QEP Planning

Centenary College's current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) revolves around significant revisions to The Centenary Plan. Our detailed vision of these enhancements, "Experience Centenary: Careers, Community, Culture," was revised in late 2008 based upon feedback from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). These revisions, further enhanced students' options to benefit from linkages between experience-based programs and rigorous academic courses. Since the implementation of this QEP, our students have experienced enhanced opportunities for individualized education, prospering through learning opportunities tailored to their particular life goals. The document "C4: A Quality Enhancement Plan of Experiential Learning" may be viewed here.

Planning for a New QEP

Every ten years, as part of our reaffirmation of accreditation with SACSCOC, Centenary College of Louisiana is required to develop a new QEP. SACSCOC defines the QEP as a “carefully designed and focused course of action that addresses a well-defined topic or issue directly related to improving student learning.” The QEP should be a College-wide, multi-year initiative that derives from the College’s ongoing institutional planning and assessment process. The College is now in the process of selecting a new QEP. Ideas will be posted to this web page and will be shared widely for feedback by the campus community. Based on recent conversations with faculty, staff, and students, possible topics might include but are not limited to:

FYE restructuring
Integrated advising
S & W course development
Developmental learning
Enhanced student-faculty research
The Student Research Forum
Campus wellness

Guidelines for Submitting a QEP Topic Proposal

In a separate, one-page document include as much of the following information as possible. The Topic Selection Committee understands that all information might not be available to you and that some components will need to be developed later. Send proposals to qep@centenary.edu.

Working Concept: Provide a short but descriptive title.

Rationale for the Topic: Briefly explain why this topic is important to Centenary College of Louisiana at this time and how students and the institution would benefit. Include any related data, which is available here. You may also contact qep@centenary.edu for assistance.

Demonstrated Need: How does the topic address key issues as identified by institutional assessment?

Expected Outcomes / Impact on Student Learning: Briefly explain the expected student learning outcomes of the proposed plan in terms of students’ knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and/or behaviors. What impact would the plan have on students?

Resources: What departments need to be involved in implementing this idea successfully? What resources would they need in terms of support and environment?

Name(s) and Contact Information: Include the name(s) and contact information for the person(s) submitting the proposal.

QEP Timeline

Spring 2016 - Fall 2016: Idea collection phase.
During this time, we will be gathering your suggestions, educating the campus community about the QEP, reviewing data, and identifying trends.
Spring 2017: Topic selection phase
We will establish the QEP Topic Selection Committee, which will comprise a broad-based membership from across campus and the community. The QEP Topic Selection Committee will review the relevant data connected to student learning and the environment for student learning and will choose the QEP topic based on input from each member's constituency.
Fall 2017 - Spring 2018: Proposal phase.
We will establish the QEP Steering Committee to develop the proposal and the programming associated with the selected topic.
Fall 2018: Pilot phase
Spring 2019: Submission of QEP proposal to SACSCOC and reviewer visit.

Who is Involved?

Edward Ragan, Assistant Provost for Student Support and QEP Director
Karen Soul, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and SACSCOC Liaison
QEP Topic Selection Committee, comprised of student, staff, faculty, and community (alumni) representatives
Everyone with an interest in improving student learning or the environment that supports student learning at Centenary College