What is a QEP?
- Who? – PRCC & SACSCOC
- What? – Review of student learning needs
- When? – Every 10 years
- Where? – The whole PRCC community
- How? – Input from A to Z & careful planning
- Why? – Produce successful students
Mission Statement
The FYE mission is to create a first-year student experience that enriches the learning environment wherein students ENHANCE self-efficacy skills, ENGAGE with the college culture, and ESTABLISH academic goals.
FYE Learning Goals | |||
| Students will understand and apply skills needed to achieve academic success. | Students will understand and apply motivations for success in college. | ||
FYE Student Learning Outcomes | |||
The student will:
| The student will:
| ||
First Year Experience Components | |||
| Component 1 ROAR Orientation | Component 2 First Year Seminar Course | Component 3 Early Alert & Intervention | Component 4 Professional Development |
Aligning PRCC Mission & PRCC Strategic Goals with QEP | |
PRCC MissionPearl River Community College is a public institution committed to providing quality educational and service opportunities for all who seek them. | |
PRCC Student Success MissionPRCC’s mission for student success is to facilitate a mutually engaging and positive learning environment where students have opportunities to become well-rounded and successful. | |
First-Year Experience MissionTo enrich the learning environment wherein students ENHANCE self-efficacy skills, ENGAGE with the college culture, and ESTABLISH academic goals. | |
Current PRCC Strategic Goals that Support QEP
| QEP Learning Outcomes
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QEP Milestones
Here are some highlights of how we kicked off the QEP in Year 0.
- QEP Yearly Update
- Benefits of ROAR and FYS
What is PRCC’s QEP and why is it important?
- How did we prepare for the QEP? Check out our comprehensive timeline of events!
QEP Preparation & Launch Timeline
| Spring 2013 | Presidential email from Dr. Lewis to all faculty, staff, and administrators requesting suggestions for QEP topics |
| Spring 2013 | Presentation requesting input for QEP topics from community members at Rotary and Lunch and Learn meetings |
| 8/13 | Email from Dr. Lewis to all faculty, staff, and administrators requesting input regarding focus of the QEP |
| 9/13 | Focus Groups meet |
| 9/13 | Organization of QEP Topic Committee |
| 11/13 | QEP Topic Committee meeting to analyze employee suggestions and narrow the focus of the QEP to five focus points |
| 1/14 | QEP Topic Committee meeting to finalize QEP topic |
| 3/14 | Administrative Council briefing on QEP progress |
| 4/14 | Presentation to Forrest County Center faculty, staff, and administrators regarding the progress of the QEP |
| 4/14 | Presentation to Poplarville Campus faculty, staff, and administrators regarding the progress of the QEP |
| 4/14 | Presentation to Hancock Center faculty, staff, and administrators regarding the progress of the QEP |
| Fall 2014 | Literature review, analysis of survey data, draft of the QEP |
| 9/13 | QEP Director and Committee Appointed by Dr. Lewis |
| 9/13 | Administrative Council briefing on QEP progress |
| 10/14 | QEP presentation for PRCC Board of Trustees |
| 10/14 | QEP Committee meeting to discuss selection of topic and review best practices for First Year Student Experience programs |
| 10/14 | QEP Committee meeting to review SACSCOC QEP measures and assessment standards; institutional student data, identify potential learning goals for FYSE program and potential SLOs |
| 11/14 | Administration of institutional surveys – Students – College Knowledge; Faculty/Administrator – Potential Topics for Orientation Course |
| 11/14 | QEP Committee meeting to finalize overarching goal of FYSE; finalize components of FYSE |
| 11/14 | Administrative Council briefed on QEP progress |
| 12/14 | QEP committee meeting – Student Success 360 workshop led by FYSE content expert; developed institutional student success definition; members assigned to component sub-committees |
| 1/15 | QEP committee meeting – continuation of Student Success 360 workshop; finalized FYSE mission statement; identified data metrics for success; sub-committee assignments |
| 2/15 | QEP Sub-committees meet to develop proposal for each component of FYSE |
| 2/15 | Administrative Council briefing on QEP progress |
| 2/15 | QEP Sub-Committee – Early Alert & Intervention workshop conducted inclusive of campus wide representatives |
| 2/15 | QEP Marketing Team meeting to develop ideas and timeline |
| 3/15 | QEP Sub-Committee proposals completed and reviewed |
| 3/15 | Completion of schedule for communicating QEP to faculty, staff, adjunct faculty |
| 3/15 | Poplarville Faculty Association briefed on QEP progress |
| 4/15 | Forrest County Center faculty & staff briefed on QEP progress at Lunch & Learn program |
| 4/15 | Presentation to Dr. Lewis of QEP cover designs for documents and website page options |
| 4/15 | QEP Topic Committee meeting to review all Sub-committee proposals and finalize each of the four components |
| 4/15 | QEP Committee meeting to continue review of QEP draft |
| 4/15 | Identification of QEP expert |
| 4/15 | QEP reviews – Presentations to Poplarville Campus, Forrest County Center, and Hancock Center faculty, staff, and administrators |
| 4/15 | Completion of QEP budget and position descriptions of FYE personnel |
| 4/15 | QEP Assessment Team Appointed |
| 5/15 | QEP Committee meeting to review draft |
| 5/15 | QEP Assessment Team meeting to finalize QEP Chapter 5 |
| 6/15 | Completion of QEP draft |
| 7/15 | Identify Passport to Success institutional review committee |
| 7/15 | Administrative Council review of QEP |
| 7/15 | External QEP Evaluator – review of QEP |
| 7/15 | Present Executive Summary of QEP to Administrative Council |
| 8/15 | Launch marketing and professional development of QEP |
| 8/15 | Implementation of plans for assessment of learning outcomes for QEP baseline data |
| 8/15 | QEP Committee meeting to plan student kickoffs, review marketing strategies, and review all components of QEP |
| 9/15 | Passport to Success – QEP Kickoff for students |
| 9/15 | Completion of PRCC faculty and staff sessions regarding the QEP/SACS Compliance Report |
| 9/15 | Submission of QEP to SACSCOC On-Site Committee for review |
| 9/15 | QEP Committee meeting to finalize presentation for On-Site Review Committee |
| 9/15 | Prepare for SACSCOC On-Site Visit |
Year 1 of the QEP was a success!
Check out our results from each component, as well as our summative report.
QEP Yearly Update
QEP Institutional Goals & Outcomes
QEP Summative Report
Year 2 of the QEP was a success!
Check out our results from each component, as well as our summative report.
QEP Yearly Update
QEP Institutional Goals & Outcomes
QEP Summative Report
Year 3 of the QEP was a success!
Check out our results from each component, as well as our summative report.
QEP Yearly Update
QEP Institutional Goals & Outcomes
QEP Summative Report
Year 4 of the QEP was a success!
Check out our results from each component, as well as our summative report.
QEP Yearly Update
QEP Institutional Goals & Outcomes
QEP Summative Report
Quality Enchancement Plan (QEP) Committee
| Dr. Amy Townsend | Associate Vice President of Student Success Center and Director of QEP, Chair |
| Dr. Karen Bond | Director of Dual Enrollment |
| Dr. Craig Carrigee | Instructor of Mathematics (Hancock Center) |
| Scotty Fletcher | Women’s Basketball Coach/Athletic Dirctor |
| Dr. Trevor Hunt | Department Chair of Fine Arts and Communications/Director of Brownstone Performing Arts Center |
| Maghan James | Assistant Vice President of Student Services |
| Dr. Arlene Jones | Director of Nursing Education |
| Matt Logan | Chief Information Officer |
| Christina Sumrall Miller | Instructor of On-Line Public Speaking |
| Michele Mitchell | Director of e-Learning |
| Robin Nix | Instructor of Spanish and English |
| Dr. Amanda Parker | Dean of Academic Instruction |
| Dr. Aaryn Purvis | Instructor of Sociology (Forrest County Center) |
| Dr. Martha Smith | Senior Vice President for Instruction/Provost |
| Michelle Wilson-Stokes | Dean of Student Services and G Special Populations Coordinator (Forrest County Center) |
QEP Advisory Committee Updates
- Year 1 QEP Update Flyer
- Year 2 QEP Update Flyer – Year 2 QEP Committee Update Powerpoint
- Year 3 QEP Update Flyer – Year 3 QEP Committee Update Powerpoint
- Year 4 QEP Update Flyer – Year 4 QEP Committee Update Powerpoint
Resources
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges – SACSCOC http://www.sacscoc.org/index.asp
- Resource Manual for the Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement – http://www.sacscoc.org/pdf/Resource%20Manual.pdf
- National Resource Center: First Year Students and Students in Transition – http://www.sc.edu/fye/
| Best Practice | Source |
Learning Outcome 1
Students will understand and apply skills needed to achieve academic success. | Orientation ROAR | · Institution’s opportunity to make a good first impression (Cuseo, n.d., c.)
· Gain attitudes, knowledge, skills, and institutional values while transitioning to college (Hernandez, 2015) |
First-Year Seminar Passport to Student Success | · Most researched course (Greenfield, et al., 2013)
· Student-centered approach to teaching and learning (Prince, 2004) | |
Early Alert & Intervention Wildcat Connect | · Proactive strategies for preventing attrition to avoid disengagement (Greenfield, et al, 2013)
· Reactive strategies that provide “mattering”; responding to student, not the problem (Schlossberg, 1989) | |
Peer Leaders | · Peer leader participants persist at higher rates than like group non-peer leaders (Cuseo, March 2010)
· Win/Win–students benefit from support of peer leaders; peer leaders benefit from the support they provide (Cuseo, March 2010) | |
| Best Practice | Source |
Learning Outcome 2
Students will understand and apply motivations for success in college. | Orientation ROAR | · Initial experience for holistic development of student (Cuseo, n.d., c.)
· Allows students the opportunity to learn what they most need prior to start of classes (Lynch-Holmes, 2014) |
First-Year Seminar Passport to Student Success | · Tool in the overall development of a holistic student and citizen (Padgett, Keup, & Pascarella, 2013)
· Most powerful predictor of first-year persistence to sophomore year (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) | |
Early Alert & Intervention Wildcat Connect | · Offers at-risk student opportunity to connect with support person on campus (Lynch-Holmes, 2014)
· Provides clear & concise steps for recovery (Lynch-Holmes, Troy & Ramos, 2012) | |
Peer Leaders | · Peer group most important factor for growth and development in early college years (Astin, 1993)
· Peer leaders serve as role models, support/referral agent, and life coach (Cuseo, May 2010)
· Participation with peers can lead to improved social skills and self-efficacy–belief in one’s ability to succeed (Harmon, 2006–as cited in Cuseo, May 2010) |
SACSOC
FAQs
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is the regional body for the accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states. It serves as the common denominator of shared values and practices among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and other international sites approved by the Commission on Colleges that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. For more information, see http://www.sacscoc.org/.
Every 10 years, institutions accredited by SACSCOC undergo an intensive self-study, followed by a thorough review by peers, to determine their compliance with SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. These standards serve to ensure accountability and quality in all aspects of the institution. For more information, see the Principles of Accreditation at http://www.sacscoc.org/principles.asp.
The reaffirmation process, which Pearl River Community College has been undergoing, allows an institution to study itself. Through a variety of broad-based campus committees, the College has documented its compliance with each of the core requirements, comprehensive standards, and federal requirements outlined in the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. The resulting document has been extensively reviewed by an off-site committee of peer educators. Based on their feedback, PRCC submitted a Focused Report in September, providing additional documentation and details.
The next step will be an October 27-29 on-site visit from a team of peer educators, who will examine data and interview a variety of individuals on campus to determine that PRCC is in compliance with all standards. The visit culminates with a campus presentation by the committee detailing their findings. While on campus, they also will complete a draft report.
The Quality Enhancement Plan is an integral part of the accreditation process, emphasizing SACSCOC’s and the institution’s commitment to continuous improvement. The QEP addresses a single, specific issue that can help strengthen and improve student learning. The QEP will be the major focus of the site visit in October.
The PRCC QEP is “Passport to Success – First Year Experience,” a five-year effort that focuses on creating a first-year student experience that enriches the learning environment wherein students ENHANCE self-efficacy skills, ENGAGE with the college culture, and ESTABLISH academic goals. To learn more, see https://prcc.edu/qep.
The on-site team will be very busy! They will have only two full days to review required areas of compliance. But they may ask questions of anyone on campus. To learn more about reaffirmation of accreditation in general and SACSCOC, see http://www.sacscoc.org/about.asp.
Our On-Site Peer Review Committee will be on campus October 27-29, 2015. Please be sure that you are available to assist the Committee during their visit to PRCC. Reviewers will interview members of the PRCC community, including students, staff, and administrators to resolve any questions remaining from the compliance certification, the Focused Report, and our Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
The Chair of our On-Site Peer Review Committee is Dr. Jerry Faulkner, President at Volunteer State Community College. He will review our Compliance Certification, Focused Report, and Quality Enhancement Plan and provide expert advice to lead the On-Site Review Committee in their deliberations. Dr. Nuria Cuevas is the staff liaison for PRCC and is a Vice President at the Southern Accreditation of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. She will be working with Dr. Lewis and Dr. Seal to help review our documentation and prepare for a successful site visit.
Other members of the On-Site Review Committee include:
- Brad Garner (QEP Evaluator)
Director of Faculty Enrichment
Indiana Wesleyan University - Dr. Diane M. Minger
Business/Management/Marketing Program Coordinator
Cedar Valley College - Ms. Misty R. Rasmussen
Director, Institutional Effectiveness
Carteret Community College - Dr. Jerry Faulkner
President
Volunteer State Community College - Dr. Maxine B. Singleton (Retired)
Vice President of Instruction and Student Development - Ms. Makena N. Stewart
Dean, Student Development
South Piedmont Community College - Mrs. Virginia Lucas
Vice President of Finance and Auxiliary Services
Sampson Community College
- Dr. Adam Breerwood, President
- Dr. Jana Causey, Vice President for Forrest County Center, Allied Health and Nursing Programs
- Mr. Roger Knight, Senior Vice President for College Operations
- Dr. Jennifer Seal, Vice President for Planning and Institutional Research
- Dr. Martha Lou Smith, Senior Vice President for Instruction/Provost
- Jeff Long, Vice President for Poplarville Campus and Student Services
