Why QEP?

A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a required element in Centenary’s reaccreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). In this process, the College identifies key issues emerging from institutional assessment and focus on identifying and assessing goals rooted in specific student learning outcomes and/or student success, among other elements.

Read more about the QEP process on the SACSCOC website.

For an example of a previously implemented Centenary QEP, visit centenary.edu/trek.

 

Topic Selection Process

• Spring 2016 – The QEP Topic Selection Committee (including faculty, staff, students, and alumni) organized and began soliciting proposals for review. The driving question for this early part of the process was, “How can the College enhance student learning/success?”
• Fall 2016 – QEP Topic Selection Committee reviewed institutional data.
• Spring 2017 – QEP Topic Selection Committee vetted seven proposals (see pg. 7 of the QEP draft for all proposal topics)
• Fall 2017 – Retention consultant Dr. Charles Schroeder visited Centenary and identified ways that the College can improve persistence, retention, and four-year graduation rates.
• Spring 2018 – QEP Topic Selection Committee voted to propose “Integrated Advising” as next QEP, based on review of institutional data, findings from Schroeder’s study, and alignment with elements of the College’s strategic plan. Faculty and Board of Trustees approved the proposal later in the spring. QEP Steering Committee formed to design the initiative and draft the proposal for SACSCOC, including a pilot study in the spring semester.

Get more details about the QEP selection process on pgs. 6-19 of the QEP draft.

 

Pilot Project and Data

After reviewing data on persistence and retention, the College conducted an Integrated Advising pilot study in spring 2018 that centered on first-year, first-generation college students. The Integrated Advising pilot program was a small-scale initiative (44 participants) that explored and utilized a case management approach to help students in an identified population reach their potential for collegiate success. Integrated advising teams were created and included faculty, staff, and resident assistants.

Specific attributes, such as a high school GPA under 2.99 and an ACT score under 22, were identified as predictive. Participants were divided into a control group and a treatment group. Tier 1 students were encouraged to attend a needs assessment meeting with the Director of Integrated Advising, and Tier 2 students were monitored throughout the semester with existing interventions as needed. All tiers received periodic information with positive support and resources about academic advising and College deadlines throughout the semester.

• The Tier 1 treatment group showed stronger academic improvement than the control group.
• The retention rate for the entire treatment group was somewhat higher than for the control group.

For a full explanation of the pilot study and results, see pgs. 14-18 of the QEP draft.

 

Goals/Outcomes

SACSCOC requires institutions to link the QEP to outcome statements that focus on changes in knowledge, skills, behaviors, or values of students. These statements must also be (1) specific, (2) focused, and (3) measurable.

The Centenary Integrated Advising QEP has four goals:

• Increased persistence
• Improved cumulative GPA
• Increased level of student engagement
• Higher levels of self-efficacy

Read more about the philosophy behind the Integrated Advising QEP, including the literature review, on pgs. 21-27 of the QEP draft. 

 

Literature Review

Current literature on student engagement, student learning outcomes, self-efficacy (SE), and new approaches to student advising has informed the development of Centenary's Integrated Advising QEP.

The literature review contained in the QEP Draft provides an in-depth look at the research and theoretical perspectives for each of these topics:

• Student engagement/involvement - pg. 22
• Student learning outcomes - pgs. 22-23
• Self-efficacy - pgs. 23-25
• Student advising approaches - pgs. 25-27

 

Implementation Plan (Working draft)

Click here to view the in-progress Integrated Advising implementation plan and process chart. This chart maps out potential actions and interventions for the first semester.

 

Questions? Comments?

Send the QEP Steering Committee an email at qep@centenary.edu.