QEP Top Proposals

Focus on Student Experience and Support

The College will organize and enrich resources with the goal of ensuring a positive, welcoming student experience.  The QEP will be an opportunity for the College to think about what we want our students to experience as they become a member of our Panther community, identify and scale best practices already in place at the College, and create a cohesive experience for students.  Engaging students early and providing connected, meaningful touchpoints will ensure that students feel that they are a part of the College and know what resources are available to them, which will lead to an improved success and increased retention rates.

Possible Elements for Implementation:

• Create an employee development program that focuses on Student Development Theory. Becoming more knowledgeable about the ways in which students learn, grow, and mature during college can help faculty, instructors, and staff understand students holistically, leading to more productive student interactions and more engaging academic and co-curricular activities.
  
  
• Create a cohesive support network for students where faculty/instructors, advisors, and SLC staff can connect when a student is struggling in a class or off path.  This would also create an opportunity for departments to collaborate to share resources and initiatives that exist across the institution, which could then be communicated to the students. 
  
  
• Enhance support for foundational gateway courses (ENC1101, MAT1033, MAT1100) to help students pass the first time.  Reorganizing existing resources and expanding online resources will boost students’ basic quantitative and communication skills will ensure students have the tools to be successful.
  
  
• Offer a comprehensive New Student Orientation program that informs and engages to help students acclimate to college life and feel that they belong. The college’s New Student Orientation is being refreshed to add more engaging, relevant information and to work within the parameters of Workday. If this proposal is selected, the changes may be in place prior to QEP implementation.  While some changes in the orientation may be necessary if this proposal is selected, the opportunity with this QEP is to reinforce what students learn in orientation throughout their education and create a consistent, supportive student experience.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for students to build connections with faculty in SLS1501 and gateway courses.  This could be achieved through a number of ways: Pathway-based communities where students and relevant faculty/instructors/staff interact regularly to discuss on career opportunities, challenges students are facing, or open topics.  Faculty and staff could partner with Student Activities to create targeted social events that bring everyone together.

Focus on Soft Skills and Thinking Dispositions

The College will integrate soft skills, sometimes referred to as employability skills, habits of mind, or thinking dispositions, with core skills and offer micro-credentials as students complete these competencies. Purposefully incorporating lessons that instill skills such as problem solving, decision making, communication, professionalism, teamwork, emotional intelligence, and grit, will give students the motivation and tools necessary to be successful in school, the workplace, and their lives.  Additionally, micro-credentials students acquire along the path to a certificate or degree will keep students motivated to complete and give students industry recognized credentials to demonstrate abilities.

Possible Elements for Implementation:

• Offer a variety of workshops, co-curricular activities and classroom presentations focused on developing soft skills.  Purposeful assignments given in class connected with meaningful co-curricular activities will help students see the connections between coursework and real-world application.
  
  
• Provide opportunities for faculty, instructors, and staff across disciplines to collaborate on initiatives.  Development of program and assessments would utilize existing assignments and activities across the college, and faculty and staff could form Professional Learning Groups to identify and create additional activities, assignments, and experiences to build skills and earn micro-credentials.  This will also give employees the opportunity to refine the skills we wish to instill in our students.
  
  
• House the authentic assessment of these skills in an online portfolio for reference. The college’s LMS (currently Blackboard/future Canvas) can be used for submission and storage of the authentic assessments. A micro-credentialing/badging company, such as Badgr or Credly, will be used to award the student their micro-credential(s), which would help students recognize their development and articulate to potential employers what they have learned. Such a company will allow the management, tracking, and awarding of the micro-credentials.