A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a key part of our institution’s reaccreditation for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
Every 10 years, our university must seek reaffirmation from SACSCOC, the body that accredits us as an institution of higher learning. That accreditation — or reaffirmation of our status as a place of learning — is of the utmost importance. In a sense, it is a stamp of approval that signifies we are meeting the highest standards of excellence for academic rigor, ethical practices and administrative processes. It also is a necessary component of our institution’s continued ability to receive federal grants and contracts, central to our research efforts, and funds for financial aid that help make the cost of education more affordable and accessible for our students and families.
All of us — as a collective community — are part of the SACSCOC reaffirmation process, and it will take place over the next several months, culminating in the fall of 2023 with an evaluation from accreditors.
A QEP demonstrates to accreditors and others that we are focused on supporting our students.
During our last accreditation process, our QEP resulted in Presentation U, an effort across the campus to support the development of the communication skills all our students will need to be successful here and in the world they will enter following graduation. From that planning process, among other things, a centralized tutoring center was established to assist students in the development of those skills.
Now, it is time to think again about what we do across our curriculum and campus to support learning, learning outcomes and student success. You can read more about the elements of a QEP here.
UK’s QEP is called “Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky” — or TEK. It affirms UK’s commitment to our students and reflects our promise to provide quality education, so our students can lead lives of meaning and purpose after graduation.
For our project, we are focusing on helping our students become more workforce ready upon graduation. Employers say college graduates need a broad range of skills now more than ever. The ability to communicate complicated ideas well, collaborate effectively and think critically helps employees excel in today’s workplace — no matter the work they do.
Through coursework, team-based problem-solving, and other experiences, TEK provides our students with transdisciplinary opportunities to engage in meaningful work as they prepare for their lives after UK. Simply, TEK, UK’s QEP, is our promise to prepare our students for success.