What is a QEP?
QEP is an acronym for Quality Enhancement Plan. As part of the requirements for SACSCOC accreditation reaffirmation (Standard 7.2),
all universities are required to develop a QEP that focuses on improving specific
student learning outcomes and/or student success.
The QEP is an integral component of the reaffirmation of accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue that the institution considers important for the improvement of student learning outcomes and/or student success. The QEP must encompass the following:
- A topic identified through the university’s ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes
- Have broad-based support of institutional constituencies;
- Focus on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success;
- Commit resources to initiate, implement and complete the QEP; and
- Include a plan to assess achievement.
(Quality-Enhancement-Plan-1.pdf (sacscoc.org)).
What is the topic for ECSU’s QEP?
The topic for ECSU’s QEP is “Pathway to Success: From the Classroom to Career.”
What is the focus of ECSU’s QEP?
ECSU’s QEP focuses on reimagining and redesigning career service offerings across
campus. Our QEP will forge a pathway to success for career readiness by linking classroom
experience to practical application. The plan is expected to improve career readiness,
with students better prepared for their future careers and/or graduate school. The
learning modules under the QEP will equip students with skills that prepare them for their specific career trajectory,
using both pedagogic and practical methods, and will ultimately enable them to successfully
embark on their respective careers.
What was the process for the identification of a topic for the QEP?
ECSU’s QEP topic was identified through a comprehensive and consultative process.
A review of existing data narrowed the search for a topic to three areas:
- Student engagement.
- Communications.
- Student support.
The decision to address career readiness emanated from campus-wide surveys and several university-wide committees, cutting across all constituencies (administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni). The results revealed that students desired additional support services to enhance their readiness to obtain a job, pursue a career and/or undertake graduate school upon completion of their program of study.
Does ECSU’s QEP have broad-based support of institutional constituencies?
Yes, the development of ECSU's QEP was a collaborative effort of several university stakeholders, including administrators, faculty, staff, students, alumni and community partners. In October of 2019, a Planning Committee was established to engage ECSU stakeholders by soliciting their input and feedback via hosted focus group sessions and surveys. The Committee convened two faculty forums (on November 8th and 12th, 2019), two student forums (November 7th and 19th, 2019), presented at departmental meetings (November 26, 2019), one staff forum (November 26, 2019) and recorded a video presentation that was sent to alumni on December 5th, 2019. The Provost presented the QEP concept to the Board of Trustees on December 16, 2019. During the convened sessions, the Planning Committee provided an overview of the QEP planning process, addressed questions and concerns and solicited input. Upon completion and analysis of data received from the input/feedback solicitation phase, three potential topics for the QEP emerged. Between November and December of 2019, the three topics were sent via survey to constituents for a vote (students, faculty, staff, alumni and Board of Trustees).
The above described stakeholder engagement and solicitation exercise resulted in the selection of ‘Career Readiness’ as the University’s QEP topic. Results of the Quality Enhancement Plan Survey which had 280 participants, shows that 59% of the respondents selected career readiness as the focus of the QEP. The remaining 41% votes were distributed as follows: 23% selected communication enhancement, while 16% chose student Health and Wellbeing.
What are the QEP’s Goals and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)?
The QEP has two goals and six related SLOs, namely:
Goal 1: During their participation in the designated career readiness activities, students will be able to appraise pertinent career information and opportunities in support of their career interests and academic programs.
Outcome 1.1 Students will be able to define a set of career interests through their participation in a selected career interest inventory.
Outcome 1.2 Students will be able to summarize their career exploration experiences offered through examples in their Electronic Career Portfolio.
Outcome 1.3 Students will be able to align their academic and career plans during their academic advising experiences.
Goal 2: During their participation in the designated career readiness activities, students will able to develop career readiness skills through structured training-related activities.
Outcome 2.1 Students will be able to show evidence of career preparation level acquired during their participation in common activities, and career readiness training within designated classes.
Outcome 2.2 Students will be able to acquire job skills through job shadowing and experiential learning activities including virtual and in-person exercises or internships tracked by the Career Development Activities in the electronic job portfolio.
Outcome 2.3 Students will be able to evidence career readiness skills through their submission of deliverables related to application processes for employment or graduate school.
Which campus Office will be responsible for implementing the QEP?
ECSU’s QEP is interdivisional and will be housed in the Division of Student Affairs,
under the same leadership as the Career Development Center. The Center will be staffed
with Career Advisors and an Assistant Director of Employer Relations and Special Projects.
There will be a QEP Council that will consist of stakeholders across campus. Implementation
of the QEP will be a collaborative effort among the Career Development Center, and
academic programs (e.g., deans, chairs, and faculty), and other units under the Division
of Student Affairs.
What is the role of Career Advisors?
The Career Advisors will be responsible for providing career readiness services to
students across campus in collaboration with faculty and other partners. Their duties
will include conducting career advisement sessions for students; educating students
on job search skills and industry trends to better prepare them for employment
and assisting students in the areas of resume preparation, interview skills, and job
search strategies.
Under the direction of the Director of Career Development and QEP, advisors will assist in organizing job fairs, career awareness programs, and other career specific workshops and events. Additionally, advisors will maintain regular contact with employers for potential job opportunities and link qualified students with employers. They will also assist students in career placement activities and respond to student questions pertaining to career development, exploration, and placement procedures. This position will create a networking/mentorship relationship between alumni and students.
What are the benefits to ECSU’s students?
A formalized process and comprehensive plan will encourage student learning in preparation
for career readiness upon graduation. By focusing on three core areas: Prepared to
Excel (freshmen); Equipped for the Workforce (sophomore & junior); and Inspired to
Succeed (senior), the QEP will help facilitate a seamless transition from the classroom to the workforce. Consistently,
and across programs, students are exposed to essential information in preparation
for obtaining employment. However, the Career Advisors will develop modules with
specific career competencies to strengthen the students’ knowledge and skills. This
systematic approach will help students create awareness, identify, reflect upon, and
develop the skills needed to enter the workforce and/or graduate school. By the end
of the freshmen year, students will understand the correlation between what they are
learning in the classroom and how that translates to preparation for a career. In
addition, by the end of the senior year, students will develop a career plan with
goals and specific blueprints for their future. The Career Advisors will work to integrate
career preparation throughout the undergraduate experience, ensuring that all students
receive critical exposure to issues and exercises that promote professional readiness
at critical junctures in their studies.
Will the QEP be accessible to all students?
Student will have multiple points to access the benefits and to achieve the goals
of career readiness through the Pathways to Success. The Thematic Expectations and
Targeted Students image illustrates the expected implementation of the QEP expectations
according to students’ academic classification.
Pathways to Success with Thematic Expectations and Targeted Students
|
Goal |
Outcome |
Pathway to Success |
Thematic Expectations |
Targeted Students |
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1 |
1.1 |
Prepared to Excel |
Career Exploration |
Freshmen |
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1 |
1.2 |
Prepared to Excel |
Career Exploration |
Freshmen |
|
1 |
1.3 |
Equipped for the Workforce |
Preparation for Career Readiness |
Sophomores and Juniors |
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2 |
2.1 |
Equipped for the Workforce |
Preparation for Career Readiness |
Sophomores and Juniors |
|
2 |
2.2 |
Equipped for the Workforce |
Preparation for Career Readiness |
Sophomores and Juniors |
|
2 |
2.3 |
Inspired to Succeed |
Development for Career Readiness |
Seniors |
During the implementation of the QEP, ECSU staff will be able to collect evidence of student participation in a variety of programs, services, and activities representative of the pathways. Our Pathways to Success, offers a non-exhaustive glimpse of the NACE career competencies, some examples of the thematic expectations, and common activities to meet the attributes linked to each pathway.
Students will be presented a variety of Common Career Activities to gain and build career competencies.
|
Pathway to Success |
NACE Career Competencies |
Examples of Thematic Expectations |
Common Career Activities |
|
Prepared to Excel |
|
Theme: Career Exploration |
Seminars
Workshops
Mentorship Jobs
Internships
Specialized Services |
|
Career and Self Development |
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Communication |
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Critical Thinking |
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Teamwork |
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Equipped for the Workforce |
|
Theme: Preparation for Career Readiness |
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Equity and Inclusion |
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Communication |
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Leadership |
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Technology |
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Inspired to Succeed |
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Theme: Development for Career Readiness |
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Career and Self Development |
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Professionalism |
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Technology |
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What is the assessment process for the QEP?
The student learning outcomes will be assessed based on the implementation actions
and target benchmarks. The University Studies staff (first-year students only) and
the Career Advisors and faculty will be responsible for administering assignments,
scoring rubrics and surveys, and monitoring the completion of the tests linked
to the modules. An Assessment Coordinator will oversee data collection and analysis.
What is the timeline for implementation of the QEP?
The QEP will be implemented over a five-year period.
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Estimated Time and Actions |
Evidence |
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Summer Faculty Training (July 2021) |
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Summer 2021 |
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End of Summer 2021 |
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Before the start of Fall 2021 |
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Year One – Pilot (See Appendix K, Pilot Implementation Plan) 2021-2022, Fall Semester |
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Year One – Pilot (See Appendix K, Pilot Implementation Plan) 2021-2022, Spring Semester |
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Year Two 2022-2023, Fall Semester |
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Year Two 2022-2023, Spring Semester |
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Year Three 2023-2024, Fall Semester |
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Year Three 2023-2024, Spring Semester |
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Year Four 2024-2025, Fall Semester |
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Year Four 2024-2025, Spring Semester |
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Year Five 2025-2026, Fall Semester |
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Year Five. 2025-2026, Spring Semester |
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