publicizing the entire QEP topic development, selection process, and finally--based on a college-wide democratic process--QEP topic identification. This conscious marketing effort will require the QEP Core Team develop a template for proposal submission, advertise and conduct proposal consultation services for those who request assistance in developing their proposal, and create a rubric on which the submitted proposals will be judged. Marketing efforts will need to be active and frequent, this will include (but is not limited to) presentations, workshops, staff announcements, and QEP website development. The QEP Core Team will also coordinate the voting/judgment process for selecting the QEP topic (also to consider: naming 2nd and/or 3rd place to recommend (to PC?) as an independent initiative/mini-project for college-wide enhancement--this method inherently invites more proposals and celebrates well thought-out, faculty/staff supported enhancement plans due to the probability of their proposal being chosen).

Team Responsibilities

It will be the Core Team's responsibility to:

  • Focus on student learning in the scope of our college's mission (maintain a broad-based view while simultaneously contributing to the details of topic development)
  • Reinforce that the QEP can (and has) resulted in improving the student learning environment/student-learning itself
  • Carefully review available research and best practices related to the topic or issue
  • Keep assessment in mind
  • Consider the adequate and practical human and financial resources needed to develop, implement, and sustain the QEP
  • Set up the subsequent QEP Management Team for a seamless transition

Team Duties

Regular report-outs and detailed documentation of QEP development process:

  • Regularly report to, consult with, and submit Team minutes to IE & the Decennial Leadership Team
  • Maintain detailed report-outs/documentation throughout the entire QEP development process to be used in the 2017 submission of the QEP action plan
  • Collaborate with the Planning Council
  • Regularly present to PC & upon request, to BOT on progress of the QEP topic development
  • Create transparency throughout the development of identifying and selecting a QEP topic by publishing/advertising/campaigning to the general public, faculty/staff, & administration

Data review

  • Extensive data review sourced from all stakeholder feedback (students, college employees, community members, etc.)
  • Analyze wide-range of data to identify topics of choice for proposals

Support topic/proposal development

  • Will lead the way in developing & defining the QEP goals, outcomes & activities (where do Core Team responsibilities end and QEP Management Team responsibilities begin?--see 9 Suggested Steps for Developing the QEP)

Committee Members

  • Shelly Watkins, Biology Instructor
  • Michelle Powell, Math Instructor
  • Kevin Pearson, College Success Coordinator/Advisor
  • Scott Byington, Math & Science, Chair
  • Amy Gustavson, Assistant Director of Institutional Effectiveness & Research
  • Constance Boahn, Engineering & Computer Information Technologies, Chair
  • Heather Willett*, Dean of Student Support Services
  • Kaan Ozmeral, Math Instructor

*co-chairs