Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Critical Thinking Retreat – Spring 2012

Department of Academic Effectiveness and Assessment

Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan

Progress on the QEP

Review QEP timelinesDefine Critical ThinkingQEP Initiatives and Goals

Progress and Areas of Opportunity

February 17, 2012 Critical Thinking Retreat 2


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)

Currently implementing plan for last year of QEP


http://www.spcollege.edu/criticalthinking/resources/portfolio.htm


Defining Critical Thinking

QEP Focus: Enhancing student learning by improving students’ ability to think critically.

SPC’s definition of Critical Thinking:


“Critical thinking is the active and systematic process of communication, problem-solving, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, and reflection, both individually and in community, to foster understanding, support sound decision-making, and guide action.”


Defining Critical Thinking

The outcomes of SPC’s definition of critical thinking are intended to:

Foster understanding

Support sound decision-making

Guide Action



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)


Initiative #1:Student Success

Quality Enhancement Committee Meeting


Initiative #1: Student Success

Goal 1-1: Enhance students’ critical thinking skills through “teaching for critical thinking” classroom activities across the curriculum.


Direct Measures: • Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) • ETS iSkills (due to modifications, iSkills is no longer being used) • ETS Measure of Academic Proficiency and Progress (MAPP) • Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking (ARC) • General Education Assessment Indirect Measures: • Recent Alumni Survey • Employer Survey • Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) • Student Survey of Instruction


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 & 2012, SPC Reads, “The Cuban Guy”, Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour. WITS forms for Student Life and Leadership and students.



Student Success: Opportunities

Administer MAPP (institution-wide direct measure, last administered in 2007) Now ETS Proficiency Profile, both LD and UD students fall 2011, LD again Spring 2012

Consider critical thinking items on the SSI Will be added to data reported in QEP

Documentation of student journaling (V. Reflection) (aligned to ePortfolios, also single demonstration aligned to “foster understanding”)

Still outstanding

Increase documentation of Critical Thinking programs/events and feedback In progress, currently assessing students participating in college-wide Great Debate

“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)



Student Success: Opportunities

Presented QEP update to Quality Enhancement Committee (QEC) Sept 2011 and held session during All College Day 2011. Recommendations included:

Conduct a second scoring session of ethics papers assessed with the ARC in 11-12 Scheduled for Friday, May 18th

Focus on documenting students’ ability to demonstrate reflection (this is often misinterpreted by students as summarizing what they learned about the content.) How to do this? Needs to be discussed.

Amplify efforts to work with Student Life coordinators, others sponsoring student activities. What are the MLOs of the event, how do they relate to CT? How do we assess?

Collect additional feedback from program stakeholders, particularly advisory board members, regarding needs of employers relating to CT (Joint Advisory Committee meetings, Oct 2011)


Initiative #2:Professional Development



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



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.

Completed, will also occur fall 2012

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 2011-12, survey SPC faculty regarding availability and effectiveness of professional development opportunities.


Initiative #3:Critical Thinking Resources



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.



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)



How You Can Get Involved

Participate in a scoring workshop: Assessment Rubric for Critical Thinking (ARC): Friday, May 18th, 8:30 – 4 pm,

District Office - Consular Conference Room 102 (ethics papers)

Critical thinking Assessment Test (CAT): Friday, April 20th, 8:30 – 4 pm, District Office - Consular Conference Room 102 (math, Vet Tech courses)

Use the ARC to assess your activities Implement journaling as a way to capture students’ ability to reflect Identify MLOs in your courses/programs/activities that relate to critical

thinking… how do you determine if students are improving? Assess! Visit SPC’s Gateway Website: http://

www.spcollege.edu/criticalthinking/resources/initiative.htm


Assessing Progress on the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

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