A Quality Enhancement Plan is a program designed by an academic institution to improve student learning. Our QEP will be a carefully designed course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused topic related to enhancing student learning at COA.

Why?

We are developing a Quality Enhancement Plan which will focus on a specific element of student learning and improve it systematically.  This is part of a strategic approach to educating students in northeastern North Carolina. Also, a Quality Enhancement Plan is required for reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Who is involved?

Our QEP development process must involve faculty, staff and students and should involve those in our community who are interested in improving student learning at COA.  A committee consisting of faculty, staff, students, alumni and a Board of Trustees member is currently working on the topic-refinement phase of the Quality Enhancement Plan.  If you want to get more involved, please contact Laura Morrison or Bob Schenck at qep@albemarle.edu.

What is our topic?

Critical Thinking is the topic our Quality Enhancement Plan will address.  For details of the lengthy participatory consensus-building process we undertook to arrive at this topic, please read COA’s QEP Topic Selection: Process Summary.

Critical Thinking is a board, abstract term.  Thus, the COA topic refinement committee is working to carefully define this term. To see more information about how the operational definition of critical thinking was developed and approved, see Critical Thinking Operational Definition: Process Summary.  After much research, discussion and debate, the QEP topic refinement committee defined critical thinking as, “an evolving process of applying, analyzing, and evaluating information to decide what to believe or what to do (to create effective decisions and actions).”

Where are we in the process?  

The COA topic refinement committee is working to develop a strong Quality Enhancement Plan.  Based on the above definition, the topic refinement committee developed a vision statement for the QEP and goals for the QEP to guide our review of literature and writing of solid student learning outcomes.  Currently the Vision and Goals of the COA’s Critical Thinking QEP are:

COA’s QEP Vision:

COA’s QEP will develop each student's ability to think critically enhancing their success in college, career, and community.

COA’s QEP Goals:

1.  Increase our students’ ability and willingness to think at the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy (apply, analyze, evaluate, create). 
2.  Educate our students in process improvement (specifically in DIET) forming a habit of thinking toward improvement. Students will:

a. Develop and communicate plans.
b. Implement plans.
c. Evaluate results of plans and communicate this evaluation.
d. Transform their plans based on evaluation and communicate or demonstrate this transformation.

Using these guiding statements, the QEP committee is currently reviewing literature and formulating well-written student learning outcomes.  Because this Quality Enhancement Plan should affect all COA stakeholders, we invite everyone to participate in the process of plan development.  If you would like to join the committee in this work, please email qep@albemarle.edu.