Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Five-Year Report on Hybrid Learning in Math Hubs
By
Bob Indrihovic
&
Pat Velicky
Florence-Darlington Technical College
Florence, South Carolina
Transforming Remedial Math
FDTC’s remedial math transformation began with
the SACS Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)–
• The title of the plan is Calculate This! modeled
after the University of Alabama’s Math
Technology Learning Center.
• The QEP is a compliance standard that has been
established by the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS).
• The QEP is an ongoing plan of continuous
improvement done on a 5-year reporting cycle.
One of the five Institutional Goals at
FDTC was perfect for Calculate This!
Florence-Darlington Technical College will
transform the traditional instructional
approach into a flexible, customer-oriented
learning environment emphasizing a global
economy, certifications, work experience credit,
competency-based outcomes, self-paced,
individualized instruction, and the infusion of
technology in all programs of study.
Tutors
Instructor
OBJECTIVES:
• SACS QEP Overview
• FDTC QEP Process
• FDTC QEP Data and Results
SACS QEP Overview
• Commission on Colleges expectations
– Core Requirement 2.12
– Comprehensive Standard 3.3.2
– Nine Steps to developing a QEP
SACS QEP Overview
The Commission on Colleges expects an
institution:
• to dedicate itself to enhancing the quality of its
programs and services within the context of its
mission, resources, and capabilities
• to create an environment in which teaching,
public service, research, and learning occurs
SACS QEP Overview
Core Requirement 2.12 states that the QEP
• demonstrates that the plan is part of an ongoing
planning and evaluation process
• presents an opportunity and an incentive for an
institution to enhance overall institutional quality
and effectiveness by focusing on an issue
important to improving student learning
• clearly and directly links to improving the quality
of student learning
• integrates into ongoing planning and evaluation
SACS QEP Overview
Comprehensive Standard 3.3.2 states that the QEP
• demonstrates institutional capability for the
initiation, implementation, and completion of
the QEP;
• includes broad‐based involvement of
institutional constituencies in the
development and proposed implementation
of the QEP;
• identifies goals and a plan to assess
achievement.
SACS QEP Overview
Nine Steps to Developing a QEP
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Selecting the Topic
Defining the Student Learning Outcomes
Researching the Topic
Identifying the Actions to be Implemented
Establishing the Timeline for Implementation
Organizing for Success
Identifying Necessary Resources
Assessing the Success of the QEP
Preparing the QEP for Submission
FDTC QEP Process
• Phase I (April 2004 – May 2005)
– Research
– Budget planning
– Calculate This! proposal/approval
– QEP subcommittees formed
– First two Math Hub courses designed and offered
FDTC QEP Process
• Phase II (June 2005 – May 2006)
– Publicity about the Math Hub and QEP
•
•
•
•
Area Commission
FDTC community
S.C. Developmental Educators Conference
Local news media
– QEP documents sent to SACS
– SACS on-site review (October 2005)
– Data Collection begins
FDTC QEP Process
• Phase III (June 2006 – June 2011)
– Extensive data analysis of student learning
– Assessment and adjustment of the Hub policies &
procedures and instructional methodology
– Continuous inclusion of the Math Hub in Math
Department’s Institutional Effectiveness
– Exploration of grants and other funding measures
– SACS 5th Year Interim Report (June 2011)
FDTC QEP Data and Results
We are collecting and analyzing data for the four QEP goals.
Primary Goal of QEP
… to increase student knowledge of course
competencies by at least 5% in our
remedial/prerequisite courses.
How We Measure Our
Primary Goal
• Within the first two days of each semester, students
are given a course pre-assessment: a subset of the
departmental final exam
• A subset of the departmental final exam serves as he
post-assessment
• Both sets of data are stored electronically and used to
compare changes in student learning outcomes
• Finally, the data are divided into two groups for
comparison: Hub environment and traditional
environment
.
Primary Goal Results
The average increase from pre to post for 2650 Hub
students is 34.7 points
The average increase from pre to post for 2728
traditional students is 29.1 points
Percent difference between 34.7  29.1
 100%  19.2%
the two environments is
29.1
This well
exceeds our
goal of 5%
Secondary Goal One
… to increase the course success rate
in remedial/prerequisite math classes
by at least 5%.
Secondary Goal One Results
The success rate for 5574 Hub students is 56.7%
The success rate for 9996 traditional students is
41.9%
Percent difference between 56.7  41.9
 100%  35.3%
the two environments is
41.9
This well
exceeds our
goal of 5%
Secondary Goal Two
… to increase the course success rate
of students in curriculum math
courses who took the prerequisite
math course by at least 5%.
Secondary Goal Two Results
The success rate in a curriculum math course of the 867 students
who took the prerequisite math course in the Hub environment is
63.1%
The success rate in a curriculum math course of the 3077 students
who took the prerequisite math course in a traditional environment
is 59.7%
Percent difference between the
two environments is
63.1  59.7
 100%  5.7%
59.7
This exceeds our
goal of 5%
Secondary Goal Three
…to increase the average on the final
exam of each remedial/prerequisite
math course by at least 5%.
Secondary Goal Three Results
The average grade on the cumulative final exam of the 3203
Hub students is 77.1
The average grade on the cumulative final exam of the 7800
traditional students is 69.2
Percent difference between
the two environments is
77.1  69.2
 100%  11.4%
69.2
This well exceeds
our goal of 5%
Additional Observations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Active student learning
One-on-one help
Increased student/faculty communication
Additional time on task
Course acceleration
Increased self-confidence and motivation
Title III Grant
FDTC received a $1.87 million Title III grant
in Fall, 2009, to expand the Hub. As a
result, most of the remedial/prerequisite
math students now use and learn math via
the Mathematics and Technology Hub.
For more information…
http://qep.indrihovic.com
• The Original Proposal – Calculate This!
• Five Year Impact Report
• Title III Annual Performance Report (Year 2)
• Much More…
Questions:
Bob.Indrihovic@fdtc.edu
Pat.Velicky@fdtc.edu