UPDATED 3.12.2021 | The ACC QEP website is now live. Click here to learn more. 

The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a five-year plan that will "improve/enhance student learning and/or student success." It must demonstrate that ACC is committed to maintaining the highest standards of "institutional quality and effectiveness." Because the QEP needs to have "broad-based support of institutional constituencies," we will be encouraging participation from all areas of the college. We hope many people will get involved, either by suggesting project topics, participating in our development or implementation committees, or by sharing in the lessons learned from this work.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The QEP is a required part of ACC's reaffirmation process. Reaffirmation ensures that ACC will be accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). It is this accreditation that allows our courses to transfer, our students to receive financial aid, and our degrees to be accepted by other institutions and employers. We must remain in good standing to continue serving students, and the QEP is an important part of that.

WHO IS IMPACTED
Faculty and staff will be involved in the process of topic selection, the development of the actual project, and the implementation of the final QEP. We expect that this collaborative process will help us all feel more informed and empowered to serve our students. This, in turn, will enable us to be even more effective in our work. Students will also be impacted because improvements in their learning and success must be the focus of this collegewide effort.

Until we select our topic and implementation strategy, we don't know exactly which departments will be directly impacted by the QEP. Despite that, the goal will be for everyone at the college to know what our QEP is, and how it helps students. At the SACSCOC on-site review in 2022, reviewers can ask anyone at the college about the QEP, and we will all need to be able to explain it to them.

HOW IT ALIGNS WITH OTHER COLLEGE INITIATIVES
SACSCOC requires that the QEP be tied to the college's ongoing planning processes. The topic selection committee will be examining ACC's Strategic Plan, the Chancellor's Priorities, the Districtwide Campus Master Plan, and our newly minted Academic Master Plan as we select the focus of the QEP.

TIMELINE
We've already selected our first group of volunteers, who make up the Topic Selection Committee. You can see the members here, and the slides for our first meeting here. This committee will work from now until fall 2021, and is tasked with choosing a focus for the QEP.

Next, we will form the Development Committee, which will work from October 2021 through August 2022. That group will create a clear plan that outlines exactly how we will execute the QEP. The plan will include who will be involved, what methods will be used, and how we will assess our work.

Once the SACSCOC on-site review team provides consultation and recommendations to our plan in fall 2022, we will organize our Implementation Committee. This final group will manage the actual project, assess outcomes, and complete the QEP Impact Report that will be submitted to SACSCOC as part of ACC's 5th Year Interim Report in 2028. This committee will work from September 2022 through August 2027, at which time, the QEP will be considered complete.

WHO IS INVOLVED
The QEP process is being co-chaired by Misty Rasmussen, associate dean of Planning & Accreditation, and Missi Patterson, professor of Psychology. Our SACSCOC Liaison is Mary Harris, vice president of Institutional Planning, Development & Evaluation.

WEBPAGE
The QEP website supports the entire QEP process. Here, you'll find a form where you can submit topic ideas, track the progress of our work, and volunteer for upcoming committees. (See update above and visit austincc.edu/qep to follow progress.) 

Note: All quotes are from the 2018 SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation