Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

What is a QEP?

As part of our reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Methodist University has developed a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). The QEP project is designed to focus on an aspect of student learning, must be campus-wide in scope, and involve students, faculty, staff, alumni, and administrators.

History of the MU QEP

Our first QEP resulted in our Culture of Reading program. After consultation with students, staff, and alumni, the faculty of Methodist University voted in the Spring of 2019 to adopt the following as our new Quality Enhancement Plan.

Our Current QEP

The Passion Project: Making Connections Through Writing

History of the Passion Project as a QEP

The selection of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Methodist University involved a lengthy, campus-wide dialogue about academic direction and change. It began as a disparate list of desired improvements solicited from and championed by individual faculty, staff, students, and alumni. Although initially an ambitiously inclusive but vague and incompletely articulated proposal, it finally emerged as a focused, widely supported, well-researched, well-funded, and accessible initiative to improve the writing skills of students by developing a campus-wide culture of writing in areas students have an individual passion for.

The Project

Our plan to develop improvement in writing centers on the courses MUJ 1100, MUJ 2200, and MUJ 3300.  The courses are taken in a sequence, typically from the Freshman through the Junior years.  The objective of these courses is to encourage students to write about a self-selected area of interest outside of their typically assigned coursework.

Encouraging a Culture of Reading

Davis Memorial Library has created a collection of fiction and other popular works and sponsors numerous programs throughout the year related to reading for “fun.” “Reading Nooks” have been established throughout the campus to create reading-friendly environments in academic, residential, and natural settings.

QEP Assessment

The project, which has the slogan “The Passion Project: Making Connections Through Writing,” will be assessed both formally and informally at many levels, including the individual Methodist University Journey classes as well as through student writing samples from the Freshman to Senior years.

Becoming a Facilitator (MUJ 1100, 2200, or 3300)

MUJ/Passion Project facilitators are drawn from faculty and staff across campus. The eligibility requirements are simple:

• Have an existing employment relationship with Methodist University
• Possess a Master’s degree or higher
• Love to read and write well, and be willing to share that passion with students

The interest form is e-mailed to faculty and staff every year in November.

Impact Report

As the current QEP is implemented Methodist University will complete and submit a QEP impact report. The program will be assessed and modified as it is institutionalized over the next five years.