Nashville State Community College Quality Enhancement...

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NashvilleStateCommunityCollegeQualityEnhancementPlan“ImprovingStudentSuccessthroughtheFirstYearExperience”

BACKGROUND

ThemissionofNashvilleStateCommunityCollegeistoprovidecomprehensive

educationalprogramsandpartnerships,exemplaryservices,anaccessible,progressivelearning

environment,andresponsibleleadershiptoimprovethequalityoflifeforthecommunityit

serves.ThecollegeservesabroadgeographicareacomprisedofDavidson,Cheatham,Dickson,

Houston,Humphreys,Montgomery,andStewartCounties.NashvilleStateoffersassociate

degreesandcertificatesthatpreparestudentstothinkandperformwellwhetherenteringthe

workforceortransferringtoauniversityupongraduation.

Sinceitfirstopenedin1970,NashvilleStateCommunityCollegehasbeenavitalpartof

Nashville.InitiallynamedNashvilleStateTechnicalInstitute,thecollegehad398students,and

offeredonlyfiveAssociate’sdegreeprograms.Graduationwasheldintheparkinglot.White

BridgeRoad,wherethemaincampusisstilllocated,hadonlytwolanesandveryfew

businesses.

AstheWhiteBridgeRoadareagrewovertheyears,sodidthecollege.In1984,Nashville

StatejoinedtheTennesseeBoardofRegents(TBR)systemofstateuniversitiesandcommunity

colleges.In2002,theTennesseeGeneralAssemblyandtheGovernorofTennesseeexpanded

themissionofNashvilleStatetothatofacomprehensivecommunitycollege.Asacommunity

college,NashvilleStateofferstechnicalcertificates,theAssociateofAppliedSciencetechnical

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andcareerdegrees,andtheAssociateofArts,theAssociateofFineArts,theAssociateof

Science,andtheAssociateofScienceinTeachingtransferdegrees.

InordertobetterservemiddleTennessee,NashvilleStatehasadditionalcampussites

offeringclassesatlocationsthroughoutitsserviceareaandonline.InWaverly,theHumphreys

CountyCenterofHigherEducationservesstudentsinHumphreysandsurroundingcounties.In

Nashville,theSoutheastCampusprovideslearningopportunitiesforallofsoutheastern

DavidsonCounty.StudentscanalsotakeclassesinDicksonattheRenaissanceCenter.In

Clarksville,acampusprovideseducationalopportunitiesforresidentsinMontgomeryCounty.

ThenewestcampuslocationisintheDonelsonneighborhoodoftheMetropolitanNashville

AreaineastDavidsonCounty.

In2010,thelegislatureoftheStateofTennesseepassedtheCompleteCollege

TennesseeAct,acomprehensivereformagendathatseekstotransformpublichigher

educationthroughchangesinacademic,fiscal,andadministrativepoliciesatthestateand

institutionallevel.TheimpetusforthesereformsistohavemoreTennesseansbebetter

educatedandtrainedtomeettheoverarchinggoalofCompleteCollegeTennessee.Thisgoalis

commonlyknownasthe“Driveto55”initiative,i.e.that55%percentofalladultTennesseans

willhaveacollegedegreeorcertificateby2025.

Asthe“Driveto55”initiativegainedtraction,StateinstitutionssuchasNashvilleState

begantransitioningfromacultureofenrollmenttooneofretentionandgraduation.While

NashvilleStateshowedstrongenrollmentfrom2009-2013(Table1),theretentionand

graduationnumberswerediscouraging(Table2,Table3).

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Table1.TotalduplicatedheadcountforNashvilleStateCommunityCollege2009-2013fallsemesters.

Semester HeadcountFall2009 9426Fall2010 10,554Fall2011 10,703Fall2012 10,886Fall2013 11,324

Table2.Falltofallretentionratesforfull-time,first-timestudentsforNashvilleStateCommunityCollegefor2010-2013.

ReturnTerm NSCCRateFall2010 58.6%Fall2011 62.4%Fall2012 57.4%Fall2013 56.4%

Table3.6-yeargraduationratesforfulltime,first-timestudentsforNashvilleStateCommunityCollegefor2009-2013.

CohortYear 1stTime,Full-TimeFreshmen

6-YearCycleGraduationYear #Graduates Graduation

Rate2003 508 2009 127 25.0%2004 640 2010 162 25.3%2005 640 2011 135 21.1%2006 643 2012 129 20.0%2007 611 2013 149 24.4%

AreviewofdatainTables1-3illustratesthat,whileoverallenrollmentwastrending

upwardduringthisperiod,studentretentionandgraduationrateswereactuallydeclining,with

aslightincreasein2013.Duringthesummerof2013,thedecisionwasmadetobringina

consultanttoreviewtheacademicadvisingmodelandmakerecommendationsfor

improvement.Atthetime,NashvilleStateoperatedonanacademicadvisingmodelthatwas

facultydrivenontheMainCampusandheavilyreliantonstaffatsatellitecampuses.Alldegree

seekingstudentswereassignedanacademicadvisor,butmeetingswithadvisorswerenot

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mandatoryandeffortsbyadvisorstoreachouttoadviseesvariedwidely.Thesummative

reportoftheconsultantconcludedthatNashvilleStateneededtoimproveacademicadvisingin

manyways,including,butnotlimitedto,developinganadvisortrainingprocess,improvingthe

processofassigningadvisees,anddedicatingmorefacultyandstafftimetoacademicadvising.

In2013,NashvilleStateinstitutedapolicydictatingthatallfirst-timestudentswere

requiredtomeetwithanacademicadvisor.Theintentofthepolicywastoprovideguidanceto

incomingstudentsontheselectionoftheirfirstsemesterofclassesanddemonstratethe

usefulnessoftheacademicadvisorrelationship.Thispolicywasenforcedbyrequiringacode

forregistrationthatwasprovidedbytheadvisor.However,thecodewasthesameforall

students,anditseemslikelythatatleastsomefirst-timefreshmenwereabletoobtainthe

codeandbypasstheadvisormeeting.Anothershortcomingofpolicyimplementationwasthat

academicadvisingduringpeakenrollmenttimestookplaceinacentralizedspacethatwas

staffedwithfacultyandstaff.Theresultwasthatfirst-timestudentswereseldomadvisedby

thepersonassignedtothemastheirfacultyadvisor.Itwasthusdifficulttoforgetheadvisor-

adviseerelationshipduringthefirstmeeting.Itwasalsothecasethatfacultyoftenendedup

helpingstudentsindisciplinesoutsideoftheir“comfortzone”withtheresultthatmanyfaculty

cametodreadadvisingservice.

Regardlessofthelimitationsofthepolicy,implementationcontinuedunchangeduntil

datacouldbereviewed.Falltofallretentiondataforfull-time,first-timestudentsaffectedby

theimplementationofmandatoryfirstsemesteradvisingcanbeseeninTable4.Whilethis

datasettrackedonlyasubsetoffirst-timestudents,thecontinueddeclineinretentionratewas

notencouraging.

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Table4.Falltofallretentionratesforfull-time,first-timestudentsforNashvilleStateCommunityCollegeandtheStateAverageforCommunityCollegesfor2014-2016.

ReturnFall NSCCRate StateAverageFall2014 56.1% 58.9%Fall2015 56.3% 58.2%Fall2016 53.8% 56.0%

InacontinuedattempttoimprovetheacademicadvisingmodelatNashvilleState,

PresidentVanAllencreatedanAdvisingTaskForceinthesummerof2015.Thechargeofthe13

memberswastodevelopacomprehensiveadvisingplanaswellasstrategiestosupport

studentsuccess.WorkoftheTaskForceledtoeightrecommendationstoimprovethe

academicadvisingmodeland,byextension,studentsuccess.Thoserecommendationswereas

follows:

• Recommendation1:Implementmandatoryadvisingforalldegree-seekingandcertificate-seekingstudents

• Recommendation2:ImplementtheIntrusiveAdvisingModel• Recommendation3:Explorethe"AppreciativeAdvising”approachtoguidethe

advisingprogramsandinteractionswithstudents• Recommendation4:Continuetoemployandaddstaffadvisorsasneeded• Recommendation5:ImplementtheFirstYearExperienceclassinfall2016• Recommendation6:Strengthenadvisororientation,training,anddevelopment

programs• Recommendation7:Definerolesandresponsibilities• Recommendation8:Implementanongoingadvisingassessmentandrecognition

program.

ConcurrenttoCollegediscussionsonstudentsuccess,theTennesseeBoardofRegents

(TBR)madeadeterminationthatalllearningsupportdeficiencieswouldberemediatedthrough

co-requisiteexperienceswithcollege-levelcourses.Asaresult,advisingincomingstudentswith

learningsupportneeds(~70%ofincomingstudents)shifteddrasticallyinpreparationforfall

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2015.Forthatreason,afirst-timestudentadvisingmanualwascreatedin2015andmandatory

advisortrainingtookplaceforthefirst-timeforallfull-timefacultyduringAugustofthatyear.

Bothofthoseactionsaddressedrecommendation6oftheAdvisingTaskForcetostrengthen

advisortraininganddefinerolesandresponsibilitiesofboththeadvisorandtheadvisee.Fall

2015wasalsothesemesterthatNashvilleStateimplementedDegreeWorksforalldegree

seekingstudents.DegreeWorksisasoftwarepackagethatprovidesdegreeauditssothat

studentscanseehowtheircourseworkappliestoadegreeorcertificateandwhichclassesthey

lackforadegree.Withit,advisorsandstudentscanrun“what-if”reportstodeterminehowa

changeinanacademicpathwouldaffectprogressiontograduation.

AtthesametimethattheQEPtopicwasbeingdeveloped,severalotherinitiativeswere

occurringwhichalignedwiththetopicofimprovingstudentsuccessthroughthefirstyear

experience.ThePresidentrequestedthatacommitteebeformedtolookintoaformationofa

FirstYearExperience(FYE)course,anidentifiedhigh-impactpractice.Theworkofthe

committeeconcludedwithaclassproposalthathighlightedtheimportanceofadvising,an

understandingofcollegeresources,andtimemanagementandstudyskillstoimprovestudent

success.TBRhadstartedmonitoringhighimpactpracticesacrossthecommunitycollege

systemand,throughactionsattheleveloftheBoard,allinstitutionswereallowedtoincrease

thenumberofhoursnecessarytoearnanAssociate’sDegreebyasmanyasthreetorequirea

FirstYearExperiencecollegesuccesscourse.ThePresidentapprovedtherecommendationsof

boththeFYECommitteeandtheAdvisingTaskForce,and,uponrecommendationofthe

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CurriculumCommittee,aone-credit,firstyearexperiencecourse(NSCC1010:FirstYear

Experience)becameagraduationrequirementforalldegreesatNashvilleStateeffectivefall

2016.

QEPPHASEONE:TOPICFORMATION

Duringthesummerof2015,thePresidentaskedMargaret(Faye)Jones,theDeanof

LearningResources,todevelopateamtoleadthecampus-wideefforttoselectthetopicfor

theQualityEnhancementPlan(QEP)associatedwiththe2017reaffirmationofaccreditation.

DeanJonesformedacommitteeconsistingoffacultyandstaffrepresentingalldivisionsand

majordepartmentsatthecollege.Oncefall2015classesbegan,thecommitteeaskedmembers

oftheirdivisionsormajordepartmentareastosendtopicsforaplanthatwouldimprove

studentsuccess.Thecommitteetookthatlistofallsuggestions,eliminatedduplicateanswers,

andsentasurveytotheentirecollegerequestingindividualopinionsonwhichfivetopics

shouldbeselectedforfurtherresearch.Whilethecommitteeexpectedthewinnowingprocess

totakeseveralroundsofsurveying,itturnedoutthattherewasagreatdealofagreement

amongmembersoftheCollegeaboutthetopfiveprojectsthatwouldbebeneficialtopursue.

Thosefivetopicswereasfollows:

• Morestructuredadvising• Developingcollege-levelstudyskills• Improvingreadingcomprehensionandfollowingdirections• Amandatoryfreshmanorientation• Afreshmanexperiencecourse.

ThecommitteethenpolledstudentsenrolledatthetimeinENGL1020:English

CompositionII.Thecommitteeconcludedthatstudentsenrolledinthissecond-semester

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coursecouldreflectonwhatwouldhavebeenthemostbeneficialtothemasbeginningcollege

students.Onehundredandtwenty-sixstudentsrespondedtothesurvey.“Morestructured

advising”and“instructiononcollegelevelstudyskills”werethemostfrequentresponsestothe

questioninwhichstudentswereaskedtoidentifywhichactivitieswouldhavebeenthemost

helpfultotheirsuccess.Atthesametime,otherstakeholderswerepolledfortheiropinion,

includingtheExecutiveCommittee,theBoardofTrusteesoftheFoundation(a501cdedicated

tosupportingthecollege),andseveraldivisions’advisorycommittees.

TheQEPtopicformationcommitteeheldtwoopenforumsoneachofthefivetopicson

thefollowingschedule,allin2015.

• DevelopingCollege-levelStudySkills:October14(noon)andOctober15(3pm)• MandatoryFreshmanOrientation:October19(1pm)andOctober20(2pm)• ReadingComprehensionandFollowingDirections:October26(11am),andOctober

27(3pm)• Advising:November2(noon),andNovember3(3pm)• FirstYearExperience:November9(noon)andNovember10(2pm).

Allcollege-widediscussionswerelocatedontheNashvillecampusbutbroadcastliveto

allcampuses.Priortoeachforum,thechairalsosentoutemailswithlinkstoothercommunity

collegeswhohadchosenthetopicfortheirQEPtoallowthecampuscommunitytolearnof

variouswaysthetopichadbeenhandled.Eachopenforumsessionhadthefollowing

components:

• Theneedforimprovementintheareaofdiscussion• Advantages/disadvantagesofusingtheareaastheQEPtopic• Abilitytoassesssuccessofinitiativesrelatedtothisarea

Aftereachsession,thecommitteesentoutasummaryoftheopenforumtomembers

ofthecollegecommunityandsolicitedfeedbackfromthosewhohadnotbeenabletoattend.

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Attheconclusionofallcampusforums,afinalsurveywasadministeredtothecampustogauge

finalopinionsontheQEPTopicselection.Onehundredandsixty-eightmembersofthecampus

communityresponded.Themajority(61%)ofrespondentsindicatedthattheQEPtopicshould

beacombinationofthepresentedtopicswiththehighestratedthreetopicsbeingafocuson

studentstudyskills,amandatoryfreshmanexperiencecourse,andafocusonacademic

advising.Afterfurtherdeliberation,theprojectwasentitled“ImprovingStudentSuccess

throughtheFirstYearExperience,”sothatthetopicsproposedbythecampuscouldbe

incorporatedintoaholisticfirstyearexperience.TheQEPtopicwasannouncedtothecollege

communityinFebruary2016,andplanningoftheproject(phasetwo)began.

LITERATUREREVIEW

Manycollegestakeacafeteriaapproachtoincreasingstudentretention–creatinga

firstyearexperienceseminar,mentoringprogram,orsomeothersingularactivitymeanttobe

acureall(Tinto2).NashvilleStateaimstotakeacomprehensiveapproachofimproving

students’firstyearbyhelpingthemcomplete:

• Personalizedacademicplans• Connectionsbetweenacademicandcareerplanning• Anunderstandingofcampusresources• Connectionbetweencoursematerialandtheirfuture• Personalreflectionexperiencesontheireducation.

Whilemanyoftheseactivitiesaregroundedinthefreshmanorientationcourse,asTinto

suggests,theaimisonalteringthecharacterofstudentexperiences(2).

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Inareviewoftheliteratureonstudentsuccessvariables,KimberlyBurnsatMiddlesex

CommunityCollegereportedthatthefollowingstudentcharacteristicsarehighlycorrelated

withgraduationrates:

• Stronghighschoolpreparation• Immediateentrytocollegerightafterhighschool• Highincomefamilies• Parentswhoattendedcollege• Full-timestudents.

Unfortunately,manycommunitycollegestudentshavefewofthosecharacteristics,thus

startingcollegeatadisadvantage.ThisiscertainlytrueoftheaveragestudentatNashvilleState

CommunityCollege.Infact,manybringcharacteristicsthatadverselyaffecttheirchancesof

success:

• Caringforchildrenathome• Beingasingleparent• Strugglingfinancially• Delayingcollegeenrollment• Beingafirst-generationcollegestudent• Commuting• Workingfull-time(Burns).

TurnerandThompsonfoundfourotherfactorsthatimpedestudentsuccess:adearthof

activitiesaimedatfreshmen,ineffectivestudyskills,weakrelationshipswithfaculty,andpoor

academicadvisementandsupport(100).Studentswhofeelstressedandalienatedarealso

morelikelytowithdraw,despitetheiracademicability(DaughertyandLane356).Studentswith

disabilities,thosewhosufferfrommentalhealthissues,andthosefromminorityethnicgroups

alsotendtohavelowerretentionratesduringtheirfirstyearofcollege(O’Keeffe).

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Theresultsaretelling:Fewerthan33%ofallcommunitycollegestudentsintheUnited

Statesgraduateinthreeyears.Fewerthanhalfgraduateineight.Asmallminoritygoontoearn

abachelor’sdegree(Burns).GraduationratesatNashvilleStateareevenlowerthanthese

disappointingnationaltrends.Evenmorediscouraging,IreneSancheznotesthatwhilethe

numberofminoritystudentsincollegeincreasedbetween1976and1996,theretentionrate

didnot.TheannualConditionofCollege&ReadinessReportfor2015(ACT)foundthatalmosta

thirdofstudentswhotooktheACTdidnotmeetanyoftheCollegeReadinessBenchmarks.The

resultsforTennesseewerealsodiscouraging:58%mettheEnglishbenchmark;38%metthe

readingbenchmark;30%metthemathbenchmark;and29%metthesciencebenchmark.

Nationwide,almost25%ofAmericanfreshmenmustenrollinsomesortofremediation

coursework,costingatotalof1.5billiondollarsannually,andthosestudentsaremorelikely

nottofinishcollege(BarryandDannenberg).

RobertReasonandhisassociatespointoutintheirreviewof6687firstyearstudent

NationalSurveyofStudentEngagement(NSSE)surveys,themajorityofvariablesthataffect

studentsuccesshappentothemduringtheirfirstyearofschoolandarenotduetothe

personalcharacteristicstheybringtocollege.Students’perceptionofthesupporttheyreceived

intheirfirstyearservedasastrongpredictorofacademiccompetence(164).InaNoel-Levitz

surveyin2014,studentsintwo-yearcollegesidentifiedthefollowingasneedstobeaddressed

aftertheirfirstsemesterofcollege:helpinimprovingmathandwritingskills,discussionof

qualificationsnecessaryforcertainoccupations,helpwithaneducationplantogetagoodjob,

anddiscussionofsalariesandoutlooksforcareers.Thequestionthusbecomeshowcommunity

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collegescanprovideservicesthatwillmakeupfordeficienciesandprovidestudentswith

appropriateinformationforfuturecareers.

Formanycolleges,thefirststepinthisprocessisthefreshmanexperiencecourse.In

2009,almost95%ofuniversitieshadsometypeofprogram(Jamelske375).AccordingtoJoe

Cuseo,itsveryubiquitymeansthatthefreshmanexperiencecourseisoneofthemostheavily-

researchedcollegecourses.Therefore,thereisawealthofinformationoncorrelationswith

studentsuccessandbestpractices.Cuseofoundapositivecorrelationbetweenparticipatingin

afreshman-experiencecourseand

• Completionoffirstsemester• Completionoffirstyear• Completionofadegree• Timetakentoearnadegree• Gradepointaverage(3-5).

AsGeorgeKuhandhisassociatespointout,collegesshouldinvestigatehowtheycan

makethefreshmanyear“morechallengingandsatisfying”forstudenttoincreasetheir

engagementandretention(557).Awell-designedfirstyearexperiencecangivestudentsthe

supporttheyneed,bothacademicallyandemotionally,tosucceedintheircollegecareers.

Researchindicatesthatthefollowingfirstyearexperiencesimprovestudentoutcomes:

• ArequiredFYEcourse• Academicadvising• Academicandcareerplanning• Socialinteractions• Awarenessofcampusresources• Personalreflection.

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ARequiredFYECourse

InastatisticalanalysisoftheVirginiacommunitycollegesystem,ChoandKarpfound

thatstudentsenrolledinacollegesuccesscourseduringtheirfirstsemesterweremorelikelyto

earncollege-levelcreditsduringtheirfirstyearandtopersistintotheirsecondthanthosenot

enrolledinsuchacourse(86).Jamelskefoundapositiveeffectonthefreshmanexperience

courseforbelow-averagestudents,withthosestudentstendingtohaveahigherGPAthan

comparablestudentsnotenrolledinsuchacourse(373).Usinglongitudinaldatafromthe

WabashNationalStudyofLiberalArtsEducation,RyanPadgettandhisassociatesconcluded

thatanacademicallyrigorousfreshmanexperiencecoursecanbeapowerfultoolindeveloping

thesuccessfulstudent(145).Therefore,theFYEcourseislogicalpointtoserveasthe

centerpieceofthefirstyearexperience.

Giventheresearchthatsuccessincollegerequiresmorethanacademicskill(O’Gara,

Karp,Hughes;KarpandBork;BersandYounger)andthatstudentsmayperceivetestingintoa

FYEcourseasvalidationthattheydonotbelongincollege,theFYE(FirstYearExperience)

courseneedstobearequirementforallstudents.Furthermore,FYEcoursesshouldhave:

HighExpectations

Coursesshouldhavehighexpectations(Tinto,Padgett,etal.;Cruce,Wolniak,etal.).If

thefreshmanexperiencecourseistoteachstudentshowtohandlethedemandsofcollege,

oneofthebestwaystodosoistohavecollege-levelexpectations.Thiscanalsoteachstudents

theexpectationstheyneedtomeetinordertoremainincollege.Forexample,Trotterand

RobertsfoundthatBritishcollegeswithstrictpoliciesonattendancehadhigherretentionrates.

Studentsuccessisrelatedtohowmeaningfulstudentsperceivethecoursetobe;therefore,the

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curriculumshouldhaveconcreteobjectivesthatarenarrowenoughtoallowfordepthand

practice.ResearchhasfoundthistobemuchmoreeffectiveinFYEcoursesthanalecture-based

classthatsuperficiallycoversabroadrangeoftopics.Pedagogicaldecisionsshouldfocuson

reflectionand“learning-for-application”(KarpandStacey;Karpetal).

StudySkillsInstruction

Instructioninstudyskillsshouldbeakeypartofthecurriculum(Braunsteinetal.;

Barbatis;SoriaandStebleton;PorterandSwing).Whilestudentsneedtobeabletohandlethe

workloadofcollege,manycometoitill-preparedtotakenotes,towritedocumentedpapers,

andtostudyformulti-chaptertests.Afreshmanexperiencecoursecanputthemonalevel

playingfieldwithstudentswhohavehadsuchinstruction.NamokChoifoundthatstudents

whohadstudyskillsinstructionreportedbothanincreaseintheirskillsaswellasintheir

confidenceintheirabilitytosucceed.TheFYEcourseshouldhelpstudentsdeveloppersonal

habits–timemanagement,note-takingskills,studyskills,self-assessmentskills–andhelp

themrecognizehowthosehabitscontributetosuccess(O’Gara,Karp,Hughes;Karp).They

shouldalsoaddresstheunwrittenexpectationsofcollegesuchas“culturalknow-how”and

allowstudentstopracticehelp-seekingbehaviors(KarpandBork;Karp).

AdministrativeEffectiveness

ToensuresuccessfulimplementationofanFYEcourse,onepersonshouldbeassigned

tooverseetheprojectratherthanaddingresponsibilitiestomultiplepeoplewhowillnotbeas

investedinitssuccess.TheFYEteamshouldconsistofcampus-widefacultyandstaff,andthe

purposeofimplementingtheFYEcourseneedstofocusonmorethanonlyretention,asthis

couldleadtolowerstandards(Mayo).MelindaKarpandGeorgiaStaceyalsoemphasizethe

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importanceofcampus-widefacultyinvolvement:“Disciplinaryfacultyshouldparticipatein

developinglearningobjectivesandreinforceconceptsintheirowncourses”(5).Susan

Bickerstaffandherassociatesnotethatinordertosupportfacultyinthisprogram,“Colleges

mayneedtoofferlearningopportunitiesforinstructorstodevelopstrategiestocreate

experiencesofearnedsuccessforthestudentsintheirclasses.”JenniferLatino,thedirectorof

thefirstyearexperienceatCampbellUniversity,stressestheneedtokeepthefocusonthe

currentneedsofstudents:“It’seasytogettoocomfortablewiththefirstyearseminar.

Often...institutionscontinuetofocusonthesamelearningoutcomestheyidentifiedyears

ago,withoutpausingtocheckifthoseoutcomesstillrespondtotheneedsof...current

students”(qtd.InFusch).

AcademicAdvising

AccordingtoJalynnRobertsandRobertStyron,“Perhapsthemostcrucialaspectofa

student’sinteractionandengagementwithaninstitutionofhigherlearningistherelationship

withhis/heradvisor”(3).CharlieNutt,executivedirectorofNACADA,agreesstatingthat“any

retentioneffortmustclearlyrecognizethevalueofacademicadvising”and“academicadvising

ismuchmorethanschedulingcourses.”Formaleblackstudents,whoareatagreaterriskof

notcompletingcollege,meetingwithanadvisorisastrongpredictorofacademicintegration

(Wood,Newman,andHarris10).Someresearchers(FikeandFike)havefoundthatwithdrawals

andtheattendantdropincredithourscarriedandcompletedinthefallsemestercanreduce

fall-springretention(83).Theinclusionofasolidadvisingcomponentaspartofthefirstyear

experiencemayhelpstudentstoidentifyoptionsotherthandroppingacoursewhenthey

becomefrustratedwiththeirstudies.LaurenO’Garaandherassociatesdiscoveredintheir

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surveyofstudentsthat“studentsperceivefacultytobethebestsourceforacademicadvising”

(12).Upcraftetal.stressthatacademicadvisingprogramsthatincludeprofessional

developmentandtrainingforadvisorscanbeanimportantcomponentofcreatingacampus

culturethatimprovesstudentsuccess.

AcademicandCareerPlanning

Intheirseminalwork“Challenging&SupportingtheFirst-YearStudent,”Upcraft,

Gardner,andBarefootfocusontheneedtoframeacademicadvisingwithinthecontextofthe

missionoftheinstitution.Knowingbestpracticesinadvising,suchastheneedtodevelopa

personalizeddegreeplan,theneedtomakeconnectionsbetweenacademicplansandcareer

goals,andarealizationofpersonalcommitmentsoutsideoftheclassroomiskey,butafocuson

institutionalmissionhelpsstudentsrealizethattheyareapartofanacademiccommunity.

WorkdoneinthestateofTennessee(DenleyandKnox)showedthatsimpleguidelinesin

academicplanning,suchastakingmath,Englishcomposition,andhoursinastudent’sfocus

area,canmakeasignificantdifferenceinastudent’slikelihoodforsuccess.Counselingand

advisingwithcareerplanningandinternshipsarelinkedtoincreasedretentioninfour-year

publicinstitutions(HableyandMcClanahan6).Voluntarydropouts–thosestudentscapableof

collegelevelcoursework–mostoftenleaveduetothelackofaclearconnectionbetweentheir

academicandcareergoals.Asmanyasthreeoutoffourenteringcollegefreshmenareunsure

oftheircareerplans.Thesestudentsaremorelikelytochangemajors,thusreflectingtheir

needforacademicandcareergoalsetting(Fralick).

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FacultyInteractions

Severalstudies(PacarellaandTerenzini;RobertsandStyron;SoriaandStebleton:Tinto;

Wood,Newman,andHarris;UmbachandWawrzynski;Cruceetal.)indicatethatdevelopinga

relationshipwithfacultycanhaveapositiveeffectonretentionandstudentengagement.In

fact,ofthetenvariablesthatinfluencestudentacademiccompetenceasreportedinNSSE,

threerelatedtofaculty(Reason,Terenzini,andDomingo).“Studentswhoreportedfeelingthat

thefacultyandstaffattheirinstitutionprovidedtheacademicandnon-academicsupportthey

needed,andwhofelttheyhadgoodrelationshipswithfacultymembersandadministrative

staffweremorelikely...toreportgreatergainsinacademiccompetence.”Afreshman

experiencecourse,especiallyonetaughtbyfull-timefacultycancertainlyaidstudentsin

learninghowtomosteffectivelyinteractwithfaculty.Forexample,theinstructorcanserveasa

resourcewhenstudentshavedifficultiesinotherclasses.Theinstructorcanalsoadvise

studentsonhowtousefacultyofficehours(SoriaandStrebleton682).Thisaspectmaybe

especiallyimportantforfirst-generation,workingclassstudentswhomaybeintimidatedby

goingtofacultyforsupport(Longwell-Grice407).

PeerInteractions

InherreviewofFYEcourseimplementationatcommunitycolleges,TeresaMayo

asserts,“Astructuredandrequiredfirstyearprogramwillprovideacommonsetofgoals,

therebycontributingtoincreasedretentionandsuccessfulgraduaterates.Afirstyear

experience,whichincludesco-curricular(nonacademic)andcurricular(academic)components,

developsstrongrelationshipsbothinandoutofclassandincreasespersistencetograduation.”

Sinceresearchshowsthatretentiondependspartlyonstudentsdevelopingstrongrelationships

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withfacultyandpeers,FYEcoursesatacommunitycollege,wherethereisahighpercentageof

part-timestudents,shouldespeciallyfocusonincreasingparticipationincampusactivitiesto

enhancestudents’commitmenttothecollege(Mayo;O’Gara,Karp,andHughes;Karp).A

connectiontootherstudentsalsocorrelateswithstudentretention(Tinto;Barbatis).Promoting

involvementinfirstyearexperiencescanpromotesuchinteractionbyallowingstudentstoget

toknowoneanotherinanon-threateningenvironmentandbyprovidingwaysforstudentsto

engageincampusactivities.AsJalynnRobertsandRobertStyronpointout,“Oneimportant

factorwhichaffectscollegestudents’persistenceisthatofbeingsociallyintegratedand

connectedwithothers,especiallyotherstudents”(3).AtWheatonCollege,studentssaidthe

freshmanexperiencecourseallowedthemtodevelopmeaningfulpeerrelationshipsanda

“senseofunitywithstudentsandfaculty”(Kuhetal.).Inastudyof305freshmen,JeffJacobs

andTimArchie,administeringtheSenseofCommunityIndex,foundthatstudentswhofeltthey

belongedtoacommunityoncampusweremorelikelytopersistintheirstudies.Howwella

studentadjuststotheacademicenvironmentofcollegeisthuscloselytiedtotheirdeveloping

senseofbelongingwiththecollege.Oncestudentsbegincollege,takingmeasurestoensure

thattheybecomewellintegratedacademicallymayhelpguardagainstadeclineinsenseof

belonging(Hausmann,Schofield,andWoods804-805).

InadditiontothesocialbondsformedinaFYEcourse,newstudentorientationforfirst-

timefreshmencanhelpcultivatesocialrelationshipsthatfosterasenseofbelongingin

students.Orientation“canbeviewedasaformofanticipatorysocialization”(Pascarella,

Terrenzini,&Wolfe).Afirstyearexperiencecoursealongwithnewstudentorientation

providesstudentswiththesocialfoundationtobesuccessfulcollegestudents.

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AwarenessofCampusResources

Especiallyforfirst-generationstudents,thewaysofcollegecanseemchallengingand

undecipherable.Awell-roundedfreshmanexperiencecoursecanhelpthemnavigatetheirway

throughinformationoncampuspolicies(PorterandSwing91).Suchacoursecanensurethat

studentsareawareofcounseling,mentoring,andtutoringopportunitiesaswellasworkshops

andculturalevents(Burns).MarciaLaskeyandCaroleHetzel,intheirstudyoftheConditional

AcceptanceProgramataprivateuniversity,foundthatstudentswhoregularlyattended

tutoringsessionshadhigherGPAsandretentionrates(33).Also,studentsatGeorgeMason

Universityreportedthatafreshmansuccesscoursetaughtthemaboutwhatsortofeffort

wouldberequiredtobesuccessfulandalsoabouttheresourcesavailabletohelpthem(Kuhet

al.).Ifstudentsperceivetheircampusenvironmentassupportive,theyfeelacademicallymore

competent(Reason,Terenzini,andDomingo).Butevensimple,straightforwardinformationcan

helpwithretention.OdedGurantzfoundthatearlystudentregistrationforclassesiscrucialto

theiracademicsuccess(555).Sincelateregistrationiscorrelatedwithalackofretention,

simpleinformationaboutwhentoregisterandwhatoptionstotakewhencoursesarefullcan

helpretainstudents.Academicplanning,advising,andmandatoryorientationthroughthefirst

yearexperiencegivesstudentsthetoolstheyneedforaseamlessregistrationprocess.

AccordingtoastudybyLaurenO’Garaandherassociatesthatexaminedthestudent

perspectiveatcommunitycolleges,theFYEcourseismostvaluablewhenitnotonlyprovides

informationaboutcampusresources,butalsohelpsstudentsfeelcomfortableusingthem:

“Informationpluscomfortleadstotheuseofservices.”Toachievethis,theyandothers

recommendgivingguidedtoursofthecampusearlyinthesemester,invitingcampus

20

representativestoclass,andstructuringopportunitiesforstudentstoexploreresources

(O’Gara,Karp,Hughes;Bickerstaff,Barragan,andRucks-Ahidiana).PatriciaKarpsaysitthisway:

“Makenonacademicsupportsintrusivesothatstudentsareforcedtoencounterthem”(3).

ReflectionandtheAcademicMindset

Drs.DenleyandKnoxtookadifferentapproachtotrackingstudentsuccessinthestate

ofTennesseewiththeirsystem-widelookintotheeffectsofacademicmindsetin

underpreparedfirst-timestudents.Afterasurveyofseveralthousandstudentsinthestateof

Tennessee,acorrelationwasfoundbetweenstudentsuccessandthefollowingmindset

principles:confidenceinkeepinguptodatewithcoursework,senseofcommunity,confidence

intalkingwithfaculty,andperceivedpurposeofcoursework.Thosestudentswhowalkedinto

theclassroomthinkingthattherewasavalueinthecontentoftheclassandthattheyhadthe

abilitytomastertheworkweremoresuccessfulthanthosestudentswhodidnotfeeltheyhad

thetoolstosucceedand/orsawnovalueincoursework.

Similarly,gritmaybeanindicatorofstudentswhopossesstheaforementioned

academicmindset.AsdefinedbyDuckworthetal.,gritis“perseveranceandpassionforlong-

termgoals”(1087).Inherstudyofover3,500collegestudentsacrossninedifferentcolleges,

follow-throughwasthegreatestpredictorofsignificantstudentaccomplishmentsacrossa

varietyofdisciplines.Followthrough(orgrit)wasnotpositivelycorrelatedwithIQandproved

tobeastrongindicatorofsuccessinlife(Duckworth1099).

AccordingtoBailey,Jaggars,andJenkins,“Toapplyskillsandinformationaboutcareers,

coursesequences,andstudystrategiesinthelongrun,studentsneedtodevelopthe

metacognitiveskillsthatallowthemtorecognizechangeasitoccurs,reflectonhowchange

21

affectstheirownsituation,andcreateplanstomanagethechange.Buildingsuchskillsrequires

practice,whichcouldbeaccomplishedthroughin-classreflectionanddiscussionaswellasout-

of-classappliedassignments”(67).Studentsneedtoacquirethehigherorderthinkingskills

necessarytoreflectonhowlifechangesmayaffecttheiracademicandcareergoals.

Thisemphasisonreflectionservesastherealthreadthattiestogetherthefirstyear

experiencesandbuildsafoundationforstudentretention.Asdemonstratedintheliterature

review,thegroundworkforasuccessfulfirstyearrequiresamulti-prongedapproachrather

thanasingularquickfix.

QEPPHASETWO:PLANDEVELOPMENT

PhasetwooftheNashvilleStateQEPprocessincludedfleshingoutwhattheNashville

Statefirstyearexperienceencompasses,developinganassessmentplantoteststudent

learningoutcomes,budgeting,andmarketingtheplantomembersofthecollege.The

endeavorwasledbya16personQEPSteeringCommitteethatconsistedoffaculty,staffand

students.ThecommitteebeganmeetinginFebruary2016anddevelopedatimelineforproject

developmentthatwouldtakeplaceoverthefollowingeighteenmonths.Atthesametime,a

groupoffacultyandstaffcompletedareviewoftheliteraturetodeterminebestpracticeson

firstyearexperiencesforcommunitycollegestudents.Thefirstdraftoftheliteraturereview

waspresentedtothesteeringcommitteeinMayof2016.

WorkonthenewNSCC1010:FirstYearExperiencecoursewastakingplace

simultaneouslybyacommitteeoffacultyandstaffwhowerechargedwithcreatingaclassthat

wouldincreasestudentsuccessandthatcouldbetakentoscaleinfall2016.Thecoursewas

22

designedasafiveweekcoursethatwouldmeeteveryotherweek.Acomprehensivemaster

shellwascreatedwithinDesire2Learn(D2L)sothatfacultywouldstartthesemesterwitha

completesetofresourcesandactivities,includingatesttogaugestudentlearningduringthe

class.Fivemodulesthatcoincidewithoriginalcourseoutcomeswerecreatedwithsuggested

activitiesandassignments.Theassignmentsweregearedtowarditemsthatstudentswould

encounterintraditionalclasses;forexample:uploadingadocumentintotheD2Ldropbox,

postingadiscussionpost,andcompletingaquizwithinD2L.Courseactivitiesandconversations

werefocusedonkeyinformationaboutNashvilleStateandtheresourcesavailabletostudents.

Inlatefall2016,severalmembersoftheQEPsteeringcommitteeattendedatwo-day

completionacademysponsoredbyTBR.Thegoaloftheacademywastofocusonhow

institutionscouldchangetheirapproachtostudentsuccessinlightoftheworkdoneatthe

systemlevelthatshowedthatfactorssuchasanarchitecteddegreeplan,seeingvaluein

coursework,andsolidadvisingmodelscorrelatedtostudentsuccess.Theteamatthe

completionacademyfocusedonexperiencesinthefirstyearinlightoftheestablishedQEP

topic.OnMarch15,2016thosemembersinvolvedintheacademybroughttheinformationto

theQEPSteeringCommitteeandpitchedthattheNashvilleStatefirstyearexperience

encompassthefollowingactivities:NewStudentOrientation,theNSCC1010:FirstYear

Experiencecourse,academicadvising,careerplanning,andpersonalreflectiononeducationon

thepartofthestudent.Inlightofliteratureonbestpracticesfromarticlesfrombothinandout

ofTennessee,theQEPSteeringCommitteeapprovedthosefiveexperiencesasappropriatefoci

forfirstyeareffortsatNashvilleState.

23

TheQEPCommitteespentthenextweeksdiscussingstudentlearningoutcomesforthe

QEP.StudentlearningoutcomesfromtheNSCC1010:FirstYearExperiencecoursewere

reviewed.However,thecommitteemadeaconcertedefforttodeterminestudentlearning

outcomesthatwouldencompasstheentirefirstyearexperienceandnotsimplyduplicatethose

fromthefirstyearexperiencecourse.StudentlearningoutcomesfortheQEPareasfollows:

Asaresultoftheirfirstyearexperience,studentsatNashvilleStatewill:

1. Createapersonalizedacademicplanthatincludescollege-levelmath,Englishcomposition,and9hoursinthefocusareainthefirstacademicyear.

2. Describeconnectionsbetweendegreechoiceandultimatecareerchoiceafteraninterestinventory(Kuder).

3. DifferentiateresourcesavailabletostudentsthroughNashvilleStatetosupportstudentsuccess.

4. Articulateconnectionsbetweentheircoursesandtheirultimateacademicgoals.5. Reflectontheirpersonalgrowthasaresultoftheireducation.

FirstYearExperiences

Anycomprehensiveplanonimprovingstudentsuccessthroughthefirstyearexperience

requiresfirst,adefinitionofthoseexperiences,andsecond,areviewandsystematic

improvementovertimeofallfacetsofthefirstyear.Areviewofhistoricalpracticeforthefive

experiencesofthefirstyearatNashvilleStateandtheintentionalimprovementsinthoseareas

asaresultofacollege-widefocusonstudentsuccessfollow.

NewStudentOrientation

Onedoesnothavetolookdeeplyintoliteratureonbestpracticestofindthatawell-

organizednewstudentorientationprocessisakeytostudentsuccess.Priortofall2016,new

studentorientationwasnotarequirementforenrollmentintoNashvilleState.Newstudent

orientationmeetingswereencouragedhowever,andseveraloptionswereavailable

throughoutthesummer.Thoseorientationswereastand-and-delivermodel,wherein

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prospectivestudentswouldcongregateintoanauditoriumandrepresentativesfromstudent

affairsandacademicaffairswouldannouncevariouspiecesofinformationandanswerany

questionsoftheaudience.Afterthepresentationportionwascomplete,studentswouldgotoa

make-shiftadvisinglabwheretheywouldmeetwithfacultyorstaffonafirst-come,first-served

basistoregisterforcoursesfortheupcomingterm.Theadvisinglabsimultaneouslytookwalk-

inreturningstudentswhowantedhelpbuildingaschedule.Staffnumbersforthelabwere

increasedaroundnewstudentorientationmeetings,butthosepeakadvisingtimestypicallyled

tolongwaittimes.Itwascommonforstudentstoattendanewstudentorientation,butnot

actuallyregisterduetotheinconvenienceoftheprocess.Thiswasaparticularproblemfor

first-timestudents,whowererequiredtomeetwithanacademicadvisorpriortoregistering

forcourses.

AftertheQEPtopicwasannouncedtothecollege,theAdmissionsstaffbegantorevise

thewayinwhichnewstudentorientationwashandled.Inthefallof2016,newstudent

orientationbecame“mandatory”inthatitwaslistedasarequirementofadmissionforallfirst-

timestudents.Thewordmandatoryiswritteninquotes,becausenostudenthasbeenturned

awayforfailuretoattend,asthemissionofNashvilleStateistoserveallstudentsinthe

community.However,duringtheapplicationprocess,first-timestudentsarerequiredtoselect

atimetocometoaNewStudentOrientationevent.Thosemeetingsaresmall(30studentsor

fewer)andtakeplaceinacomputerlab,sothatstudentscanlogintothecollegesystemand

navigatetheirstudentaccountinrealtime.Availablestudentservices,suchasadmissions,

records,andlibraryandcareerservices,arereviewedwhilethestudentisloggedontoeither

thecollegewebsiteortheirMyNSCCaccount.Studentsareshownhowtocheckpersonal

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financialaidstatus,bills,andfindcontactinformationfortheiracademicadvisor.Attheendof

theevent,studentsareshownhowtouseDegreeWorksandSchedulePlannertobuilda

scheduleofclassesthatwillapplytotheirchosendegree.Admissionsstaffhelpstudentsenroll

fortheirfirstsemesterofcoursework.

Studentswhodonotattendnewstudentorientationandneedtoregisterforclassesare

advisedbyfacultyorAdmissionsstaff.Thisisparticularlytrueduringlateregistration,which

takesplacetheweekbeforeclassesandafterschedulednewstudentorientationsend.

However,full-timefacultyareoncampusduringlateregistrationandsoadvisingincoming

studentsindividuallyismoremanageable.Allstudentswhodoattendanewstudent

orientationaretrackedusinganotationinBanner.Inthatway,longtermsuccessofthose

studentswhoattendanewstudentorientationcanbecomparedtothosefirst-timestudents

whoregisterasawalk-in.Transferandreturningstudentsareregisteredbytheirassigned

academicadvisor.

NSCC1010:FirstYearExperienceCourse

Awelldesigned,mandatoryfirstyearexperiencecoursethatprovidesstudentswith

skillsandknowledgetohelpthemsucceedcorrelateswithstudentsuccess.NashvilleState

implementedamandatoryfirstyearexperiencecourseforalldegreeseeking,first-time

studentsbeginningwiththe2016-2017catalog.AllfacultyassignedtoNSCC1010courses

receivetrainingpriortoeachterm.

Infall2016,62sectionsofNSCC1010:FirstYearExperiencewereofferedwithatotal

enrollmentof1543students.Tenofthesectionsweretaughtbyadjunctfacultyorstaff,with

theremaining52taughtbyfull-timefaculty.Thecollege-widesuccessratewas67%witha

26

courseretentionaverageof95%.Thecourseincludedapre-posttesttodetermineifstudent

learningoutcomesforthecourseweremet.Datashoweda5%improvementoverpre-test

scores.Facultyfeedbackonthetestsuggestedthatscoresweremostlikelyaffectedbythe

simplicityofseveralquestions,therebyincreasingthepre-testscores.Thepre-posttestwas

revisedbytheNSCC1010Committeeinpreparationforthespring2017terminanattemptto

increasetherigorofthemeasurement.

Afacultysurveyconductedattheendofthefall2016termshowed54%ofthefaculty

felttheoriginalscheduleofstudentsattendingclassonalternatingweeksimpededstudent

success.Studentconfusiononmeetingdatesandan“outofsight,outofmind”mentalitywere

thehighestrankedconcerns.Asurveyofstudentsintheclassshowedaslightdivisiononthe

issue;withaslightmajorityansweringthatconsecutivemeetingswouldimprovethecourse.

Duetotheseresponses,thescheduleforspring2017wasbuiltsotheclasswouldmeetforfive

consecutiveweeksduringa7-weekterm.

Fall2016tospring2017retentionratesforstudentswhosuccessfullycompletedNSCC

1010was86.9%comparedtothecollegeoverallretentionrateof70.7%forthesametime

frame.

Inspring2017,26sectionsofNSCC1010wereofferedwith497studentsenrolled.One

eveningsectionwaslabeledforadultstudents,althoughenrollmentwasnotlimitedtoadults.

Sevenoutofthe11enrolledmetthedefinitionof“adultlearner”inthatstudentswere25

yearsorolder.Anendofcoursesurveyshowedthat71%ofthestudentsagreedthatthefive

consecutiveweekschedulesupportedstudentsuccess.Open-endedstudentcomments

coveredthefullrangeofopinions–from“thisclassisawasteoftimeandshouldnotmeetat

27

all”to“thisclassneedstobelongersothatIhaveachancetolearneverythingIcanabout

NSCC.”Withthenewfive-weekdeliverymodelinplace,thecollege-widesuccessratedropped

slightlyto64.2%andtheretentionratetothefollowingsemesterroseto96.8%.

Aftertwosemestersofimplementation,theNSCC1010committeerevisedstudent

learningoutcomestodeterminebenchmarkingandmeasuresuccess.NSCC1010student

learningoutcomesareasfollows:

Uponcompletionofthecourse,studentswillbeableto:

• Identifystudentsupportresourcesforachievingacademicsuccess.• Createacademicandcareergoals.• Explainandapplystrategiesthatsupportacademicsuccess.• Describepersonalbarrierstoacademicsuccessandhowtheywillovercomethem.

Inaddition,theQEPSteeringCommitteeadded/revised22questionsonthetest(appendixpg.

60)administeredinNSCC1010tomeasurestudentawarenessofresourcesatNashvilleStateat

theendofthecourse.

AcademicAdvising

Academicadvisingiscriticalbecauseitprovidesnotonlyaresourcetostudents

regardingacademicplanningbutalsoaconnectionwiththeacademicadvisor,whoisoftenthe

pointpersonwithwhomthestudentdevelopstherelationshipthatconnectsthemtothe

institution.NashvilleStatehasanacademicadvisingsystemthatreliesprimarilyonfull-time

faculty.GrantfundingsupportstwoAAScompletioncoachesontheMaincampus.Inaddition,

satellitecampuses,whohavefewerfull-timefacultyingeneral,havestaffmemberswhoserve

asacademicadvisorsaspartoftheirduties.Until2015,academicadvisingwaslargely

consideredasemester-by-semesterprospectinwhichadvisorsfunctionedmoreasaidesin

planningschedulesofclassesandcross-checkingthatcoursesinwhichastudentenrolled

28

wouldcounttowardstheirdeclaredmajor.Manyfacultyadvisorssawacademicadvising

responsibilitiesasclericalinnatureandresistedtheinteraction.

In2015,NashvilleStateimplementedDegreeWorks,whichprovidesadegreeauditso

studentscanlogintoapersonalaccountandseewhichclassestheyhavecompletedontheir

degreeplan,aswellaswhichcoursesremain.Inaddition,DegreeWorkshasa“what-if”

functionthatenablesstudentstorunreportstodeterminetheirprogresstowardsgraduationif

theyweretochangetheirmajor.In2016,thecollegeaddedSchedulePlanner,aninteractive

toolforusewithDegreeWorksthatenablesstudentstoselectcoursestheywishtocompletein

asemester.SchedulePlannerprovidesthemwithscheduleoptionsbycreatingpossibilities

fromthecollegescheduleofclasses.Theimplementationofthesetwoproductslargely

replacedthesemester-by-semesteracademicadvisorneedbyprovidingstudentswith

technologytomakeeducateddecisionsregardingcoursesontheirown.Theseupdates

providedthebasisforaparadigmshiftinwhichacademicadvisingbecameanacademic

planninginitiativetohelpstudentsplantheireducationaswellastieacademicplanningto

careerplanning.

Mandatoryacademicadvisingtrainingwasrequiredofallfull-timefacultyandstaff

advisorsduringAugustof2015.TrainingincludedareviewofDegreeWorksandanoverviewof

anewNashvilleStatestudentadvisingmanual.Emphasiswasplacedontheneedtouse

establishedadvisingsheets,whichshowabestcasescenarioofmulti-semesterplansforeach

program.Advisingsheetsprovidestudentswithabeginningpointtocreateindividualized

degreeplanssothatstudentscanseetheiracademictrajectoryfrombeginningtograduation.

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Inthesummerof2016,thecollegeunderwentanationalsearchforanewAssociate

VicePresidentofAcademicAffairs(AVPAA).Thenewpositionwascreatedtooverseeseveral

areas,includingdirectingthecollege’sadvisinginitiativesandproceduresandimplementing

strategiessupportingstudentpersistenceandgraduation.UponhishireinNovember2016,the

newAVPAAbecameamemberoftheQEPSteeringCommitteeandbeganacollege-wide

reviewofacademicadvisingatNashvilleState.InJanuary2017,afacultyinservicewasheld

duringwhichfull-timefacultyandadmissionsstaffbrainstormedwhatwasworkingandareas

ofimprovementnecessaryintheNashvilleStateadvisingmodel.Asaresultofthatmeeting,a

college-wideadvisingcommitteewasformedthatdevelopedathree-phaseplanof

improvement.Theplaninvolvedcreatinganonline“advisingtoolbox”thatprovidedacademic

advisorswithallpertinentinformationaboutdegreeplans,possiblecareers,frequentlyasked

questions,andcriticalinformationforallprogramsofstudy.Trainingonthe“advisingtoolbox”

tookplaceinAugust2017atallcampuses.

Inadditiontothein-housefocusonprovidingupdatedandaccurateadvising

information,membersoftheadvisingcommitteereceivedfundingtosupporttwoprofessional

developmentdaysforacademicadvisorswhereinpanelspeakerswouldbebroughttocampus

tospeakandassistinbreakoutsessionsonadvising.ThefirstNashvilleStateAdvisingAcademy

daywillbeheldinJanuary2018andwillfeaturepanelspeakersfromtheNationalAcademic

AdvisingAssociation(NACADA).Thesefirsttwoprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitieswillbe

coveredbyagrantfromtheTennesseeBoardofRegents.Additionalprofessionaldevelopment

fundingof$15,000peryearisalsoallocatedintheQEPbudget(appendixpg.67)forallfive

yearsoftheproject.

30

NashvilleStateisdedicatedtoimprovingtheAcademicAdvisingsystemasaresultof

theAcademicAdvisingTaskforcerecommendationsfrom2015.Itisalsoapartofourfocuson

improvingstudentsuccessthroughthefirstyearexperience.

CareerPlanning

ThemissionofNashvilleStateistoprovideawiderangeofeducationalopportunitiesto

citizensintheservicearea.Tothatend,NashvilleStateofferstechnicalcertificates,Associates

ofAppliedSciencedegrees(A.A.S.),andAssociatesleveldegrees(A.A.,AFA,A.S.,AST).

TechnicalcertificatesandA.A.S.degreesaredesignedtopreparegraduatesfortheworkforce,

whileAssociatesDegreesareprimarilyintendedfortransfer.TheOfficeofCareerServices

offerscareercounseling,internshipopportunities,employmentlistings,andhelpwithresume

reviewsandmockinterviewsinanattempttohelpstudentsmeettheircareergoals.TheCareer

ServicespageontheNashvilleStatewebsiteprovidesstudentswithaccesstocareer

assessmentsandaccesstotheCollegeCentralNetwork–aservicethatprovidesinformation

aboutregionaljobs,internshipandco-opopportunities,andjobplacementskills.

Startinginthefallof2016,theDirectorofCareerServicesbeganattendingNSCC1010:

FirstYearExperiencesclassestoofferashortpresentationtostudentsabouttheresources

availabletothemthroughtheoffice.Thispracticeincreasedthenumberofone-on-onestudent

appointmentsthatwerescheduledwithCareerServices,whichhadlargelybeensuggestedto

individualstudentsduringinteractionswithfacultypriortothecourseimplementation.Oneof

theopportunitiespresentedtostudentsduringNSCC1010iscooperativeeducation/internship

(paidandnon-paid)experiencethatisavailabletoNashvilleStatestudents.Historically,

31

internshipopportunitiesareunderutilizedbecausemechanismstogetinformationtostudents

reliedheavilyonemailandinformationprovidedduringannualCareerDays.

ActivitiesoftheOfficeofCareerServicesarelargelylimitedbystaffing.Priortothe

summerof2017,theOfficewasstaffedbyaDirector,asecretary,andpart-timelabor.Asa

resultofthecollege-wideQEPtopic,thedecisionwasmadetohireafull-timeCareerCounselor

whobeganinsummer2017.TheOfficeofCareerServicesisworkingondevelopinga“Career

Exploration”workshopseriesthatwillrunatallcampussitesatleasttwotimeseachsemester.

Theworkshopswillguidestudentsthroughcareerexplorationinthefirsteventandthenhelp

developemploymentskills,likeresumewritingandinterviewskills,towardstheendofthe

semester.Theseworkshopswillbeannouncedonline,inNSCC1010classes,andviaemailand

signage.Thenewcareercounselorisalsoworkingwithfacultytodevelopassignmentson

careerplanning,suchasapresentationprojectinSpeechclasses.

NashvilleStateiscommittedtoincreasingaccesstocareercounselingforstudentsand

willcontinuetoimproveaccesstocareerplanningcounselingbyprovidingstudentswith

informationandsupportduringtheirfirstyearexperienceandbeyond.

PersonalGrowth

Drs.DenleyandKnox(2016)dataminedstudentdatafromtensofthousandsof

studentsintheStateofTennesseeanddevelopedaprojecttodeterminetheroleofnon-

cognitivefactorsinachievementandretention(20).Theybuiltontheworkofothers

(Pascarella;PascarellaandTerenzini;GutmanandSchoon)todeterminehowideasofacademic

mindsetandasenseofbelongingaffectedstudentsuccess.Surveyresultsfromover5000

studentsinTennesseeshowedacorrelationbetweenimprovedacademicsuccessandstudents

32

feelingtheywereapartofacommunity,knowingtheywereprovidedwithresourcesnecessary

tosucceed,anddeterminingclassroomcontenttobevaluabletotheirlives.NashvilleState

studentswereincludedinthesurvey,whichgavetheQEPSteeringCommitteeparticularly

importantinsightintofirstyearstudents.

Takingdirectionfromliterature,QEPSteeringCommitteefacultyworkedtodevelop

writingassignmentsthatwouldpromptstudentstoreflectonhowtheireducationalexperience

fitsinthecontextoftheirlives.Theintentistoencouragestudentstoseetheiracademic

pursuitsassomethingthataffectsthematalltimesandhelpsthemtogrow.Likewise,

assignmentsembeddedintheNSCC1010:FirstYearExperiencecoursewillrequirestudentsto

reviewclassdescriptionsanddescribehowclasscontentwillhelpthemreachtheirgoals.Itis

thehopeofthecommitteethatstudentreflectionontheirexperiencesduringtheirfirstyear

willhelpthemstayoncourseandpersistandgraduateataratehigherthaniftheyhadnot

beeninvolvedintheQEP.

Assessment

BytheendoftheirfirstyearatNashvilleState,studentswillhavehadtheopportunity

toengageinfiveexperiencesdesignedtoimprovethelikelihoodoftheiracademicsuccess:new

studentorientation,afirstyearexperiencecourse,academicadvising,careerplanning,and

personalreflection.TheQEPSteeringCommitteedevelopedfivestudentlearningoutcomes

thatexpressexpectationsoffirstyearstudentsasaresultoftheseexperiences(Table5).The

QEPSteeringCommitteealsodevelopedNSCC1010:FirstYearExperienceactivitiesthat

promoteeachstudentlearningoutcome.TheQEPimplementationcommitteewillmonitorthe

effectivenessoftheseNSCC1010activitiesandfirstyearexperiencesbyanalyzingappropriate

33

studentsuccessmeasuresattheendofthefirstyear.AdescriptionoftheNSCC1010activities

andstudentsuccessmeasureswewillusefollows.

Table5.Studentlearningoutcomeswithactivitiesandsuccessmeasures.

StudentLearningOutcomes:Studentswill-

BeginningofFirstYearNSCC1010Activities

EndofFirstYearSuccessMeasures

1.Createapersonalizedacademicplanthatincludescollege-levelmath,Englishcomposition,and9hoursinthefocusareainthefirstacademicyear.

NSCC1010AcademicPlanAssignment(appendixpg.53)

DegreeWorkspercentdegreeprogressionatendoffirstyear.

2.Describeconnectionsbetweendegreechoiceandultimatecareerchoiceafteraninterestinventory(Kuder).

NSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment(appendixpg.57)

CCSSE*resultsandotherbenchmarkindicatorsofsuccess**

3.DifferentiateresourcesavailabletostudentsthroughNashvilleStatetosupportstudentsuccess.

NSCC1010UnderstandingResourcesTest(appendixpg.60);NSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment(appendixpg.57)


4.Articulateconnectionsbetweentheircoursesandtheirultimateacademicgoals.

NSCC1010AcademicPlanAssignment(appendixpg.53)


5.Reflectontheirpersonalgrowthasaresultoftheireducation.

NSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment(appendixpg.57)

ReflectionAssignment(appendixpg.65)attheendofsecondtermindicatorcourse(appendixpg.66)

*CCSSEistheCommunityCollegeSurveyofStudentEngagement

**Benchmarkindicatorsofsuccessaredescribedbeginningonpage40.

StudentLearningOutcome1:AcademicPlan

CreatinganacademicplanisthecornerstoneoutcomeofourQEP.Studentcompletion

ofanaccurate,reasonableandefficientacademicplanwillbenefitfromnewstudent

orientation,afirstyearexperiencecourse,academicadvising,careerplanning,andpersonal

reflection.Sincedegreeseeking,first-timestudentsarerequiredtotaketheNSCC1010:First

34

YearExperiencecourseasagraduationrequirement,thatclassrequiresstudentscompletethe

AcademicPlanAssignment(appendixpg.53).Studentsobtainanadvisingsheetfortheirmajor

anddegree.Thentheycomposeapersonalizedplanthatshowsasemesterbysemestercourse

scheduleuntilgraduation.Studentsareprovidedwithguidelinesandarubric(appendixpg.54)

bywhichtheirplanisscored.Studentsmustincorporatecollegelevelmath,English

composition,andninehoursintheirfocusareainthefirstyearoftheplantoreceiveatop

score.ThosestudentswhoearnlowscoresareprovidedhelpbyNSCC1010facultytobuilda

solidacademicplan.

Beginningfall2018,finalacademicplanswillbebuiltintothestudent’sDegreeWorks

account.Thiswaybothstudentsandacademicadvisorscaneasilyaccesstheplan.Until

NashvilleState’sDegreeWorksprogramisupdatedtoincludethiscapabilityinspring2018,

studentswillcompletetheplaninaWorddocumentthattheywillemailtotheiradvisor

(appendixpg.55).

TheAcademicPlanAssignmentandtheCareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment

describedinStudentLearningOutcome2makeup50%oftheNSCC1010gradetoemphasize

theirimportancetostudentsuccess.

TheQEPImplementationCommitteewilldeterminepercentdegreeprogressionusing

DegreeWorksforfirstyearstudentsattheendoftheirfirstyear.Thecommitteewillcompare

degreeprogressiondataforthosestudentswhosuccessfullycompletedNSCC1010toother

firstyearstudentsinthesamecohort.ThecommitteeexpectsNSCC1010completerswillhave

ahigherpercentdegreeprogression.

35

NotallfirstyearstudentswilltakeNSCC1010.Forexample,thecourseisnotrequired

forreturningstudentswhoalreadyhaveearnedcollegecredit.Tohelpstudentswhoarenotin

NSCC1010makeacademicplans,theAcademicPlanAssignmentwillbeusedasamodelfor

academicadvisorsandtheiradvisees.Allacademicadvisorswillhaveaccesstotheassignment

andtrainingontheuseoftheassignmentasanadvisorwillbegininspring2018andcontinue

infutureinservices.

StudentLearningOutcome2:CareerConnections

DuringNSCC1010:FirstYearExperience,studentstakeaKuderCareerInterests

Assessment,andthenwriteareflectionontheconnectionsbetweentheircareergoalsand

theirNashvilleStatedegreechoiceintheCareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment(appendix

pgs.57-58;SeeReflectionQuestion1).ThisassignmentiscompletedpriortotheAcademicPlan

Assignment.Studentsareprovidedwithguidelinesandarubric(appendixpg.59)bywhichthe

assignmentisscored.TheQEPimplementationcommitteewillmonitormultiplestudent

successmeasures,includingCCSSEsurveyresults,todeterminetheeffectsofthestudents’

descriptionsofcareeranddegreeconnectionsontheirsubsequentsuccess(SeeBenchmark

IndicatorsofSuccessbeginningpg.40).

StudentLearningOutcome3:DifferentiatingResources

DuringNSCC1010:FirstYearExperience,studentsarepresentedwithinformationabout

resourcesavailabletothemthroughNashvilleState.Atestisadministeredattheendofthe

coursetodetermineifstudentslearnedtodifferentiateamongavailableresources(appendix

pg.60).AnalysisofthesetestscoresbyNSCC1010instructorswillhelptheseinstructors

improvethepresentationofresourceinformationintheirclasses.Studentsinthiscoursealso

36

reflectontheresourcestheywillneedtoachievetheiracademicgoalsintheCareerGoalsand

ReflectionAssignmentusedinStudentLearningOutcome2(appendixpg.58;SeeReflection

Question2).TheQEPimplementationcommitteewillmonitormultiplestudentsuccess

measures,includingCCSSEsurveyresults,todeterminetheeffectsofstudentsdifferentiating

resourcesontheirsubsequentsuccess(SeeBenchmarkIndicatorsofSuccessbeginningpg.40).

StudentLearningOutcome4:CourseworkConnections

DuringNSCC1010:FirstYearExperience,studentscompletetheAcademicPlan

Assignment(SeeStudentLearningOutcome1),whichasksstudentstoreflectuponthevalueof

eachcourseintheirplantowardsachievingtheirultimateacademicgoals(appendixpg.53).

Thisassignmenthasalsobeensharedwithacademicadvisorsandcareerservicesstaff,sothat

studentsoutsideofNSCC1010maybeadvisedontheimportanceofarequiredcoursethat

maynotseemdirectlyrelatedtotheiracademicandcareergoals.OnceDegreeWorksis

updatedtoincludetheacademicplan,studentswillrecordcoursevaluestatementsas“notes”

attachedtoeachcourse.Untilthen,studentsrecordthevaluestatementsintheWord

documentthatcontainstheiracademicplan(appendixpg.55).TheQEPimplementation

committeewillmonitormultiplestudentsuccessmeasures,includingCCSSEsurveyresults,to

determinetheeffectsofstudentsarticulatingconnectionsbetweencoursesandacademicgoals

ontheirsubsequentsuccess(SeeBenchmarkIndicatorsofSuccessbeginningpg.40).

StudentLearningOutcome5:PersonalReflection

DuringNSCC1010:FirstYearExperience,studentscompleteaCareerGoalsand

ReflectionAssignment(SeeStudentLearningOutcomes2&3)thatasksstudentstoreflect

upontheeffecttheirexperiencesatNashvilleStatewillhaveontheirpersonalgrowth

37

(appendixpg.58;SeeReflectionQuestion3).Studentanswerstothisinitialreflectionquestion

willbecollectedbytheQEPImplementationCommitteeandassessedonafourpointscale

(appendixpg.64)sotheymayserveasabasisforcomparisontoafinalreflectionwrittenatthe

endofthefirstyear.Thefinalreflectionwillbecompletedattheendofasecondtermcourse

andassessedbytheQEPImplementationCommitteeusingthesamefourpointscale(appendix

pg.65).Secondtermcoursesfrequentlytakenbyourfirstyearstudentswereselectedby

faculty(appendixpg.66).Thesestudentswillbeaskedtoreflectontheiracademicplansand

personalgrowthattheendoftheirfirstyear(appendixpg.65).Thecommitteewillmonitorand

comparetheinitialandfinalreflectionscoreswiththeexpectationfinalscoreswillbehigher

thaninitialscores

FacultyandStaffTraining

TheNSCC1010activitiesdescribedabovehavebeenpilotedandrevisedsincethe

summerof2017.NSCC1010facultytraininghasoccurredatthebeginningofeachtermsince

thecoursebeganinfall2016.Trainingforallfull-timefacultyandstaffonQEPrelatedtopics,

tookplaceinAugust2017.Trainingwillcontinueasneededinfutureinservices.

BaselineData

InordertomonitorthesuccessofNashvilleState’sQEPovertime,baselinedatawere

generatedforseveralstudentsuccessmeasures,includingCCSSEvalues,studentpersistence,

retentionrates,andgraduationrates.Baselinedatawereusedtodeterminebenchmark

indicatorsofsuccessoverthetimeofQEPimplementation.

38

NashvilleStateCommunityCollegeconductedtheCCSSEsurveyinthespringtermof

2017.BaselineCCSSEscores(unweighted)from2017forareasthatwillbeaffectedbythefull

QEPimplementationareshowninTable6.

Table6:NashvilleStatebaselineunweightedCCSSEresultsbystudentbreakoutgroupin2017.

DataPoint BreakoutGroup (Baseline)2017Score

ActiveandCollaborativeLearning Part-time 44.0Full-time 52.1

StudentEffort Part-time 45.0Full-time 58.0

Student-FacultyInteraction Part-time 46.0Full-time 53.8

SupportforLearners Part-time 40.8Full-time 52.5

Severaladditionalstudentsuccessmeasuresweremonitoredforfouryearspriortofall

2017todeterminebaselinedatapriortoQEPimplementation(Tables7–12).Thestudent

successmeasuredatawerecombinedtocreatethebaselinedatapointsindicatedinTable13.

Table7.Falltospringretentionrateforfirst-timefreshmenforpreviousfouryears.

StartTerm Total ReturnSpring PercentofTotalFall2013 1508 1167 77.4%Fall2014 1643 1308 79.6%Fall2015 2101 1580 75.2%Fall2016 * * *

*DatapointisnotyetavailablefromtheTennesseeHigherEducationCommission(THEC).

39

Table8.Falltofallretentionrateforfirst-timefreshmenforpreviousfouryears.

StartTerm Total ReturnFall PercentofTotalFall2013 1508 716 47.5%Fall2014 1643 786 47.8%Fall2015 2101 866 41.2%Fall2016 * * *

*DatapointisnotyetavailablefromtheTHEC.

Table9.AverageGPAforfirst-timefreshmenforpreviousfouryears.

AcademicYear AverageGPAafter1stYear

2013-2014 2.5612014-2015 2.4282015-2016 2.2542016-2017 2.127

Table10.Persistencemarkersforfirst-timefreshmenforpreviousfouryearsduringfallandspringterms.

AcademicYear Total

12orMoreCredits

Percent12+

24orMoreCredits

Percent24+

36orMoreCredits

Percent36+

2013-2014 1507* 812 53.9% 240 15.9% 2 0.13%2014-2015 1639* 949 57.9% 291 17.8% 5 0.31%2015-2016 2099* 1276 60.8% 555 26.4% 2 0.1%2016-2017 1851 1063 57.4% 484 26.15% 4 0.22%

*Studentswhodidnotcompleteanycredithoursdonotappearonthisreport,whichexplainsthestudentnumberdifferenceonthischartandtheretentionchartsabove.Table11.Earnedvs.attemptedcreditsforfirst-timefreshmenforpreviousfouryears.

AcademicYear

EarnedCredits

AttemptedCredits

PercentofCreditsEarned

2013-2014 18567 27744 66.9%2014-2015 21168 32159 65.8%2015-2016 29927 44679 67.0%2016-2017 26180 39865 65.7%

40

Table12.6-yeargraduationrateforfirst-time,full-timefreshmenforlastfourcohortyears.

CohortYear 6-YearCycleGraduationYear

GraduationRate

2008 2014 16.3%2009 2015 22.5%2010 2016 23.2%2011 2017 *

*DatapointisnotyetavailablefromtheTHEC.

Table13.Studentsuccessmeasuredata(Tables7–12)werecombinedtocreatethebaselinedatapointsindicatedbelow.

DataPoint(Baseline)Averagefor

PreviousYearsFalltoSpringRetention 77.2%FalltoFallRetention 45.1%GPA 2.32PercentStudentsEarning12CreditsinFirstYear 57.8%

PercentStudentsEarning24CreditsinFirstYear 22.1%

PercentStudentsEarning36CreditsinFirstYear 0.18%

PercentCreditsEarnedvs.AttemptedinFirstYear 66.4%

6-YearGraduationRate 21.0%

BenchmarkIndicatorsofSuccess

ThemissionofNashvilleStateistopreparestudentsinthecommunityforthe

workforceorfortransfertoanotherinstitutionofhigherlearning.Insupportofthemission,the

firstyearexperienceatNashvilleStateaimstoincreasestudentpersistence,performance,and

rateofgraduation.

Baselineindicatorsinthosemeasurementsofstudentsuccesswerecalculatedusing

recentdataasdescribedabove(Tables6&13).Thenbaselinevalueswereusedtogenerate

benchmarkindicatorsofsuccessforthedurationoftheproject(Tables14&15).

41

CCSSEbenchmarkswerescaledtohitaveragecohortcollegescores(aspresentedin

2017)byyeartwoandthentosupersedethosescoresintheremainingyearsofQEP

implementation(Table14).Theoneexceptionisinfull-timestudentscoresforstudenteffort,

forwhichNashvilleStateoutperformedthecohortscorein2017.Thatvalueissimplysetto

increasebyonepointeachyear.

Table14.BenchmarksforstudentsuccessforCCSSEdataduringthefiveyearQEP.

DataPoints BreakoutGroup

Baseline2017Score

AfterQEPYear12018-19





ActiveandCollaborativeLearning

Part-time 44.0 45.3 46.5 47.5 48.5 49.5Full-time 52.1 54.0 55.8 56.8 57.8 58.8

StudentEffort Part-time 45.0 45.8 46.6 47.6 48.6 49.6Full-time 58.0 59.0 60.0 61.0 62.0 63.0

Student-FacultyInteraction

Part-time 46.0 46.7 47.4 48.4 49.4 50.4Full-time 53.8 54.7 55.6 56.6 57.6 58.6

SupportforLearners Part-time 40.8 44.6 48.3 49.3 50.3 51.3Full-time 52.5 53.0 53.5 54.5 55.5 56.5

Benchmarksofsuccessfortheotherstudentsuccessmeasuresweredeterminedusing

incrementalincreasesovertimetomoveperformanceinlinewiththosevaluesrepresenting

the90thpercentileinstitutionsinthe2016NationalCommunityCollegeBenchmarkProject

(NCCBP)report(Table15).Anincrementalincreaseof1.5%peryearwasusedinthose

categoriesforwhichNCCBPdatawereunavailable.

Studentsuccessmeasuredatawillbecollectedattheendofeachacademicyearforour

firstyearstudents,beginningin2018-19.TheNashvilleStateCommunitybelievesthatthe

resultofourQEPonimprovingstudentsuccessthroughthefirstyearexperiencewillimprove

thesestudentsuccessmeasuresaswereachthebenchmarkseachyearofourQEP.

42

Table15.BenchmarksforstudentsuccessmeasuresofthefiveyearQEP.

DataPoint BaselineAverageforPreviousYears






FalltoSpringRetention 77.2% 77.3% 77.4% 77.5% 77.6% 77.75%*FalltoFallRetention 45.1% 47.85% 50.6% 53.4% 56.1% 56.21%*GPA 2.32 2.54 2.75 2.85 3.02 3.18*%StudentsEarning12CreditsinFirstYear 57.8% 59.3% 60.8% 62.3% 63.8% 65.3%**

%StudentsEarning24CreditsinFirstYear 22.1% 23.6% 25.1% 26.6% 28.1% 29.6%**

%StudentsEarning36CreditsinFirstYear 0.18% 1.68% 3.18% 4.68% 6.18% 7.68**

%CreditsEarnedvs.AttemptedinFirstYear 66.4% 68.8% 71.1% 73% 74.2% 75.82%*

6-YearGraduationRate 21.0% N/A 23.4% 26.5% 29.3% 32.0%*

*Valuestakenfrom90thpercentileinstitutionfromtheNCCBP2016report.6-yeargraduationrateisbetweenthereported90thpercentilevalesforfull-timeandpart-timestudents.

**Valuesafteryearfiverepresentanincrementalincreaseof1.5%peryear.

BudgetandMarketing

TheQEPSteeringCommitteewasresponsibleforboththecreationofafive-yearbudget

andthemarketingoftheQEP.ThebudgetwasapprovedbyNashvilleState’sPresidentin

March2017andincludesover$100,000ofsupportfortheprojectperyear(appendixpg.67).

Marketing,QEPImplementationFacultyLeadSalary,andprofessionaldevelopmentfunds

constituteover50%ofannualexpendituresoftheQEPbudget.

MarketingtheplantothecollegecommunityrequiredmorethantheQEPSteering

Committee.EachsatellitecampusDirectornominatedafacultyandstaffQEPliaisonwhowould

serveasthemaincontactsforQEPontheircampus.Campusliaisonsbegancallingintosteering

committeemeetingsinsummer2017andwereinvolvedinsatellitecampusmeetingsoffaculty

andstaffthattookplacetoreviewtheQEPinApril2017asplansdeveloped.College-wide

43

presentationsweremadeinAugust2016,January2017,andAugust2017toeducatecollege

employeesontheparticularsoftheplanusingearlymarketingmaterials.Facultytrainingand

stafftrainingsessionswereheldonallcampuslocationsinAugust2017sothatallNashville

Stateemployeeswouldbeawareoftheparticularsoftheplanandhowtheycouldhelp

increasestudentsuccessthroughthefirstyearexperience.Facultytrainingswereattendedby

142full-timefaculty,and125staffattendedoneofseventrainingsessions.

TwoQEPlogosweredevelopedasmarketingmaterial;onebyafacultymemberandthe

otherthroughastudentlogocontest.Aflierwasdevelopedtoexplaintheplantoincoming

studentsatnewstudentorientations,andcopiesweredistributedtoallcampuses.AllNew

StudentOrientationsincludedareviewoftheQEPbeginninginsummer2017sothatincoming

studentswereawareoftheplanfromtheirfirsttimeoncampus.Particularsoftheplanare

reinforcedtostudentsinclassrooms,particularlytheNSCC1010:FirstYearExperiencecourse,

aswellasthroughmeetingswithacademicadvisorsandstudentservicesstaff.Posters,

bookmarks,andyardsignswereplacedatallcampuslocationsinpreparationforthefall2017

term.

Adedicatedwebsitewascreatedinsummer2017asalinktotheNashvilleStatehome

page,anditcanbeaccessedatww2.nscc.edu/QEP.Thewebsiteprovidesinformationforthe

entirecampuscommunityontheplan,explainshowtogetinvolved,andprovidestestimonials

fromstudentswhohaveparticipatedineachofthefivefirstyearexperiences.Studentswere

allemailedalinktothewebsiteinAugust2017toinformthemofwheretofindmore

informationontheplan,andlinkstotheQEPpagewerepostedinallD2Lshellsbeginningfall

2017.

44

QEPPHASETHREE:PLANIMPLEMENTATION UponreceivingfeedbackfromtheOn-SiteCommitteeofSACSCOCinNovember2017,

NashvilleState’sQEPwillshiftintotheImplementationPhase,althoughdatacollectionwill

begininfall2017.Thethirdphaseoftheprojectwillbeledbyafacultymember(appendixpg.

68)beginninginspring2018.ArequestforapplicationsforthepositionwasmadeinAugust

2017,andtheQEPSteeringCommitteemadearecommendationtotheVicePresidentin

September.Dr.JessicaRabbacceptedthepositionasfacultyleadandwillleadacommitteeof

faculty,staff,andstudentsthroughthefiveyearplan.

TheQEPImplementationCommittee,tobeformedbytheFacultyQEPLeadduring

spring2018,willincluderepresentativesoffaculty,staff,andstudentsateachcampus.One

branchofthecommitteewillworktosupportandconnectthefiveexperiencesoftheQEP:new

studentorientation,thefirstyearexperiencecourse,academicadvising,careerplanning,and

personalreflection.

Asecondbranchofthecommitteewillcollectandanalyzeassessmentdata.This

subcommitteewilldeterminepercentdegreeprogressioninDegreeWorksforourfirstyear

studentsasdescribedinStudentLearningOutcome1.Thissubcommitteewillassessfirstyear

studentreflectionsasdescribedinStudentLearningOutcome5.Thissubcommitteewillalso

collectandanalyzethestudentsuccessmeasuredataasdescribedinBenchmarkIndicatorsof

Success.

Bi-annualmeetingsofthewholeQEPImplementationCommitteewillinvolvean

intentionalreviewofdatatodetermineifachangetotheQEPiswarranted.Improvement

planswillbecreatedifpercentdegreeprogression,reflectionscores,orstudentsuccess

45

measuredatadonotmeetexpectations.Thisprocesswillbecarefullydocumentedandwillbe

reviewedbyanadhoccommitteeconvenedbytheExecutiveVicePresidentforAcademicand

StudentAffairsbeforefundamentalimprovementstotheplanareapproved.Anannualreport

willbesubmittedbytheQEPImplementationCommitteetotheExecutiveVicePresidentfor

AcademicandStudentAffairsandtheAssociateVicePresidentforInstitutionalResearchfor

reviewbeginningin2018untilthecompletionoftheplan.Updateswillbeprovidedtothe

Collegeasawholethroughemail.TheQEPImplementationCommitteewillalsoberesponsible

forgeneratingtheQEPImpactReportthatwillbesubmittedtoSACSCOCin2023.

ThemissionofNashvilleStateCommunityCollegeistoprovidecomprehensive

educationalprogramsandpartnerships,exemplaryservices,anaccessible,progressivelearning

environment,andresponsibleleadershiptothecommunityitservesinordertoimprovethe

qualityoflifeforallofthestakeholders.Thecollegecommunityworkedtogethertoselecta

topicforourcurrentQEPandthereiswide-spreadsupportforplanimplementation.Nashville

Statewillimprovestudentsuccessthroughthefirstyearexperiencefornewstudentsasa

resultoftheimplementationofthisplan.

46

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n.pag.Web.16Feb.2016.<http://nhcuc.org/pdfs/Taking_Student_Retention_Seriously.pdf>.

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52

APPENDICESTABLEOFCONTENTS NSCC1010AcademicPlanAssignment………………….……………………………………………………..………53

NSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment…………………………………………………….………57

NSCC1010UnderstandingResourcesTest………………….…………………………………………………..…..60

NSCC1010InitialReflection…………………………….……………………………………………………………..…… 64

SecondTermCourseFinalReflection…………………………...……………………………………………..………65

SecondTermCourses……………………………….………………………………………..……………………………....66

QEPBudget……………………………………………………….…………………………………….………………..………… 67

QEPLeadFacultyJobDescription………………………….………………………………….……………………….... 68

53

NSCC1010AcademicPlanAssignment

Thisassignmentconsistsoftwoparts.Bothpartsshouldbesubmittedtothe“AcademicPlan”assignmentdropbox.

Part1:StandardAdvisingSheet

SubmitanelectroniccopyofthestandardadvisingsheetforyourcurrentdegreeatNashvilleStateortheonethatwillbeyourcurrentdegreeonceyoucompletea“ChangeofMajorForm.”Therearetwowaysyoumaysubmitthestandardadvisingsheet.

• Option1:ThisoptionisbestforTennesseeTransferPathway(TTP)degrees.GotoDegreeWorksviamyNSCC.Theworksheettabshowstheclassesyouneedtotake.Ifyouplantochangeyourdegree,selectthe“Whatif”optionandselecttheappropriatedegree.Oncetheworksheettabshowsthecoursesforyourintendeddegree,clickthe“SaveasPDF”buttonnearthetopofthepage.UploadthisPDFtotheassignmentdropbox.

• Option2:ThisoptionisbestforUniversityParalleldegreesandAASdegreesbecausetheycontainimportantinformationyoumaynotseeinDegreeWorks.Gotothe“Academics”pageontheNSCCwebsite(www.nscc.edu).Thengoto“Degrees&Certificates.”Selecttheappropriatedegree.Thenselect“AdvisingSheets.”Selecttheappropriateadvisingsheet.Saveanelectroniccopyofthedocumentanduploadtotheassignmentdrobox.

• Youmayalsocompletebothoptions.Itdoesnothurttohaveasmuchinformationaspossible,soyoucanmakeinformedchoices.

Part2:PersonalizedAdvisingSheet

Usingtheadvisingsheet(s)fromPart1asyourguide,youwillmakeyourownpersonalizedacademicplan.Openandcompletetheattached“PersonalizedAdvisingSheet.”Pleasecarefullyreadtheguidelinesbelow.

• Arrangethecoursesforyourdegreeatapacethatworksforyouuntilyoucanfinishyourdegreeandgraduate.

• Includelearningsupportclasses,ifappropriate.• Includepre-requisiteclasses,ifappropriate(thisisespeciallylikelyforMathclassesrequiredin

yourdegree).• Completerequiredcollege-levelmathclassesinyourfirstyearortakematheachsemesteruntil

youfinish.• CompleterequiredEnglishcompositionclassesinyourfirstyear.• Complete9credits(usually3courses)inyourfocusareainyourfirstyear.• Nexttothenameofeachcourseintheplan,writeastatementthatdescribeshowthecourse

willhelpyouachieveyouracademicgoals.TwosamplestatementsforcommoncoursesareincludedinthePersonalizedAcademicPlan.

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AcademicPlanRubric

Theplanwillbegradedaccordingtofollowingrubric.Oncetheplanhasbeengradedandconsideredsatisfactorybyyourinstructor,youwillneedtoemailtheplantoyouradvisorandccyourNSCC1010instructorasevidenceyoudidso.Thisemailwillcountasaseparategrade.

Category 4Points 3Points 2Points 1Point 0PointsSubmissionofStandardAdvisingSheet

AStandardAdvisingSheetsubmittedthatservedasaguideforthePersonalizedAdvisingSheet.

N/A N/A N/A NoStandardAdvisingSheetSubmittedorthewrongStandardAdvisingSheetSubmitted.

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetCourses

ThecourseslistedinthePersonalizedAdvisingSheetareareasonablecompletionoftheStandardAdvisingSheetwithlearningsupportclassesandpre-requisiteswhenappropriate.

75-99%oftheappropriatecoursesarelisted.

50-74%oftheappropriatecoursesarelisted.

Fewerthan50%oftheappropriatecoursesarelisted.

NoPersonalizedAdvisingSheetSubmitted.

Personalizedplanincludescollege-levelmath,Englishcomposition,and9hoursinthefocusareainthefirstacademicyear.

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetincludescollege-levelmath,Englishcomposition,and9-hoursinthefocusareainthefirstacademicyear.

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetincludestwoofthethreegoalsinthefirstyear(math,Englishand/or9-hoursinfocusarea).

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetincludesoneofthethreegoalsinthefirstyear(math,Englishand/or9-hoursinfocusarea).

PersonalizedAdvisingSheethasoneortwocoursesinthefocusareainthefirstyear,butnocollege-levelmathorEnglishcomposition.

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetreachesnoneofthegoalsornoPersonalAdvisingSheetsubmitted.

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetarticulatesconnectionsbetweencoursesandacademicgoals.

AllcoursevaluecommentsonthePersonalizedAdvisingSheetarticulateconnectionsbetweenthecourseandacademicgoals.

75-99%ofcoursevaluecommentsonthePersonalizedAdvisingSheetarticulateconnectionsbetweenthecourseandacademicgoals.

50-74%ofcoursevaluecommentsonthePersonalizedAdvisingSheetarticulateconnectionsbetweenthecourseandacademicgoals.

Fewerthan50%ofcoursevaluecommentsonthePersonalizedAdvisingSheetarticulateconnectionsbetweenthecourseandacademicgoals.

NocoursevaluecommentsornoPersonalizedAdvisingSheetsubmitted.

MechanicsofPlan

Nospelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors.

Fewspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors.

Manyspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors.

Waytoomanyspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors.

NoPersonalizedAdvisingSheetSubmitted.

55

PersonalizedAdvisingSheetName:

Major(andConcentrationifappropriate)andDegree:

MyAdvisor:

MyAdvisor’sContactInformation(phonenumber,emailaddress,office):

SemesterIExpecttoGraduate:

SemesterIWillNeedtoApplyforGraduation:

Semester(Fall,Spring,Summer)andYear:

CourseNumberandName ValuetoGoalsStatementNSCC1010FirstYearExperience Thiscoursewillhelpsetmeupforsuccessbyteachingme

resourcesavailabletomeduringmyeducationatNashvilleState.

ENGL1010EnglishComp1 Thiscoursewillhelpmepresentideasclearlyinwritingwhichwillimprovemyabilitytocommunicateeffectively.


CourseNumberandName ValuetoGoalsStatement



56





AddordeletesemestersasappropriateforyourPersonalizedAdvisingSheet.

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NSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment

Thisassignmentconsistsoftwoparts.Bothpartsshouldbesubmittedtothe“CareerInterestsandReflection”assignmentdropbox.

Part1:KuderCareerInterestsAssessment

• GotoKuder®Journeyathttp://www.kuderjourney.com• Select‘NewUsers’fromtheloginareatobegintheregistrationprocess.• Select‘Student’andchooseyourgradelevelfromthedropdownmenu.Or,select

‘Adult’andchooseyourusertypefromthedropdownmenu.• Click‘Continue’tocreateyouraccount.• Duringtheprocessyouwillneedtocreateauniqueusernameandpassword.• Youwillalsobeaskedtoenteryour‘ActivationCode’thatwasprovidedbyyourschool

oragency.OuractivationcodeisJ4264327KSJ• Besuretochecktheboxnextto"Ihavereadandagreetothetermsandconditionsof

use"afterreadingthisinformation.• Click‘Register’tocompletetheprocess.• YouonlyneedtodoandsubmittheresultsoftheKuderCareerInterestsAssessment.It

shouldtakeabout9minutes.• Youarewelcometodotheotherassessments.TheresultsoftheKuderCareerInterests

Assessmentwillprovideyoucareerpathwayideasgivenyourinterests.However,youmaywanttoalsoknowcareerpathwayideasgivenyourskillsandvalues.Takingtheassessmentsbelowcanshowyouwaystheresultsoverlap.

o KuderSkillsConfidenceAssessmento KuderWorkValuesAssessment

• SubmittheresultsthatshowyourtopfivecareerpathwaysbasedontheKuderCareerInterestsAssessmenttotheassignmentdropbox.Youmaysubmittheresultsbysubmittingascreenshot,aphotograph,apdf,oraworddocumentthatincludestheresults.

• Theresultsaremeanttoprovideyouwithideas.Theresultsarenotmeanttodetermineyourcareer.Thatisuptoyou.

58

Part2:Reflection

Forthisreflection,youwillwriteaoneparagraphresponseforeachofthefollowingquestions,foratotalofthreeparagraphs.Eachparagraphshouldbeapproximately100wordsinlength,withthetotalwordcountforallthreeparagraphsbetween300-450words.

1. Whatareyourcareergoalsandhowwillthosegoalsaffectyourdegreechoiceat

NashvilleState?

2. Whatadditionalskillsandresourcesdoyouthinkyouwillneedtosuccessfullycomplete

yourdegreeatNashvilleState?

3. HowwillyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpyougrowasaperson?

Part2Tips

Besuretostarteachparagraphwithastrongtopicsentencebasedoffthequestion.Forexample,forparagraph1,mytopicsentencecouldlooksomethinglikethis:

Iwanttobeanurse,andsoIamcurrentlyahealthsciencesmajoratNashvilleState.

Then,besuretogivespecificexamplesandanalyzethoseexamplestosupportyourpoints.Forexample,withtheabovetopicsentence,Icouldwrite:

Iwanttobeanursebecausehelpingpeopleismyprimarygoal.However,myKuderCareerInterestsresultssuggestedcareerpathwaysinscienceandcomputertechnology.Ihavealwaysbeeninterestedinscienceandcomputers,butIwouldrathermyjobinvolvehelpingpeoplefeelbetter.IthinkmyinterestinscienceandcomputerswillhelpmesucceedintheclassesIneedtotakeasahealthsciencesmajor.Thereareimportantscienceandmathpre-requisitesfornursingschool.Thehealthsciencesdegreewillallowmetotakethepre-requisites,andthenIcanapplytonursingschool.

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CareerGoalsandReflectionRubric

Category 4Points 3Points 2Points 1Point 0PointsSubmissionofKuderCareerInterestsAssessmentResults

KuderResultsSubmitted.

N/A N/A N/A NoKuderResultsSubmitted.

ReflectionAnswertoQuestion1:WhatareyourcareergoalsandhowwillthosegoalsaffectyourdegreechoiceatNashvilleState?

Answerisapproximately100wordsormore,anddoesanswerquestionclearlyandcompletely.

Answerislessthan100words,butdoesstillanswerquestionclearlyandcompletely.

Answerisapproximately100wordsormore,butdoesnotanswerquestionclearlyorcompletely.

Answerislessthan100words,anddoesnotanswerquestionclearlyorcompletely.

Noanswersubmittedtothisquestion.

ReflectionAnswertoQuestion2:WhatadditionalskillsandresourcesdoyouthinkyouwillneedtosuccessfullycompleteyourdegreeatNashvilleState?






ReflectionAnswertoQuestion3:HowwillyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpyougrowasaperson?






MechanicsofPlan

Nospelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors

Fewspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors

Manyspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors

Waytoomanyspelling,grammar,orpunctuationerrors

Nowrittenanswerssubmitted.

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NSCC1010UnderstandingResourcesTest

Answersinbold

1. StudentswithdisabilitiesmustgothroughtheAccessCentertoreceive:a. Academicaccommodationsb. Transportationc. Courseassignmentwaiversd. ThereisnoAccessCenteratNSCC

2. NSCCTestingServicesareavailable:

a. OntheMaincampusonlyb. OntheMainandSoutheastcampusesonlyc. AtallNSCCcampusesd. OnMain,Southeast,andClarksvillecampusesonly

3. Thestudentpolicyhandbookdirectsstudentswithgrievancesorconcernstocontact:

a. Thepresidentofthecollegeb. Theregistrarc. His/herparentsd. Thedeanofstudents

4. Whichtypeoffinancialaidmustbepaidback?

a. Pellgrantb. Work-studysalaryc. Studentloansd. Academicscholarships

5. WhichofthefollowingisservicescanIgetfromCareerServices?

a. Locatingjobsandinternshipsb. Locatingwork-studyjobsoncampusc. Resumewritingandinterviewingtipsandtechniquesd. aandc

6. Todesignyourlong-termgraduationplanyouwillneedtodothefollowing.

a. Understandthecorecurriculumrequirementsandtherequirementsforyourchosenfieldofstudy

b. Knowallthecoursesthatareofferedinyourcollegesystemc. Visitwithyouradvisord. Alloftheabove.

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7. FreetutorsareavailabletoNSCCstudents:

a. Onlineb. IntheircampusLearningCenterc. Freetutorsaren’tavailabletoNSCCstudentsd. BothonlineandintheircampusLearningCenter

8. Youradvisorisyourbestresourceforhelpwithwhat?a. Choosingtherightclassesforregistrationinordertograduateinatimelymannerb. Sortingoutfinancialaidissuesc. Applyingforinternshipsd. Noneoftheabove

9. You’vedecidedtochangeyourmajor.What’sthebestfirstcourseofaction?

a. Downloadthe“ChangeofMajor”formandturnitintoRecordsb. Makeanappointmentwithyouradvisortodiscussyouracademicplans.c. Itisnotagoodcourseofactiontochangeyourmajor.d. Gotoadmissionsandaskforanewadvisor.

10. Youneedtopayafee.Wheredoyougo?

a. Recordsb. FinancialAidc. TheBursarormyNSCCstudentaccountd. TheBursarorFinancialAid

11. It’sSaturdaynightandyourealizeyouhaveasmallresearchprojectdueonMonday.The

projectrequiresyoutousetheMayfieldLibrary.ThelibraryiscloseduntilMondaymorning.What’sthebestcourseofaction?

a. Askyourinstructorforanextension.b. Thelibrary’sonlineresourcesareavailable24/7.Gettowork!c. ShowupearlyMondayandwriteitbeforeclassstarts.d. Takeazeroonthatassignmentbutcheckyoursyllabuscarefullytoavoidsuch

problemsinthefuture.

12. WherecanyoufindwhenandwhichemployersandtransferuniversitiesarevisingNSCCcampuses?a. OnthecampusmonitorsandCareerServiceswebpageb. OntheCareerServiceswebpageandthestudenthandbookc. Inthestudenthandbookandthecollegecatalogd. Onlyinthecollegecatalog

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13. NashvilleStatehasthefollowingtypesofstudentorganizationsEXCEPT:

a. Honorsocietiesb. Career-focusedstudentorganizationsc. Specialinternetorganizationsd. SportsTeams

14. HowdoIgetacopyofthestudentpolicyhandbook?

a. AtNewStudentOrientationb. InNSCC1010classc. Onthecollegewebsited. Thecollegedoesn’thaveastudentpolicyhandbook.

15. WhatservicesareavailableintheLearningResourceCenter?

a. TutoringandPrintingb. Proofreadingc. FinancialAidinformationd. RecordsInformation

16. WhatinformationcanIfindonmyNSCC?

a. IsthereaholdonmyaccountanddoIowemoney?b. WheredoIpark?c. HowmuchdoIhavetopayforbooksthissemester?d. Hasmyfinancialaidbeenprocessedandwhoismyadvisor?e. aanddonly

17. WhereshouldIcheckforimportantinformation?

a. myNSCCemailb. D2Lemailc. Campusmonitorsd. Alloftheabovee. Noneoftheabove–nothingimportanteverhappensincollege

18. Advisingsheetsareavailableonthecollegewebsiteforeveryprograma. Trueb. False

63

19. WherecanIfindoutwhomyacademicadvisoris?

a. Collegecatalogb. myNSCCc. DegreeWorksd. StudentHandbooke. bandc

20. Totakeatestinthetestingcenter,studentsneed:

a. ToregisteronlineandtakeaphotoIDtotheTestingCenter.b. Toarriveatleast10minutesbeforethecenterclosesandhaveaphotoID.c. Toknowthepassword.d. Toknowtheclasstitleandsectionforwhichtheywilltest.

21.DegreeWorksisdesignedto:

a. Updateyouonyourprogresstowarddegreecompletionandprovideyouwithalistofcoursesneededtocompleteyourdegree.

b. Registeryouforyourclasses.c. Helpyouseehowchangingyourmajorwillimpactyourgraduationtimeline.d. aandc

22.ToresetyourmyNSCCpassword,contact:

a. Thelibraryb. Youradvisorc. TheComputerHelpDeskd. TheOfficeofAdmissions

64

NSCC1010InitialReflection

InitialReflectionQuestion

ThisisQuestion3fromtheNSCC1010CareerGoalsandReflectionAssignment(appendixpg.58).

3. HowwillyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpyougrowasaperson?

AnswerstotheabovequestionwillbecollectedbytheQEPImplementationCommitteefromNSCC1010instructorsandthenassessedwiththefollowingrubric.

InitialReflectionRubric

Category 4Points 3Points 2Points 1Point 0PointsReflectionAnswertoQuestion3:HowhaveyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpedyougrowasaperson?

Morethan2insightfulconnectionsortwodeepconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

1or2insightfulconnectionsaremade,oronedeepconnectionismade,betweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

SuperficialconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

NoconnectionsmadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.


65

SecondTermCourseFinalReflection

FinalReflectionQuestions

1. HowhaveyourexperiencesatNashvilleStateaffectedyouracademicplans?

2. HowhaveyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpedyougrowasaperson?

FinalReflectionRubric

Category 4Points 3Points 2Points 1Point 0PointsReflectionAnswertoQuestion1:HowhaveyourexperiencesatNashvilleStateaffectedyouracademicplans?

Morethan2insightfulconnectionsortwodeepconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandacademicplans.

1or2insightfulconnectionsaremade,oronedeepconnectionismade,betweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandacademicplans.

SuperficialconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandacademicplans.

NoconnectionsmadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandacademicplans.


ReflectionAnswertoQuestion2:HowhaveyourexperiencesatNashvilleStatehelpedyougrowasaperson?

Morethan2insightfulconnectionsortwodeepconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

1or2insightfulconnectionsaremade,oronedeepconnectionismade,betweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

SuperficialconnectionsaremadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.

NoconnectionsmadebetweenNashvilleStateexperiencesandpersonalgrowth.


66

SecondTermCourses

Coursesdeterminedbyfacultytobestandardsecondtermcoursesinastudent’sfirstyearatNashvilleState.

Class: MajorsCovered:ACCT1020 AccountingADMN1311 AdministrativeProfessionalTechnology

CAD1200 ArchitecturalEngineeringTechnology,CivilandConstructionEngineering

CHEM1120 ChemistryCISP1020 ComputerScienceCIT1220 CivilEngineeringCITC1301 ComputerInformationTechnologyCRMJ1340 LawEnforcementCULA1325 CulinaryArtsECED2340 EarlyChildhoodEducationEETH1400 ElectricalEngineeringENGR2110 MechanicalEngineering,Pre-Engineering,Pre-IndustrialTechnologyHCMT2315 HealthcareManagementHMGT1250 HospitalityandTourismManagementINFS1010 InformationSystemsIPCT1335 IndustrialProcessControlTechnologyLEGL1320 ParalegalStudiesMUS1072 MusicPHIL1111 PhilosophyPHO1240 VisualCommunicationsSOCI2010 SociologySPCH1010 Mathematics

ENGL1020

Finance,Business,Economics,Management,Marketing,English,SpeechCommunications,Art,Biology,Physics,CriminalJustice,ChildDevelopment,ElementaryEducation,MiddleGradesEducation,SecondaryEducation,SpecialEducation,ExerciseScience,HealthScience,Pre-HealthProfessions,Pre-OccupationalTherapy,Pre-PhysicalTherapy,SurgicalTechnology,Geography,History,PoliticalScience,Psychology,SocialWork

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QEPBudget

BudgetItems Year12018-19

Year22019-20

Year32020-21

Year42021-22

Year52022-23

QEPImplementationLead(50%facultyload+benefits)

$29,250 $29,250 $29,250 $29,250 $29,250

WebsiteandMarketing $20,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000

Operating $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500 $2,500

ProfessionalDevelopment $20,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $15,000

College-wideAssessments:

CCSSEIDEA

$10,000$18,000

$10,000$18,000

$10,000$18,000

$10,000$18,000

$10,000$18,000

DegreeWorks™Maintenance $5,600 $5,600 $6,000 $6,000 $6,000

SchedulePlanner™Maintenance $12,750 $16,000 $20,000 $20,000 $20,000

Total $118,100 $106,350 $110,750 $110,750 $110,750

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QEPLeadFacultyJobDescription

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE: Faculty Lead, Quality Enhancement Plan Implementation

REPORTING SENIOR: Dean/Director

JOB OBJECTIVES: To provide leadership, coordination, and data analysis for the implementation of the Nashville State Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

A. Serve as the primary contact for the QEP. B. Manage QEP budget. C. Serve as chair for the QEP Implementation Committee, which will meet twice a year to review data from

each fall and spring term and makes recommendations for plan updates. D. Continue to market and train new employees on the QEP. E. Manage data collection on student learning outcomes in QEP each term. F. Track student data over time.

G. Manage and communicate any change in QEP as a result of ongoing data analysis to college community. H. Write an annual report each year of implementation to provide framework for the QEP impact report to be

submitted to SACSCOC in 2023. MINIMUM JOB STANDARDS:

Full-time term or tenured faculty status at Nashville State Community College with experience in data analysis. A minimum of five years full-time service at Nashville State is required.

JOB LOCATION: Occasional travel throughout the service area is required.

SALARY: Released time of 7.5 TLC per semester. Overloads may not be awarded to a faculty member in this role except in those cases that variable credits mean that a teaching load of 7.5 cannot be reached.

EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS: Current Federal law requires identification and eligibility verification prior to employment. Only U.S. citizens and aliens authorized to work in the United States may be employed.

4/25/2018

Nashville State Community College Quality Enhancement...

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