What is a QEP?

Go Beyond the Classroom: Community-Engaged Learning, ETSU's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), is an integral part of ETSU’s reaffirmation and accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The current QEP topic was approved by the ETSU University Council in December 2021 and will be implemented across a five-year period.

 

 

 

A successful QEP will:

  • Be a topic identified through on-going institutional assessment and planning.
  • Focus on learning outcomes and/or the environment supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution.
  • Demonstrate institutional capability for the institution to successfully implement and complete the QEP.
  • Include broad-based involvement of institutional constituencies in the development and proposed implementation of the QEP.
  • Identify a plan for assessing student learning achievements.
  • Color my world
  • Respiratory therapy
  • Alternative Break
  • Clemmer College
  • Anthony Salas - Steele Creek

 

QEP Resources and Planning

  •  

Dr. Barbara Jacoby
Community-Engaged Learning Scholar and Author
Keynote address on Community-Engaged Learning
October 13-14, 2022 - Presentation

QEP Implementation Team Meeting

Go Beyond the Classroom Information Session March 22, 2023

 

 

Quality Enhancement Plan – Goals, SLO’s, and Student Success

Community-Engaged Learning Definition

Community-engaged learning is a form of experiential education in which students engage in activities that address human and community needs together with structured opportunities for reflection designed to achieve desired learning outcomes. (Jacoby, 2015)

QEP Goals

  1. Provide infrastructure and resources for student leaders, faculty and staff, and community partners to support long-term success for community-engaged learning.
  2. Expand student involvement in community-engaged learning opportunities across the undergraduate curricular and co-curricular experiences.
  3. Describe the impact of student involvement in community-engaged learning on student outcomes for various student populations (target populations: Pell recipients, male students, and underserved students).

QEP Student Learning Outcomes

  1. (Connecting): Students will make meaningful connections between their community-engaged learning experiences and academic course content
  2. (Influencing): Students will critically reflect on how community-engaged learning influences their future aspirations.
  3. (Contributing): Students will articulate how community-engaged learning prepares them to make productive contributions in a diverse society.

QEP Student Success Outcomes

The Student Success Outcomes for Go Beyond the Classroom will impact two of ETSU’s goals and outcomes for student achievement as required by SACSCOC Core Requirement 8.1: Student achievement: 

  1. ETSU aspires to retain 85 percent of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students from fall-to-fall, and 
  2. ETSU aspires to graduate 60 percent of all incoming degree-seeking undergraduate students within eight years as reported in the IPEDS 8 Year Outcomes measures.

How do I get involved?

For Faculty and Staff 

Consider having your course designated as a Go Beyond the Classroom Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) course.

Apply for a Go Beyond the Classroom Mini-Grant.

Participate in the Summer Go Beyond the Classroom Intensive on May 18-19 and July 24-25.

Explore serving as an Alternative Break Experience Learning Partner in 2023-2024.

For Students

Seek to take courses that have Go Beyond the Classroom Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) course designation.

Learn more about the ETSU Elevates program and funding opportunities available to connect with a local community organization or agency.

Explore opportunities to help address societal challenges with a community partner in the Appalachian Highlands on the ETSU Serves platform.

Consider participating in an Alternative Service Break next school year.

For Community Partners

Visit ETSU Serves to share your service opportunities with students, faculty, and staff.

Learn more about the ETSU Elevates program and the opportunities to connect with ETSU students for seed grant funding.

 

Go Beyond the classroom

The ETSU QEP:Community-Engaged Learning

 

One of the pillars of ETSU’s Strategic Plan is that the institution will lead the region forward through community engagement and service. Community-engaged learning is the integration of academic coursework and intentional community partnerships that fosters student reflection and application of classroom learning. Critical reflection helps students make meaning of the learning experience so they can better understand themselves as learners and their role in the global community. The QEP will provide faculty development to encourage innovations reflecting our commitment to student engagement, learning, and academic success. It will build upon ETSU’s long-standing mission of improving the quality of life of others through regional stewardship and elevate the institution’s impact in community engagement, a key recommendation from the recent Committee for 125 Chapter II report.

Community-engaged learning may include:

  • Service-learning
  • Research
  • Public service
  • Project-based learning
  • Internships and experiential learning opportunities

By engaging in these learning activities, ETSU undergraduate students will develop a significant and sophisticated understanding of the ways in which their disciplinary knowledge intersects with the world community.

  • Timeline for the QEP

    September 8, 2022 - QEP Submission for Review by Off-Site Reaffirmation Committee 

    February 23, 2023 - QEP Submission for Review by On-Site Reaffirmation Committee

    April 3-6, 2023 - SACSCOC On-Site Reaffirmation Committee Visit

    December 2023 - SACSCOC Board of Trustees Review

    TBD 2028 - QEP Impact and Fifth-Year Interim Report

  • QEP Leadership Team

    Susan McCracken, Chair, mccrackensd@etsu.edu 
    Vice Provost for Community Engagement and Director of the Quality Enhancement Plan

    Cheri Clavier, clavier@etsu.edu 
    Director Of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Liaison

    Leah Adinolfi, adinolfi@etsu.edu
    Dean of Student Engagement and Director of Assessment

    Adam Dickson
    Supervisor, Langston Centre

    Felipe Fiuza, deoliveirafi@etsu.edu
    Clinical Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Literature and Language

    Chris Keller, kellercj@etsu.edu

    Dean of the Honors College and Senior International Officer

    Mary Mullins, mullinsmh@etsu.edu
    Associate Professor and Chair Department of Social Work

    Megan Quinn, quinnm@etsu.edu
    Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
    Interim Chair of Environmental Health

  • QEP subcommittees

    Community-Engaged Learning Assessment Subcommittee

    Megan Quinn, quinnm@etsu.edu

    Chair, Community-Engaged Learning Assessment Subcommittee, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology


    Cheri Clavier, clavier@etsu.edu 
    Director Of Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation

    Jean Hemphill, hemphilj@etsu.edu
    Nursing Graduate Programs

    Karen Tarnoff, tarnoffk@etsu.edu
    Associate Dean, College of Business and Technology

    Cindy Chambers, chamberc@etsu.edu
    Education Foundation nad Special Education

    Jeff Snodgrass, snodgras@etsu.edu
    Rehabilitative Sciences

    Ben Daughty, daughertykb@etsu.edu
    Office of Administration

    Chassidy Cooper, coopercl@etsu.edu
    Office of Equity and Inclusion

    Teresa Carnevale, carnevale@etsu.edu
    Nursing Graduate Programs

    Rob Pack, packr@etsu.edu
    Provost's Office, College of Public Health

    Tessa Cavender, caverndert@etsu.edu
    Office of Admissions

    Maggie Darden, dardenm@etsu.edu
    Fraternity and Sorority Life

    Randy Byington, byingtor@etsu.edu
    Allied Health Sciences

    Robert Price, pricejr@etsu.edu
    Mathematics and Statistics

    Cody Morelock, morelockc@etsu.edu
    Graduate and Professional Student Association

    Blair Jones, joneseb1@etsu.edu
    Sherrod Library

    Margaret Pate, pate@etsu.edu
    Budget and Financial Planning

     

    Community-Engaged Learning Curricular and Co-curricular Programming Subcommittee

    Ron Roach, roachr@etsu.edu
    Chair, Community-Engaged Learning Curricular and Co-curricular Programming Subcommittee
    Appalachian Studies

    Leah Adinolfi, adinolfi@etsu.edu
    Liaison,Community-Engaged Learning Curricular and Co-curricular Programming Subcommittee
    Dean of Student Engagement/Director of Assessment


    Chris Keller, kellercj@etsu.edu
    Liaison,Community-Engaged Learning Curricular and Co-curricular Programming Subcommittee
    Dean of the Honors College and Senior International Officer

    Kelly Foster,fosterkn@etsu.edu

    Sociology

    Blaine Schubert, schubert@etsu.edu
    Geosciences

    Daryl Carter, carterda@etsu.edu
    History

    Brian Bennett, bennetbt@etsu.edu
    Computing

    Dawn Rowe, roweda@etsu.edu
    Educational Foundations & Special Education

    Matthew Kinsler, kinslerms@etsu.edu
    Office of Admissions

    Taylor Dula, mckeehan@etsu.edu
    Office of the Dean, College of Public Health

    Bess Sirmon-Taylor, sirmontaylor@etsu.edu
    Audiology and Speech Language Pathology

    Carson Medley, medleycd@etsu.edu
    Office of the Dean, Honors College

    Cerrone Foster, fosterc@etsu.edu
    Biological Sciences

    Jen Adler, adlerj@etsu.edu
    Roan Scholars

    Jenny Lockmiller, lockmilj@etsu.edu
    University Career Services

    Joy Fulkerson, fulkersj@etsu.edu
    Leadership and Civic Engagement

    Deidra Rogers, rogersda@etsu.edu
    Counseling and Human Services

    Bill Kirkwood, kirkwood@etsu.edu
    Student Services Administration

    Megan Roberts, robertsmm@etsu.edu
    Director of Academic Advisement

    Morgan Blazer, blazerms@etsu.edu
    ETSU Student Representative

    Community-Engaged Learning Faculty & Staff Engagement Subcommittee

    Alison Barton, barton@etsu.edu
    Chair, Community-Engaged Learning Faculty & Staff Engagement Subcommittee 
    Center for Teaching Excellence

    Mary Mullins, mullinsmh@etsu.edu
    Liaison, Community-Engaged Learning Faculty & Staff Engagement Subcommittee 
    Social Work

    Phyllis Thompson, thompsop@etsu.edu
    Counseling And Human Services

    David Harker, harkerd@etsu.edu
    Philosophy and Humanities

    Brittany Butler, butlerbl@etsu.edu
    Chemistry

    Scott Jenkinson, jenkinson@etsu.edu
    Educational Foundation and Special Education

    Kate Beatty, beattyk@etsu.edu
    Health Services Management and Policy

    Jesse Gilreath, gilreathj@etsu.edu
    Social Work

    Emily Flores, florese@etsu.edu
    Pharmacy Practice

    Julie Fox-Horton, foxhorton@etsu.edu
    Division of Cross-Disciplinary Studies

    Christy Hall (Katherine), hallkc1@etsu.edu
    Office of the Dean, College of Nursing

    Amy Johnson, johnsoad@etsu.edu
    Office of the Dean, College of Medicine

    Adrianna Guram, gurama@etsu.edu
    Housing and Residence Life

    Trent White, whitetj@etsu.edu
    SGA Representative

    Rebecca Tolley, tolleyst@etsu.edu
    Sherrod Library

    Chelsie Dubay, dubayc@etsu.edu
    Computing

    Community Partners Subcommittee

    Felipe Fiuza, deoliveirafi@etsu.edu
    Clinical Assistant Professor of Spanish, Department of Literature and Language

    Adam Dickson, adickson@johnsoncitytn.org
    Supervisor, Langston Centre

 

 

Tell us your story!

  • What community-engaged learning activities have you been part of here at ETSU?
  • How have you integrated community-based learning in the classroom?
  • How have you seen community-engaged learning benefit our regional community?

We want to hear your stories.

 

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