QEP Writing Through Revision

Successful implementation of Spalding's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a required element of our accreditation reaffirmation.

According to the SACSCOC "Principles of Accreditation," quality enhancement and the assessment of ongoing institutional improvement are central: 

"At the heart of SACSCOC’s philosophy of accreditation, the concept of quality enhancement presumes each member institution is to be engaged in ongoing improvement of its programs and services and be able to demonstrate how well it fulfills its stated mission. Although evaluation of an institution’s educational quality and effectiveness in achieving its mission is a difficult task requiring careful analysis and professional judgment, an institution is expected to document the quality and effectiveness of all its programs and services." (p.2)

And, the QEP is a big piece of that core goal of ongoing improvement:

"The Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is an integral component of the reaffirmation of accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhance overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue the institution considers important to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success." (p.7)

Because Spalding's QEP is focused on classroom-based writing, this means that our accreditation reaffirmation hinges crucially on faculty members being held accountable for implementing pedagogical initiatives like those outlined on this website. Please be in touch with the QEP Team if you have questions!

Per Spalding's QEP application submitted to SACSCOC for our April 2017 site visit:

The QEP’s program goal is to engage students in the writing process through curriculum revision and academic support.

Strategies to achieve this goal include:

(1) Focus on writing as a process in first-year writing courses (College Writing I & II)

(2) Scaffold students’ writing processes within writing-intensive (WI) courses in each program of study, and

(3) Embed support from the Spalding University Writing Center in all WI courses.

There are two Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) and several specific competencies associated with Spalding's QEP: 

SLO #1: Students will engage with the writing process in the following ways:

• Brainstorm to develop ideas
• Plan and implement drafts and revisions
• Give and receive feedback
• Proofread and edit

SLO #2: Students demonstrate competency in the following areas:*

• Understanding Context, Audience, and Purpose
• Developing Content
• Using Genre and Disciplinary Conventions
• Using Sources and Evidence
• Controlling Syntax and Mechanics

*SLO#2 Dimensions of competency are dictated by the AAC&U Written Communication VALUE Rubric, a tool used for external assessment.  

The QEP is planning to rollout writing intensive courses in the following subject areas as seen below: