WCC SACS Acceditation Review Project

The QEP Process at Wilkes Community College

Wilkes Community College began the development of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) process in January 2004 by attending the Commission on Colleges Orientation Meeting for institutions scheduled for reaffirmation in 2006. The Leadership Team, consisting of the college president, the dean of instruction, the dean of student services and SACS liaison, and a lead instructor designated as QEP coordinator, attended the meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on January 30, 2004.

Following the orientation meeting, the process has evolved through the following steps:

presentations to campus groups, including administrative council, staff council, and all divisions, informing personnel of the QEP concept;
formation of a broad-based QEP team, with subcommittees for implementation and assessment;
campus-wide survey, derived from the college purpose and vision statements, and involving all students and all full- and part-time faculty and staff in completing the surveys, to identify the area of greatest need to enhancing student learning;
analysis of the survey data and identification of "Educational and Intellectual Growth and the Learning Environment" as the areas of greatest significance;
selection of "Wilkes Community College will embrace critical thinking throughout the college community in order to enhance student learning" as the QEP topic;
introduction to the basics of the selected critical thinking model to all faculty and staff, including adjuncts through professional development;
gathering of baseline data in the forms of student and instructional artifacts, staff and faculty inventories of pre-knowledge and use of critical thinking skills, and students dispositions to use critical thinking skills;
sponsoring monthly Learning Circles for all faculty and staff for further exploration of critical thinking skills and strategies; and
development of specific student learning outcomes, goals, strategies, objectives, and assessment measures for the implementation of the QEP.

The broad-based QEP development team consisted of representatives from the Wilkes campus, and the Alleghany and Ashe centers, including the college's four academic divisions, an alumnus, Basic Skills, Continuing Education, Institutional Effectiveness, Learning Resources, students, Student Services and Student Support Services.

The QEP Implementation Team under the direction of the QEP Coordinator who reports directly to the Dean of Instruction consists of representatives from all areas and divisions of WCC. Four committees will oversee the implementation of the QEP: The Assessment Committee, The Learning Circle Committee, The Professional Development Committee, and The ACA Course Committee.
As the QEP topic evolves, the college perceives a range of possible implications for student learning, including development and/or revision of policies, implementation of new techniques for instruction, more active roles for students as learners and constructors of knowledge, alternative ideas for facilities, and improvement in communication on all levels.

Proposed Timeline for QEP Activities

January 2004 Leadership Team Orientation to Reaffirmation of Accreditation Process
Spring Semester 2004 Formation of QEP Team
Spring Semester 2004 College-wide Survey Data Collected, QEP Focus Selected
July 2004 Two QEP Team Members Attend Foundation for Critical Thinking Training
November 2004 Introductory Training Session to Critical Thinking for QEP Team and Administration
December 2004 Five QEP Team Members Attend a Day-long Session with Foundation for Critical Thinking
January 2005 Introductory Training Session to Critical Thinking for Full-time Faculty and Staff
March 2005 Introductory Training Session to Critical Thinking for Adjunct Faculty and Part-time Staff (Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany)
March 2005 Learning Circles Begin with Exploration of Critical Thinking Topic
Spring and Summer 2005 Quality Enhancement Plan Developed for Submission
July 2005 Four QEP Members Attend Foundation for Critical Thinking Conference
August 2005 QEP Submitted to SACS
October 2005 Onsite Review by Visiting Team
November 2005 – March 2006 Responses Developed to Onsite Review
May 2006 Two Half-day Critical Thinking Sessions Planned for Faculty and Staff/Two Full-day Sessions Planned with QEP Team and Other Key Persons
Fall Semester 2006 Two Instructional Programs Begin Pilot Project with Critical Thinking and ACA Course
Fall Semester 2006 Two Half-day Critical Thinking Sessions Planned for Faculty and Staff/Two Full-day Sessions Planned with QEP Team and Other Key Persons