Let's Transform the Learning Environment!

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT

1. What significant challenges do you face in terms of your class preparation, readiness, and learning?
2. To what degree, if any, do you think you are receiving a first-class education---an education you can count on as a well-educated person in the job market, in graduate and professional school, in the world community and your hometown?
3. What does a first-class education include?
4. If you could redesign any of your JSU coursework or overall curriculum, what would you change and keep?

Ready to talk about these and related issues? Then join us Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 6-8 p.m. at the campus-wide QEP Student "Let's Talk" Forum at the Student Center in Ballroom A&B.

Here are some other questions to consider and talk about:

1. To what degree are your courses meeting or exceeding your expectations?
2. What are some of the most beneficial features of your courses?
3. What are some of the least beneficial features of your courses? For example, how does the teacher engage you in the learning process?
4. How do you get and remain engaged in the learning process?
5. Are some courses more engaging than others? Please explain.
6. What do you most value about a college education at JSU?
7. When you hear or read that the learning environment should be challenging, transformative or transforming, as a concrete matter, what does that mean to you?
8. When you leave JSU with an earned diploma, what knowledge, skills, values and dispositions will you possess? How will you have acquired them? Why do you think they will matter?

Overview
The selection of Jackson State University’s (JSU) Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a vitally important decision that we will make together this year. A QEP is a thoughtfully designed and focused university–wide initiative to improve student learning.
Several steps in the coming months will be taken to arrive at a final selection of the JSU QEP topic. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requires that the topic chosen be creative and crucial to sustaining student learning. SACS also values a QEP selection process that has engaged the entire university in the process.

Your voices are all important and several meetings and focus groups have been designed to hear your ideas and to work inclusively to engage student learning. The QEP must contain well-defined goals that are substantive and of the depth which can lead to measureable intended results. There are seven QEP subcommittees (see below) and all of them have been working hard since last semester to gather initial data and will soon gather more data from you that will assist JSU in answering the above questions.

The QEP Research Process


Identify a list of desirable knowledge, skills, behaviors, and values.
Gather information, research sources to identify knowledge, behaviors, skills, and values we would like our students to possess at graduation.
Create a clearly defined set of student learning areas.
Analyze and refine focus group results, apply relevant literature, articulate distinct, clearly defined, student learning spheres.
Collect input from faculty, staff and students and all university-wide assessment results.
Establish campus-wide, student learning priorities.
Encourage the development of alternative QEP topics to achieve student learning priorities.
Examine and engage the campus in the merit of each alternative QEP topic.
After a close scholarly review, select the topic that will be the focus of JSU’s QEP.
Based upon the topic chosen, request and obtain interdisciplinary proposals with these strengths:
Learning domains explicitly defined and directly linked to steps 3,4,5,and 6 above
Learning outcomes clearly focused
Action initiatives directly related to domains and outcomes
Key performance indicators linked to specific spheres
Finalize and Approve QEP
Write the QEP, review it with stakeholders; approve budget

QEP Subcommittees

Committee on Student Surveys (CSS)
Mrs. Lashanda Jordan, Chair
Dr. Marcus Chanay
Dr. D’Andra Orey
Dr. Mary Coleman
Student
Alumni

Committee on the QEP Campaign
Ms. Pamela Berry
Dr. Dwight Brooks
Dr. Sonny Smith
Dr. Mary Coleman
Student
Alumni
Staff

The Focus Group
Mr. Charles Carraway, Chair
Dr. D’Andra Orey
Dr. Sarah Banks
Dr. Marcus Chanay
Dr. Richard Chiles
Dr. Darcie Bishop
Business Representative
Science Representative
Life-Long Learning
International Studies Representative
Student
Alumni

Budget Committee
Dr. Emeka Nwagwu, Chair
Dr. Lurlene Irvin
Student
Alumni

Committee on QEP Assessment Plan
Quinton Williams
Debra Buchannan
Evelyn Leggette
Business Representative
M Coleman
Sandra Sellers
Student
Alumni

Literature Review and Best Practices
Dianne Everett
Mohammed Ali
Roosevelt Gentry
M. Khadivi
Jean Chamberlain, Chair
Student
Alumni

Editor of Final QEP Rewrite
Abby Sharpe, Co-Chair
John Scott
Student
Alumni