As a part of the preparation for the accreditation reaffirmation process, Troy University is preparing to draft a new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
According to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the QEP is a document developed by the institution that includes a process of identifying key issues emerging from institutional assessment, focusing on learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.
It demonstrates institutional capability for the initiation, implementation and completion of the QEP and includes broad-based involvement of institutional constituencies in the development and proposed implementation of the QEP.
The most recent QEP was “Creating a Culture of Reading,” which sought to enhance perspectives and critical thinking along with writing skills by introducing more reading-intensive courses and promoting a common reading experience in individual departments.
As it deals with different factors surrounding student learning, the University has issued emails to students and employees asking for their suggestions, and it hopes to receive honest inputs.
“It should focus on making students feel comfortable and prepared in classes,” said Jacob Adams, a freshman psychology major from Troy.
“Students need some hands-on work, something more than just paper assignments,” Rashawn Flowers, a sophomore social science major from Troy, said in agreement.
Because students come from diverse backgrounds and different teaching-learning experiences, they may have a difficult time adjusting to the environment here. A program to help students adjust and adapt to the college environment would be helpful to incoming freshmen.
Zac Willis, a sophomore computer science major from Huntsville, brought up the need to improve student-faculty communications.
“A lot of the teachers in my faculty aren’t native English speakers, so they can’t always get the point across, especially on tests. So maybe they could introduce a proofreader of sorts,” said Willis.
Effective communication between instructors and students is important. Students having difficulty understanding professors, explaining their problems and grasping the subject matter can cause problems in future classes.
“It’s not their fault, but it would be helpful for both sides if we could understand what they are saying,” added Willis.
Improvement in quality of education and learning environment is essential for any educational institute to continue in its goal. The only way to bring that about is through an active feedback system.
This is an opportunity for students to present issues they believe need to be addressed to improve the learning environment at Troy.
All ideas and suggestions for the new quality enhancement plan can be submitted to dtennimon@troy.edu.
Comments