Home > About GNTC > Accreditations > QEP > Expanded Paper Instructions

Expanded Paper Instructions

Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Expanded Paper Guidelines

History of Development

In August 2010, Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) sought community input through an online survey that assisted the College in identifying areas of focus that would enhance student learning and increase the success of GNTC students.  The results of the survey were extrapolated and presented to a committee who narrowed the topics and sorted them into similar themes.  GNTC then solicited brief papers that provided a more in-depth development of the proposed topics.  Eight brief papers were submitted.  In January 2011, the brief papers were reviewed by the QEP Planning Committee.  Following the review, three proposals were selected for further development.  Authors of the selected brief papers are now invited to produce full proposals to be considered as GNTC’s QEP.

This document presents guidelines for the preparation of expanded papers to be considered for the Quality Enhancement Plan.  It specifies the scope and structure for full proposals, describes the submission process, and details the criteria to be included in the proposal.

Proposal Scope and Structure

• Cover Page
  • Proposal Title – A working title that should be descriptive of the content or focus.
  • Identifying information: name, department, teaching experience
  • Contact information: office phone and email address
• Executive Summary
  • A narrative description (100-150 words) of the proposed QEP that identifies a topic that is creative and vital to the long-term improvement of student learning.  Include a description of the QEP that will help others understand its value and appropriateness to GNTC
• Goals, Objectives, Outcomes, and Focus
  • Detail specific, well-defined goals and objectives related to an issue of substance and depth, expected to lead to observable results.
  • Clearly and concisely define student learning as it relates to this proposal.
  • Describe the student learning outcomes related to the long-term improvement of student learning
  • Identify what groups of students would be affected.
  • Provide a clear and concise description of the critical issues being addressed.
  • What evidence is available through GNTC’s institutional assessment process that identified these critical issues?
  • Clearly state the relationship between the focus of the plan and student learning.
  • How does the focus of this proposal assist in accomplishing the college’s mission?
• Literature Review and Best Practices
  • Evidence of consideration of best practices related to the proposal including TCSG best practice and policies.
  • Comprehensive and clear analysis of the importance of the proposal for improving the learning environment.
  • In other institutions of higher education, what are the best practices that are related to this area?
  • Identify the specific benefits for GNTC to be derived from the project.
  • What does the literature suggest regarding the ability for these activities to affect student learning?
  • What kind of prior research supports the need for addressing this aspect of student learning?
• Actions to be Implemented
  • Evidence of careful analysis of institutional context in designing actions capable of generating the desired student learning outcomes.
  • Describe the kinds of focused tasks that should be implemented to improve student learning.
  • Demonstrate the institutional capability for the initiation, implementation, and completion of this proposal.
• Timeline and Organizational Structure
  • Develop a logical calendaring of all actions to be implemented over a five-year period.
  • Detail clear lines of responsibility for implementation and stainability.  Describe the roles of the involved parties.
  • Describe broad-based involvement of multiple institutional constituencies in the development and proposed implementation of the proposal.
  • Explain your interest in and experience with this topic.  What other individuals at GNTC do you believe are well-qualified to work on this project?
• Resources and Budget Request
  • Explain the realistic allocation of sufficient human, financial, and physical resources to support the proposed initiative.
  • What would be the expectation with respect to increasing personnel involvement or adding new personnel to support the effort?
  • What other items should be included in the proposed budget over a five-year period?
• Assessment
  • Describe a comprehensive evaluation plan for assessing success of the proposal, both process and outcome indicators.
  • Describe the kinds of assessments that would be possible to demonstrate the effects of the QEP activities on student learning.  Include the assessment of goals, objectives, and student learning outcomes.
  • Identify relevant internal and external measures and instruments to evaluate the proposal, including baseline measures.
  • Identify a process for evaluating the proposal and monitoring its progress.
  • Describe how the results of the evaluation will be used to improve student learning.
• Bibliography (with current references)

• Appendices (optional)

Submission Process

Each proposal is limited to 15 pages, including the cover page and an appendix (if necessary) of no more than 10 pages.  Margins should be 1 inch and the document should be single-spaced using Times New Roman, 12 pt font.

Please submit the proposal as a single electronic document done in Microsoft Word addressed to Sharon Wilson.  The deadline for submissions of expanded paper proposals is 8:00 AM on Tuesday, February 22^nd.

Proposal Evaluation

The QEP Planning Committee will assess full proposals using the above guidelines, determining the degree to which each proposal is successful in meeting the criteria specified for each section.  Reviewers will use a scoring rubric designed with this criteria.  On March 4, 2011, the authors will be asked to present their proposal to the college constituencies.  Comments will be collected following the presentations.  After reviewing the comments, evaluating the rubric rankings, and thoroughly considering each expanded proposal, the QEP Planning Committee will make a recommendation to the SACSCOC Leadership Team.  The SACSCOC Leadership Team will make the final selection of GNTC’s Quality Enhancement Plan.  An announcement of the decision will be made to the college community in March 2011.  After the QEP topic is selected, committees and teams will be formed to prepare the QEP for submission and future implementation.

Planning Committee Comments that Should be Addressed

• Sent individually.
  Request for data form