Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

1. Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) Department of Academic Effectiveness and Assessment Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

2. Progress on the QEP • Review QEP timelines • Defining Critical Thinking • QEP Initiatives and Goals • Progress and Areas of Opportunity Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

3. Review of QEP Timelines Efforts began in Spring 2008 at program levels As of 2011, all disciplines institution-wide (33) have participated in learning to teach Critical Thinking (via Champions and ARTs) One year remaining until we start finalizing the report Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

4. Defining Critical Thinking QEP Focus: Enhancing student learning by improving students’ ability to think critically. SPC’s definition of Critical Thinking: Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

5. Defining Critical Thinking Six elements of Critical Thinking, thirteen student learning outcomes. Students will be able to… Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

6. Defining Critical Thinking • The outcomes of the current definition of critical thinking are intended to: • Foster understanding • Support sound decision-making • Guide Action Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

7. QEP Initiatives • Initiative #1: Student Success (primary focus of the QEP) • Initiative #2: Professional Development (culminates with student success) • Initiative #3: Critical Thinking Resources (supports student success) Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

8. Initiative #1:Student Success Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

9. Initiative #1: Student Success Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

10. Initiative #1: Student Success • Goal 1-1: Enhance students’ critical thinking skills through “teaching for critical thinking” classroom activities across the curriculum. Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

11. Initiative #1: Student Success • Goal 1-2: Develop and use general and discipline-specific assessment tools and strategies for measuring students’ critical thinking skills. • Faculty Champion Portfolios, Academic Round Tables, Scenarios • Goal 1-3: Collect student artifacts through ePortfolio. • Feasibility study reviewed current LMS (Angel) and others. Determined that the ePortfolio would not meet our needs. CT subcommittee of Ed Oversight recommended using ePortfolio allocated funds towards CCSSE. • Goal 1-4: Implement critical thinking programs supported by key student organizations. • Great debate of 2008, SPC Reads, “The Cuban Guy”, Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour. WITS forms for Student Life and Leadership and students Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

12. Student Success: Opportunities • Administer MAPP (institution-wide direct measure, last administered in 2007) • Consider critical thinking items on the SSI • Documentation of student journaling (V. Reflection) (aligned to ePortfolios, also single demonstration aligned to “foster understanding”) • Increase documentation of Critical Thinking programs/events and feedback • “Clean up” of faculty champion portfolios; explicitly document discipline-specific assessment examples • Conduct audit of all SPC programs (curricular and others) (SACS IE Reviewer’s template) Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

13. Initiative #2:Professional Development Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

14. Initiative #2:Professional Development Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

15. Initiative #2:Professional Development • Goal 2-1: Provide professional development opportunities to assist faculty in developing class activities to support teaching for critical thinking. • Thirteen Critical Thinking Institutes and retreats, CAT scoring workshops, ARC scoring workshops, Online seminars, evaluations • Goal 2-2: Develop in-house critical thinking expertise (i.e., faculty champions) using the “train-the-trainer” approach. • Faculty Champion meetings, six external experts on campus, online training seminars, development of RLO and assessment checklists • Goal 2-3: Institute Academic Roundtables (ARTs) to investigate “teaching for critical thinking” strategies • ART Beach Retreats, meetings with Faculty Champions, evaluations by ARTs Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

16. Professional Development: Opportunities • In fall 2011, advanced CT seminars will be held as part of the CT Institute, where disciplines will have individual meetings to discuss the day's presentations and discuss how it applies to their discipline. • In 2011-12, QEP office will work with CETL to get in touch with new faculty about CT • Look at C&I 3-yr course review process for opportunity to develop a “teaching for critical thinking” checklist as a tool for faculty to use when modifying courses or class activities. Checklist for activities are being developed in partnership with CETL. • During 2011-2012, survey SPC faculty regarding availability and effectiveness of professional development opportunities. Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

17. Initiative #3:Critical Thinking Resources Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

18. Initiative #3:Critical Thinking Resources Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

19. Initiative #3:Critical Thinking Resources • Goals 3-1 (electronic resources), 3-2 (RLOs), and 3-4 (CT Resource Centers): • Gateway Website, instructional portfolios, partnership with WITS, designated space at each campus library, as well as online. Approx 30 RLOs as of 2010-2011. • Goal 3-3: Contribute to the critical thinking literature… • Faculty champion presentations at CT Institutes, 33 different instructional portfolios that include discipline-specific research. Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting

20. Critical Thinking Resources:Opportunities • Survey faculty champions to identify RLOs they implemented in their courses. • Consider focus groups of students • Survey SPC faculty to obtain feedback regarding Faculty Champions’ portfolios (literature, activities, resources) Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting