What is a QEP?
Life University had its scheduled reaffirmation of its accreditation in February of 2021 by our regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). As part of this process, which takes place every 10 years, SACSCOC requires member institutions to develop a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). A QEP is a carefully designed and focused plan of action that seeks to advance student success by addressing key issues identified from institutional assessment. Our QEP planning process began in 2019-2020 and it will be implemented over a five-year period.
What is Life University’s QEP?
Our QEP’s topic is Enhance, Engage, Excel: Changing the Retention Paradigm at Life University. Through our QEP, we seek to engage students in academic and co-curricular activities and resources to increase retention and student engagement. Our QEP includes three primary goals and associated outcomes:
Foster a sense of belonging and community among all students
- Outcome 1.1: Students will develop a sense of belonging by engaging in campus traditions.
- Outcome 1.2: Students will develop influential and ongoing relationships with faculty and staff.
Encourage students’ engagement with academic and co-curricular resources
- Outcome 2.1: Faculty and staff will use strategies and tools that contribute to students’ academic success.
- Outcome 2.2: Students will participate in co-curricular activities that promote engagement with the University community.
Improve coordination and management of retention and engagement-focused efforts across the campus
- Outcome 3.1: Faculty and staff will use an assessment process designed to promote the centralized collection and use of data to inform decision making regarding programs, strategies and services related to student engagement and retention.
- Outcome 3.2: Faculty and staff will participate in training and development programs to advance their understanding and use of tools and strategies designed to improve the coordination and management of retention-related data.
How did LIFE select Enhance, Engage, Excel for its QEP topic?
The QEP Management Team, comprised of faculty and staff representatives from across the University, identified the topic and goals for our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) through an exhaustive examination of existing institutional data and initiatives tied to student success, as well as a thorough analysis of quantitative and qualitative data resulting from the institution’s strategic planning process. Through its review, the Team found the following areas of need for each goal:
Foster a sense of belonging and community among all students
Areas of need:
- Students, especially undergraduates, need additional opportunities to connect and integrate with the University community and culture.
- Students need opportunities to build meaningful relationships with peers, faculty, and staff.
- Faculty members need to engage more with students outside the classroom.
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Encourage students’ engagement with academic and co-curricular resources
Areas of need:
- The University must be proactive in identifying and helping students who may be at risk of leaving the institution.
- The University needs to implement strategies designed to identify and support students’ unique academic and co-curricular needs and interests.
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Improve coordination and management of retention and engagement-focused efforts across the campus
Areas of need:
- Retention-focused efforts need to be managed through a central entity, such as a leadership position or committee.
- A systematic process is needed for the ongoing collection and management of retention-related data.
- The University must identify essential retention-related data points and take steps to ensure that information is being collected.
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Please view the QEP Narrative for additional information on the process used to develop LIFE’s QEP.
How will LIFE promote the goals established for Enhance, Engage, Excel?
To achieve the goals created for Enhance, Engage, Excel, LIFE will enhance the tools and strategies it uses to identify and meet students’ unique academic and co-curricular expectations, needs and interests. Moreover, we will proactively seek to engage all students in opportunities and resources that foster a sense of belonging and connection to the University community. In doing so, LIFE seeks to ensure current and future students excel in their journey at Life University. Specific actions the University will implement during the QEP include:
LIFE will engage the University community in Eagle Proud, a campaign to design, establish and promote Life University traditions that facilitate a sense of belonging among students.
LIFE will create new opportunities that students can use to connect with clubs, events, and organizations that align with their interests or needs.
Life University will implement an early alert process designed to monitor students’ progress and alert faculty and staff when a student is having difficulties in a course, in the campus community, and or having personal challenges. Using the feedback provided by the process, faculty and staff will provide students with appropriate academic and co-curricular individualized support and resources.
Life University will implement processes designed to centralize the collection and use of data to inform decision making regarding programs, strategies and services related to student engagement and retention.
Faculty and staff will participate in training and development programs to advance their understanding and use of tools and strategies designed to improve the coordination, management and implementation of QEP-related initiatives.
Additional information about the planned actions, including timelines for implementation, can be found in the QEP Narrative.
How will LIFE monitor Enhance, Engage, Excel’s effectiveness?
To measure the effectiveness of Enhance, Engage, Excel, Life University developed a comprehensive assessment plan to monitor the overall progress of the project and its planned outcomes. Assessment will be ongoing throughout the implementation of the QEP over the next five years, and the University will use the resulting data to continuously refine and improve the project and its associated strategies. Direct measures, including participation in co-curricular events and percentage of students receiving early alerts, will be assessed along with indirect measures, such as student satisfaction and engagement with the campus community. Additionally, LIFE will use two key performance indicators, retention and student engagement, and associated assessments to monitor progress toward the overall goal of the plan. A detailed overview of the assessment plan can be found in Section IX of the
QEP Narrative.
Where are we currently in our QEP process?
The QEP Management Team has completed their work with creating the QEP Narrative and they have been replaced by the QEP Student Engagement and Retention Committee (SERC). The QEP Management Team will be reconvened if necessary. We have formed 5 subcommittees who are diligently working towards planning and implementing our QEP action items as outlined in the QEP Narrative. These subcommittees include our: Eagle Proud Team, Early Alert Team, Lifeline Team, Retention Data Team, and Student Engagement Team and they are each chaired by a member of the SERC. We have also adopted an Early Alert system (Ellucian CRM Advise) and we look forward to implementing the system by Summer 2022 or Fall 2022. We will continue to revise our plans as needed for the best interest of our students and feasibility purposes.
Student Engagement and Retention Committee (SERC)
Bill Watson,
QEP Director and CETL Director
Dr. Janna Bredeson,
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students
Dr. Janna Holwick,
Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Leslie King,
Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs
Dr. Marc Schneider,
Vice President of Student Affairs
Shelly Batcher,
Executive Director of Marketing
Dr. Tameka Glass,
Executive Director of University Advisement
Dr. Ron Lunk,
Director of the Center for Academic Quality
Sarah Burkett,
QEP Coordinator & CETL Project Coordinator
CONTACT
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
770-794-3050
CETL@Life.edu
