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Quality Enhancement Plan:
Laker's E.D.G.E.

(Education, Development, Goals and Employment)

Lakers EDGEThe Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral component of the reaffirmation of accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes.  It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue the institution considers important to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success. QEP will be reviewed by the SACSCOC On-Site Reaffirmation Committee, allowing a peer review committee to better understand the institution’s focus on student learning and/or student success. (Resource Manual for The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement).

The QEP has five components:

  1. A topic identified through ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes
  2. Broad-based support of institutional constituencies
  3. Focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success
  4. Commits resources to initiate, implement and complete the QEP
  5. Includes a plan to assess achievement

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the 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 primarily among the diverse institutions in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Latin America and certain other international sites approved by the SACSCOC Board of Trustees that award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The Commission also accepts applications for membership from domestic institutions in the other 39 states, as well as international institutions of higher education around the world.

Accreditation seeks to ensure constituents and the public that the quality and integrity of higher educational institutions meet acceptable levels of quality. These outcomes are achieved through rigorous internal and external peer review processes during which the institution is evaluated against a common set of standards. Accreditation by SACSCOC is a statement of the institution’s continuing commitment to quality and integrity and its capacity to provide effective programs and services based on agreed-upon accreditation standards.

 When accreditation is awarded to an institution of higher education by the SACSCOC, an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education (USDE), it means that the institution has:

  1.  a mission appropriate to higher education,
  2. resources, programs, and services sufficient to accomplish and sustain its mission,
  3. clearly specified educational objectives that are consistent with its mission and appropriate to the degrees it offers, and that it is
  4. successful in assessing its achievement of these objectives and demonstrating improvements.

An institution creates a QEP to prioritize an area of student success. QEP initiatives allow CSU to further invest in the success, progress and overall wellbeing of our students.

What We've Done vs. Where We're Going

  • In 2022, a survey was disseminated to Faculty, Staff, Students, and Administrators to review potential topics. FYE was the second-place selection choice when PACE (previous QEP topic) was selected
  • Over the past 18 months, QEP leadership has identified important constituent groups and engaged them in developing and initiating the plan.
  • Intentionally, CSU Strategic Plan and Strategic Enrollment Plan focuses on Student Success that is alignment with USG Strategic Plan of 2029 (Student Success)
  • Academic Success Initiatives implemented
    • 1st Phase – 8-week CSU 1000 course taught for 8 weeks, offered 16 class sections had a pre/post survey and assessment results had low retention rate.
    • 2nd Phase implemented – 15-week course and curriculum redesign, offered 23 sections and had student engagement with student peer Laker Navigators, required Career research paper and a pre/post survey. The progression rate had a significant increase into the retention rate.
    • 3rd Phase implementing: Laker’s E.D.G.E. yearlong program that is an extension of new student orientation, expansive career development and career pathways, linked Core classes (IMPACTS) that are assigned with an Academic Coach and Career Bootcamp that will grow the career choice.