So what exactly is the QEP?

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral component of the reaffirmation of accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue that the institution considers important to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success.

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is fundamental in the reaffirmation of accreditation through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

According to the 2018 version of the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation:

The institution will provide a QEP that (1) has a topic identified through ongoing, comprehensive and evaluation processes, (2) has a broad-based support of institutional constituencies, (3) focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student successes, (4) commits resources to initiate and complete the QEP, and (5) includes a plan to assess achievement.

Why is the QEP important?

To summarize, a QEP is a plan to implement and assess a focused set of initiatives specifically designed to improve student learning across the university. Overall, the QEP provides an opportunity to coordinate and strengthen the educational experiences of students in higher education. This, in turn, helps students establish a solid foundation for a continued successful college experiences.

STUDENT LEARNING DEFINED

Student learning is defined by SACSCOC as a change in knowledge, skills, behaviors, or values.

QEP Required Components

According to SACSCOC guidelines, a QEP should:

• Contribute to the improvement of student learning or to the environment for student learning;
• Emerge from an institutional process that identifies key issues emerging from institutional assessment;
• Be based on demonstrated need or opportunity to improve student learning that can be supported by data;
• Be linked to the university strategic plan and/or mission;
• Be focused and assessable;
• Have the support of students, faculty, and other stakeholder groups that may be involved in its implementation.

Development Process

Topic Identification

The QEP process begins with choosing a focus topic. Discussions on areas of improvement are initiated with faculty and staff, and the QEP Steering Committee leads the effort. Surveys, focus groups, and continued stakeholders’ discussion that includes students, faculty, staff, retirees, alumni, administration, Board of Trustees, and local and regional employers collaborate and offer suggestions to be used to determine the focus of the QEP.

After narrowing the topics using collected data, the Steering Committee determines the focus with institutional data to support it. Once the focus is determined, it is presented to the University.

Budget

A five-year budget containing projections for personnel, faculty release, instructional materials, professional development, marketing and promotion, consultants, office supplies, and travel is developed and approved with a commitment by the University’s President. The University uses existing physical resources and commits to new funds, if necessary, to ensure that the QEP is sustained over the five-year period.

Research and Development

The QEP Design Team then conducts research and develops the plan. This includes goals to be achieved, student outcomes, methods to incorporate into various curriculums (if needed), and assessments to evaluate efficacy. After an initial draft, and many revisions to make it thorough, a final document is submitted to Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Implementation

After approval from SACSCOC, the QEP Implementation Team will support the ongoing implementation of the QEP over a five-year period. Faculty and staff directly involved in the implementation of the QEP will attend and participate in necessary foundational training prior to implementation. These faculty and/or staff are also expected to continue professional development during the implementation of the QEP.

Analysis

The creation of appropriate assessment strategies is vital to the measurement of student learning outcomes. Data from assessments will be collected and analyzed to determine the success and impact on student learning over the five-year implementation period.