Austin Community College District (ACC) is asking faculty, staff, students, and the community to submit ideas for projects that could help improve the student experience as part of the college's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) process.
The QEP is a multi-year process that will lead to the selection and implementation of one large project focused on improving student learning and/or student success. It is co-chaired by Dr. Missi Patterson, past-president of the Full-Time Faculty Senate and Psychology professor, and Misty Rasmussen, Associate Dean of Planning and Accreditation.
"There aren't a whole lot of projects that the college does where there's an expectation that everybody needs to know about it. The QEP is special because it is a collaborative, 'we're all in this together' kind of thing. It's a chance for the college as a whole to be working with one goal in mind," says Patterson.
The process includes three distinct phases, each run by a different committee. The topic selection phase is underway now and runs until the end of summer. The development phase begins October 2021 and runs through August 2022. Finally, the implementation phase runs from September 2022 to August 2027.
Get involved NOW
The QEP Topic Selection Committee currently offers two options for ACC faculty, staff, students, and community members to share ideas to help improve student success. The deadline for both is April 23, 2021.
Once the committee completes the process of reviewing all submissions, there will be additional opportunities to get involved by voting on the final topic choice and/or volunteering for the next QEP committees.
Why is the QEP important?
A QEP is done once every 10 years as part of the college's reaffirmation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). This process is important because it allows ACC to stay accredited so it can keep its doors open and students can transfer to other colleges and receive financial aid. In addition to a QEP, the other major document ACC must produce is a compliance certification report.
ACC's previous QEP
The college's 2013-2018 QEP project was Math PLUS (Practice, Learn, Understand, Succeed), which focused on improving student success in developmental mathematics, and specifically, ACC's beginning-level developmental mathematics course. To select the topic, ACC gathered input from the college and local community and thoughtfully evaluated suggestions within the context of current college initiatives and student success data, project scalability, available college resources, and the potential impact on student learning. Developmental mathematics emerged as the leading opportunity to significantly affect the education of a large segment of students. Narrowing the plan to focus on the beginning level course supported ACC's mission and complemented ongoing initiatives involving student progression from developmental to credit courses.
For more information, visit ACC's QEP website.