QUALITY ENHANCEMENT
PLAN (QEP) ON-SITE PREP QUESTIONS
1. What is the name of Grambling State University’s QEP?
Elevating Oral Communication to the Top of the Class
Tag Line: Speak On It…
Logo: GSU’s QEP is Ready to Level Up Oral Communication
2. Why is Grambling State University writing and implementing a QEP?
The Quality Enhancement Plan is required by Standard 7.2 as part of the SACSCOC compliance report. The institution must have a QEP that (a) has a topic identified through its ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes, (b) has broad-based support of institutional constituencies, (c) focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success, (d) commits resources to initiate, implement, and complete the QEP, and (e) includes a plan to assess achievement.
3. The QEP topic must be identified from what institutional process?
It must come from ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. In other words, it comes from our strategic planning and IE evaluation processes that we engage in continuously. The QEP is aligned with the Institutional Strategic Goals.
4. How was the QEP topic selected?
The Office of the QEP utilized an internally developed, comprehensive survey (The QEP Topic Selection Survey) which was administered across stakeholder groups, to gauge awareness and perception. There were 359 GSU students, who responded to this survey and 67% of the students indicated that they believe oral communication is the most utilized skill in the workforce today. Overall, only 19% of those who completed the survey believed Grambling State University students speak and write at a high level. The results indicated that GSU students support the premise that first year students should focus more on oral communication. This was validated by GSU’s 2018 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) data. Only 57% of first year students surveyed felt they could speak clearly & effectively. In the same survey, 22% of the students believed their oral communication skill level was good, while 62% believed they performed on an average level and 16% on a poor level.
5. Does the QEP have broad-based support from constituents?
Grambling State University will provide the necessary physical, human and financial resources required to develop, implement and sustain the Quality Enhancement Plan.
6. When did we form our first QEP Writing Team and start having meetings?
Biweekly meetings were held beginning in the spring of 2018 that engaged stakeholders regarding the skillset, which if enhanced, would produce a highly prepared graduate.
7. How is the QEP focused on student learning and student success?
Assessment strategies utilized to determine the effectiveness of the QEP implementation are designed to:
The assessment structure of the Quality Enhancement Plan will include formative and summative components implemented by developing a strong oral communication-based foundation during the students’ first year within their F.Y.E (First Year Experience). The Student Learning Outcomes have been linked in the syllabus for F.Y.E 101 and 102. The QEP will pilot in one section of F.Y.E. 101 during the Spring 2020 semester. During this phase, the QEP Writing Team will evaluate the student outcomes and correlating data prior to full implementation in the Fall semester of 2020. The Spring 2020 pilot is essential as an introductory tool, which will produce key feedback, necessary for an optimal, full implementation.
8. How were the student learning outcomes developed?
The SLOs were developed by the QEP Writing Team with faculty and student feedback via surveys. It is expected that over the course of the QEP, these SLO’s may be modified as needed based upon the feedback of the faculty and students involved in the identified courses.
9. What did the QEP Writing Team learn from research about first-year experience courses and did we incorporate those ideas into our FYE?
The 7 habits are the world’s best-known personal-leadership framework, synthesizing key principles of personal and interpersonal effectiveness. By establishing a partnership with the (QEP) at Grambling State University, (FYE) is now positioned to achieve its primary objective of developing highly effective students, especially through an intentional focus on developing highly proficient oral communication skills.
10. Where can you find the timeline for the QEP?
The entire Quality Enhancement Plan is available at www.gram.edu/qep . Tables E- 4 & E-5 contain the QEP timeline.