FAQS
- What is the QEP?
- Why does Madison need a QEP?
- How was Madison's QEP topic selected?
- Where are we in the QEP planning process?
What is the QEP?
The QEP is a plan that engages the entire Madison community – faculty, students, staff, administrators and alumni – in addressing a well-defined topic that contributes to overall institutional improvement by strengthening student learning. The five-year plan must be based on the scholarship and research around best educational practices, with clear outcomes for student learning and assessment. The plan will include resources for implementation, which will begin fall 2013.
Why does Madison need a QEP?
James Madison University is preparing for our 2013 reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools - Commission On Colleges (SACSCOC). New to the reaccreditation process, the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a five-year plan for enhancing student learning required by SACSCOC for reaffirmation. So, in order to maintain Madison’s accreditation, we must document that the university meets compliance standards by developing and implementing a QEP.
How was Madison's QEP topic selected?
The QEP Planning Committee solicited and conducted a blind review of short (no more than 2 pages) topic proposals from the JMU community beginning in the fall of 2010. From all the submissions, the committee selected several proposals for further development. Selection criteria included SACSCOC QEP criteria, JMU QEP Selection Criteria, as well as research gathered by a subcommittee compiling data on JMU’s unique strengths and challenges and a subcommittee gathering research on the overarching trends in higher education. Funding was made available to those whose proposals were chosen for further development. The JMU community then had the opportunity to provide comment on the finalist proposals in the spring of 2011. Once this phase was complete, the committee worked closely with the senior administration to make the final choice.
Where are we in the QEP planning process?
The first step in developing Madison's QEP was to identify a topic through a process that solicits input and feedback from across the university community. Executing this first step was the responsibility of the QEP Planning Committee, which was assembled and began meeting September 2010. This group worked to elicit proposals from the university community detailing topics to be considered for the QEP. From the initial 76 proposals submitted, the review process resulted in the selection of six proposals in five categories for further development. Following presentations to Academic Council and senior administrators, two QEP ideas - "Educating for Responsibility" and "Citizenship for the 21st Century" - were chosen to be combined as JMU's Quality Enhancement Plan. A QEP Task Force is meeting regularly to merge these ideas into one strong and meaningful QEP, currently with the working title the Madison Collaborative. Work during the fall of 2011 centered on refining the concept, formulating Student Learning Outcomes, and considering implementation measures. This spring, the Task Force is focused on ethical reasoning skills as applied to personal, professional, and civic domains. The next number of months will involve fine tuning of the five-year plan for SACSCOC, with the final 75-page document submitted by January of 2013 in anticipation of the SACSCOC site visit in April and implementation of the QEP beginning in September of 2013.