WHAT IS A QEP?

As defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges, the (SACS), the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) “describes a carefully designed course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused topic or issue related to enhancing student learning” and “should be embedded within the institution’s ongoing integrated institution-wide planning”. The QEP must be “forward looking” and "launches a process that can move the institution into the future characterized by creative, engaging, and meaningful learning experiences for students." The QEP is a key component of the reaffirmation process for accreditation.

At Parker University, we launched the latest QEP, Enhancing the Use of Evidence, in 2022. Its implementation and assessment activities will follow a five-year arc that will culminate in the QEP Fifth Year Impact Report to SACSCOC in 2026.

This QEP website will be updated regularly throughout the length of the project. You can learn more about our institution’s QEP and find tools for sustaining its outcomes and activities in the BLKD2000 Course. Informed initiatives and resources related to the QEP used for tracking, assessment, improvements, and other activities within the scope of the QEP will be found here and in dispersed announcements, workshops, events, etc. via Parker email and marketing outlets.

QEP Mission

The mission of the Quality Enhancement Plan is to improve student learning through enhancing the use of evidence.

QEP Goals, Student Learning Outcomes, and Faculty Objectives

Goal 1: Improve students’ abilities to obtain and apply literature to a question or topic.

Student Learning Outcomes:

1. Students will demonstrate an improvement in their ability to identify a question or topic for a literature search. (ASK)
2. Students will demonstrate an improvement in their ability to search for literature. (ACQUIRE)
3. Students will demonstrate an improvement in their ability to reduce bias in available literature. (APPRAISE)
4. Students will demonstrate an improvement in their ability to apply available literature to a question or topic. (APPLY)
5. Students will demonstrate an improvement in their ability to formulate a recommendation or hypothesis based on the application of available research to a question or topic. (ASSESS)

Goal 2: Improve faculty members’ abilities to provide appropriate opportunities for students to demonstrate their ability to obtain and apply literature to a question or topic.

Faculty Objectives:

1. Faculty will demonstrate improvement in their ability to assess students’ use of evidence in their courses.

There are two types of interventions associated with this QEP, both occurring simultaneously. The first intervention type addresses Goal 1, which relates to students learning how to obtain and apply literature. The second intervention type addresses Goal 2, which concerns faculty’s provision of opportunities for students to demonstrate using evidence.

The following links will open up the rubrics used to rate class assignments, class courses, and student assignment submissions, as part of the QEP Pilot, Planning, and Implementation process.

• QEP Matrix - Assignment Rubric.xlsx
• QEP Matrix - Course Rubric.xlsx
• QEP Matrix - Student Rubric.xlsx

THE QEP DEFINED

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges defines the QEP as follows:

SACS Criteria 7.2: The institution has a Quality Enhancement Plan 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. (Quality Enhancement Plan).