Preliminary Proposals

1. TCU’s QEP Process Preliminary Proposals

2. Institution-Created Videos • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPDkQsO6NRU

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP6wt3VGhKM&feature=related

4. Carolinas College of Health Sciences The QUEST for Information Literacy The focus of the Carolinas College of Health Sciences (Carolinas College) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is to prepare students to excel in the expanding information and technology-based health care environment by improving their ability to effectively access and use information, skills that have become identified as information literacy. Five student learning goals were identified and approved by College stakeholders based on the Association of College and Research Libraries Information Literacy Standards. These goals are that each Carolinas College graduate will be able to: • 1. Determine the nature and extent of the information needed; • 2. Retrieve needed information effectively; • 3. Evaluate information and its sources for currency, relevancy, and reliability; • 4. Use information to accomplish a specific purpose; and • 5. Use information ethically and legally.

5. Florida International University Global Learning for Global Citizenship Global Learning for Global Citizenship is the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for Florida International University (FIU). The purpose of the plan is to provide every FIU undergraduate with curricular and co-curricular opportunities to achieve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of global citizenship through global learning. Beginning in fall 2010, FIU phased in a requirement that all undergraduate students take a minimum of two global learning courses and participate in integrated global learning co-curricular activities prior to graduation. Students take a global learning foundations course as part of their core curriculum sequence and a second global learning course in the upper division. Students may meet the requirement by taking approved upper-division global learning courses as electives or, where available, in their major. Global learning is the process by which students are prepared to fulfill their civic responsibilities in a diverse and interconnected world. FIU will foster the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of global citizenship through interdisciplinary exploration of real-world problems in the curriculum and co-curriculum. Through global learning, all FIU undergraduates will acquire knowledge of interrelated world conditions, the ability to analyze issues from multiple perspectives, and the willingness to engage in local, global, international, and intercultural problem solving. FIU will use multiple methods to assess these global learning student learning outcomes (SLOs) and use assessment data for continuous improvement of student learning and quality control.

6. Texas A & M – Corpus Christi FIRST-YEAR ISLANDERS (FYI) To improve the retention and learning of first-year students, A&M-Corpus Christi has implemented an FYI Bridge program for alternatively admitted students, an FYI Convocation for all first-year students, and faculty communities of practice and other professional development focused on first-year student learning, particularly in gateway core curriculum classes such as American History, Political Science, and Biology, and developmental courses in Mathematics. These COP are leading course redesign efforts in areas key to student success. To lead further faculty development, topics-based Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) will be initiated in 2011. A new FYI Office and new Director of the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) are supporting these FYI faculty development activities.

7. Valdosta State University Valdosta State University (VSU) is a community of scholars in a culture of excellence. The propagation of scholarship through teaching, research, and service is our reason for being. As such, VSU identified Undergraduate Engagement in Discipline-Based Inquiryas its Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). Undergraduate Engagement in Discipline-Based Inquiry provides students with focused opportunities for engaging with faculty in research and scholarly activities appropriate to the discipline. In the first of two iterations of Discipline-Based Inquiry Projects, six projects were selected to reflect undergraduate engagement in laboratory, classroom, and/or field research and to allow students to interact personally with, and be mentored by, a faculty member. The first iteration involves six projects, 12 faculty members, and approximately 150 undergraduate students from four of the five undergraduate colleges at VSU. The QEP Coordinator oversees the QEP, while a faculty coordinator for each Discipline-Based Inquiry Project has overall responsibility for the administration and management of his or her project. The second iteration of projects occurs in year 3 and assessments occurring throughout the five years. QEP Goals • The QEP supports the development of innovative projects for undergraduate students which focus on engagement in discipline-based inquiry through three goals: • 1. Students will develop basic knowledge of discipline-specific inquiry skills. • 2. Students will apply discipline-specific inquiry skills from the classroom to resolve a specific question or problem. • 3. Students will learn why and how to present the results of discipline-based inquiry in a professional or academic forum.

8. Our QEP Matters! • It is a change strategy focused on strengthening student performance and faculty/staff behavior. • It is a significant opportunity. • It must be rooted in research and knowledge. • It requires broad‐based institutional commitment. • It will profit from attention to design and structures. • Its goals/outcomes will be assessed and reported. • It will evolve.

9. A Significant Opportunity • Accreditation is a great motivating factor. • The project will be taken seriously. • Positive change can happen and can generate other change. • As the idea develops, look beyond the five years. • Use the QEP as a vehicle for sustainable innovation.

10. Rooted in Research/Assessment • Review findings from institutional research. • Find out what works at other institutions. • Send key decision makers to national conferences and, as the idea develops, to professional meetings. • Use our own data – NSSE (see Dr. Angie Taylor), Graduating Senior Survey, Alumni Survey (http://www.ir.tcu.edu/surveyreports.asp), Assessment Planning results by department, etc.

11. Core Requirement 2.12. The institution has developed an acceptable Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) that includes an institutional process identifying key issues emerging from institutional assessment and focuses on learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.

12. Comprehensive Standard 3.3.2. The institution has developed a Quality Enhancement Plan that • demonstrates institutional capability for the initiation, implementation, and completion of the QEP; • includes broad-based involvement of institutional constituencies in the development and proposed implementation of the QEP; and • identifies goals and a plan to assess their achievement.

13. Goals and Outcomes • Goal and Outcome Statements • Develop 2‐3 specific, well‐defined goals, learning outcomes, and measurable strategies for each goal. • Documentation • Establish a timeline for the entire QEP with benchmarks and assigned responsibilities. • Establish a schedule for routine reports and updates. NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL

14. Writing Outcomes • http://www.assessment.tcu.edu/assessment.html • Click on any of the links under “Writing Learning Outcomes”

15. The Preliminary Proposal Emphasis Areas As a reminder, specific areas with the overall broad theme of Innovation and Inquiry have been identified based on results from the faculty and staff QEP survey and some questions have been developed as a way to better communicate the potential depth and breadth of these topics. • Applied Learning • Creativity • Integrated Learning • Reflective Learning and Reflective Practice

16. Requirements The QEP pre-proposal must be submitted by a team involving a MINIMUM of 3 TCU faculty, staff, or students including: • At least two faculty from two different colleges • At least one student affairs staff member

17. Outline (no more than 10 pages total – single spaced): • Cover Page Form • Descriptive Title of the QEP (not to exceed 100 characters) • Brief description of the concept of the QEP (not to exceed 150 words). The description should fit into at least one of the following: Applied Learning, Creativity, Integrated Learning, and Reflective Learning/Practice. Make certain to identify which area(s) your proposal will fall under. • Indicate which of TCU’s Cardinal Principles (http://www.via.tcu.edu/cardinal_principles.asp) with which your proposal would best identified.

18. Desired Student Learning Outcomes - Specific, well-defined statements related to an issue of substance and depth, expected to lead to observable results (to get resources for this visit www.assessment.tcu.edu or contact Dr. Catherine Wehlburg). There should be a minimum of 3 Student Learning Outcomes. • Narrative that provides sufficient detail that outlines the potential activities that would/might be included in the QEP that will allow students the opportunity to achieve the desired learning outcomes (no more than 2 pages – double spaced)

19. Brief description of assessment methodologies and potential instruments (no more than 1 page) • Brief listing of references that could later be expanded into a literature review (no more than 1 page)

20. Description of the category of students that will be directly (and indirectly if appropriate) impacted by this project and include a brief rationale as to why you identified this particular student group – first year students? Seniors? All students? (no more than ½ a page, double spaced) • Narrative outlining how other faculty and staff will be or could be involved with the implementation of this QEP (no more than 1 page, double spaced) Answer the following: • Appropriate signatures must be on the Cover Page Form.

21. Important Dates October 14, 2011 QEP Town Hall Meeting – TODAY! December 1, 2011 Due date for preliminary proposals February 1, 2012 Notification of finalists May 1, 2012 Due date for final proposals May 4, 2012 Finalists present to TCU community June 1, 2012 Announcement of the QEP project

22. Questions?