QEP Meeting Minutes, November 11, 2005

QEP Meeting Minutes
November 11, 2005

Members Present: Robin Haggerty, Odell Wilson, David Clutts, Wheeler Conover, Peggy Conklin, Ruby Sparkman, Joann Martin, Joel Eldridge, Chuck Sturgill, Rick Mason and Millard Robbins.

The minutes from the previous meeting were approved and there were no additions to the agenda.

Haggerty asked the committee for professional development ideas for fall in-service. POD director Susan Croushorn had contacted Haggerty about fall in-service suggestions because implementation of the QEP would begin in the fall. She was anticipating that certain topics would need to be addressed. After a brief discussion of advisor training, the committee agreed to contact Haggerty via email with professional development suggestions.

The committee discussed the need to title the QEP. The most frequent suggestion was A Paradigm of Success: Developmental Math at Southeast. However, there was some discussion that “paradigm” could be considered jargon and that students wouldn’t be able to connect with the title. The committee tabled the decision until a completed draft had been evaluated.

The committee discussed whether the QEP should be publicized to students as well as faculty and staff. It was determined that students would need to know about the plan and appreciate knowing what was going on.

Haggerty then worked with the committee to finalize a definition of student learning. After the last meeting, Haggerty had sent out emails to the committee with the SACS description of a definition of student learning and sample definitions from QEP’s that were similar in topic to Southeast’s QEP. She asked that each member send in his or her definition. Using those, she developed two possible definitions and presented them to the committee. After discussion, the committee chose the definition of student learning.

Peggy Conklin and David Clutts reported on the progress of their pilot projects. Conklin discussed her progress with the Learning Styles pilot and Clutts discussed his progress with Running Start.

There were no research updates.

Haggerty reported that she would be attending the SACS Annual Meeting in Atlanta from December 4-6. She also reported that she would be giving an update about the QEP to the SACS Leadership Team on December 8.

Haggerty said that the committee could expect a rough draft of the QEP to be completed before the trip to Atlanta.
The date for the next meeting was set for January 13, 2006.

Definition of Student Learning

Version #1
In Fall 2005, when the QEP committee began working with the topic of improving student performance in developmental mathematics, a philosophy or way of looking at the problem was developed rather quickly: the committee called it the Paradigm of Success. The Paradigm recognizes that student performance is determined by the following three factors: attendance, attitude, and ability to benefit. Using the Paradigm helped the committee understand that the definition of student learning encompasses many aspects of the college’s curriculum. Even though the problem statement of the QEP is to improve the success of students enrolled in developmental mathematics, the students’ learning experience is nurtured by the curriculum that transforms them into master learners by modifying their attitudes, commitments, knowledge of the use of all available resources, as well as increased mastery of the skill competencies in developmental mathematics. It is this maturation that occurs as a result of being engaged in the curriculum of the college community that defines student learning.

Version #2
In Fall 2005, when the QEP committee began working with the topic of improving student performance in developmental mathematics, a philosophy or way of looking at the problem was developed rather quickly: the committee called it the Paradigm of Success. The Paradigm recognizes that student performance is determined by the following three factors: attendance, attitude, and ability to benefit. Use of the Paradigm helped the committee understand that the definition of student learning encompasses many aspects of the college’s curriculum. Even though the problem has been defined narrowly, the students’ learning experiences are nurtured by their experiences with the college as a whole. Those experiences can be transformative by helping to modify their attitudes towards the study of mathematics and their college experience, their commitments to study mathematics and to their education in general, and their uses of all available resources, as well as an increased mastery of the skill competencies in developmental mathematics. It is this maturation into master learners that occurs as a result of the students’ engagement in the curriculum of the college community that defines student learning.

Student Learning Definition Worksheet (distributed before Nov. 11 meeting)

Miami-Dade
As the focus of the Quality Enhancement Plan was clarified, it became evident that student learning, as it relates to success in mathematics, needed to be defined. The following definition was accepted as one that truly addressed the focus of the QEP at Miami Dade College. Relative to the QEP, student learning is defined as:

Improved mastery of the competencies in the targeted high risk mathematics courses of College-Prep Mathematics, College-Prep Algebra, Intermediate Algebra, and College Algebra.
A positive attitude toward the learning of mathematics.

Texarkana
Texarkana College concurs with the Southern Association of College’s definition of student learning as “changes that occur in knowledge, skills, behaviors, and/or values that are attributable to the collegiate experience.” It is the aim of our QEP to facilitate development of these changes as they apply to an ever increasing number of first-time-in-college students who are under prepared for collegiate-level work.

Two of the four components of the QEP are directed at the institutional framework which deals with the overall coordination of Texarkana College’s developmental program and the area of professional development for faculty members. The other two components of the QEP deal directly with programs aimed at developmental students.

Wayne Community College
In January of 2004, the WCC community began an ongoing discussion about the learning college concept and some of its attendant issues (i.e., data-based decision making, the use of learning outcomes, and benchmarking and assessment). This discussion began with a definition of learning and has since prompted the incorporation of learning outcomes at all levels of the College, from general college learning outcomes to course-specific learning outcomes. The learning college discussion has fostered a college-wide exchange of ideas that has been essential to the work of the QEP subcommittees and resulted in the adoption of a definition of learning: Learning is the process by which behavior is changed as individuals acquire and apply knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The College identified learning outcomes as statements that specify what students will know or be able to do as a result of a learning activity.

Wallace State Community College
Wallace State Community College defines student learning as the change that occurs in the knowledge, skills, values, and abilities of students who are actively engaged in learning partnerships. Students become active learners when they are engaged in learning partnerships that provide a variety of options for learning that reflect their individual needs and learning goals. A partnership implies mutual responsibility for learning. That is, students understand how they learn best and faculty assume the role of facilitators of learning whereby a variety of options best suited to individual student needs are provided to ensure richer learning.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
The Meaning of Student Learning in the Context of the QEP
Student learning is defined broadly in the context of the QEP and may address a wide range of topics or issues. Student learning may include changes in students’ knowledge, skills, behaviors, and/or values that may be attributable to the collegiate experience. Examples of topics or issues may include, but are not limited to, enhancing the academic climate for student learning, strengthening the general studies curriculum, developing creative approaches to experiential learning, enhancing critical thinking skills, introducing innovative teaching and learning strategies, increasing student engagement in learning, and exploring imaginative ways to use technology in the curriculum. In all cases, the goals and evaluation strategies must be clearly and directly linked to improving the quality of student learning.

Writing our own definition of student learning:

Step 1: Begin with topic and goals associated with the topic:

To improve student success in developmental mathematics, we should focus on the following goals:

To improve advising of developmental students
To improve placement of developmental math students
To improve student success within courses
To improve student attitudes toward learning mathematics
To improve flexibility of developmental mathematics delivery
To improve student use of tutoring available for developmental math
To provide a central organizational structure for developmental education. The organizational structure would provide supervision for developmental advising, the Early Alert program, scheduling of developmental courses, and program assessment

Step Two: Review old/other versions of student learning we have tried:

Student learning, in the context of our QEP, is defined as improved success completing the developmental math sequence, improved performance in College Algebra and Allied Health coursework that requires use of mathematics, and a more positive attitude toward the study of mathematics. (1)
Student learning, in the context of our QEP, is defined as improved success completing the developmental math sequence, improved student success in developmental math classes, improved performance in College Algebra and Applied Math, and a more positive attitude toward the study of mathematics. (2)
Student learning, in the context of the QEP, is defined as the student's mastery of the competencies within the developmental math curriculum. (3)

Step Three: Write up your own definition of student learning and email to Robin before Nov. 11