Quality Enhancement Plan

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a key part of the university’s continuous improvement efforts and one of the SACSCOC accreditation standards (Standard 7.2).

The QEP reflects and affirms the university’s commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue the institution considers important to improving undergraduate student learning outcomes and/or student success.

Rollout of the QEP demonstrates the institution has appropriate broad-based support for institutional effectiveness and utilizes planning and assessment to measure and evaluate progress.

QEP 2025 - Steps to Success through Transformative Advising

Beginning in Fall 2024, the university’s new five-year QEP, "Steps to Success," will focus on a strategic shift from undergraduate faculty advisors to a team of dedicated professional staff advisors.

Florida Tech students have a rigorous course load from the first semester and the dedicated staff advising team will help guide them throughout their entire academic journey by providing personalized support and referrals.

Steps to Success focuses on three primary outcomes:

Improved academic performance and achievement of learning outcomes.
Enhanced progression and timely degree completion.
Increased student engagement with their university experience.

Student advisors will monitor students’ academic progress, attendance and overall wellness. The advisors will provide immediate referrals to academic and wellness services at the students’ point of need providing critical touchpoints to enhance overall student success. Student success translates to:

Higher GPAs
A shorter path to graduation
University retention from year to year
Students’ sense of belonging within the university ecosystem

QEP Q&A

What was the process for selecting a QEP topic and how was the campus community involved?

Beginning in the summer of 2023, a QEP Student Success Workgroup was formed by the QEP Development Lead that included students from student leadership organizations, leadership from the President’s Cabinet and Provost's office, Associate Deans from Colleges and Library, the Directors of the SSSC and Office of Advising, Registrar, IT, and Institutional Research. Every major administrative department had a representative to ensure comprehensive input and alignment with the university’s strategic goals.

To align with the SACSCOC definition of improving student learning outcomes or student success, the Student Success Workgroup started with a conversation about specific goals for improvement based on ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation. These included undergraduate enrollment, retention rates, graduation rates and time to graduation. Two topics were identified from the various constituencies that could be used to enhance student success. The selected Transformative Advising topic ultimately incorporated many of the tenets of the student care and social support plan with those of the student academic and professional support plan, essentially merging the two topics into one.

How will the QEP improve student learning or student success?

By pivoting to a professional advisor model, students will have an enhanced and more holistic advising experience that includes not only academic advising, but referrals to tutoring and the student success center, mental and physical health services, and financial aid among others. Student engagement with their college experience is also shown to be a factor in student success which the advisors will support and encourage also.

How will the outcomes be assessed?

To align with institutional goals of improving retention and graduation rates, all outcomes will be assessed to determine the extent of their achievement. Metrics to be used include:

GPA
D/F rates
Program-level outcome achievement
Graduation rates
Times to graduation
Student participation in co-curricular activities

Does the QEP include specific activities for faculty?

Yes! Faculty will continue to advise and mentor students in their areas of expertise and provide guidance and experiences to assist students with their career and academic goals.

Serve as faculty mentors
Advise on career matters
Advise on graduate school options
Discuss discipline-specific topics
Guide undergraduate research
For faculty instructors, provide guidance on course content

Quality Enhancement Plan