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Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)

Welcome

Welcome to the webpage for the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) 2026 Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP). This page provides information about our QEP topic, "Transferrable Skills for the 21st Century," and explains what this initiative is all about. Please continue reading below to learn more!

QEP Introduction

We are thrilled to announce that after a thorough and collaborative selection process, "Transferrable Skills for the 21st Century" has been chosen as the focus of our QEP. This topic emerged as the top choice, reflecting our collective commitment to equipping UHD students with essential skills for success in today's dynamic world.

As part of our commitment to fostering Transferrable Skills for the 21st Century, we invite you to share your thoughts, suggestions, and insights. Your contributions will help shape programs that equip students with the skills needed to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

Add your ideas below by November 28th!

What is a QEP?

A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) begins as a simple idea that evolves into a unifying purpose and goal for a university. After careful consideration and planning, the QEP topic is selected—in our case, "Transferrable Skills for the 21st Century." This marks the start of our journey to develop and refine a comprehensive plan aimed at implementing and assessing targeted initiatives to enhance student learning across the university. Although the QEP is a required component for university accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), it also presents a unique opportunity to coordinate and strengthen educational experiences through strategic innovation across campus.

The QEP addresses a well-defined and focused topic or issue related to enhancing student learning and/or student success. The QEP (Standard 7.2) is to have five essential elements:

graphic of elements of QEP
  1. Derived from institutional planning and evaluation processes;

  2. Has broad-based support of institutional constituencies;

  3. Focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success;

  4. Institution is committing and will continue to commit resources needed for the QEP to have a good chance of success; and

  5. Includes a plan to assess the level of that success.

SACSCOC defines the QEP as “an integral component of the reaffirmation of accreditation process and is derived from an institution’s ongoing comprehensive planning and evaluation processes. It reflects and affirms a commitment to enhancing overall institutional quality and effectiveness by focusing on an issue the institution considers essential to improving student learning outcomes and/or student success (Resource Manual for The Principles of Accreditation: Foundations for Quality Enhancement, p. 58).

Name Role
Paul Fulbright Faculty Representative, Marilyn Davies College of Business
Travis Crone Faculty Representative, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dana Smith Faculty Representative, College of Public Service
Cesar Garza Faculty Representative, College of Science and Technology
Sam Weehunt Library Representative, University Library
Dr. David Ryden AVP for Programming and Curriculum
Dr. Tammis Thomas First Year Seminar Director
Dr. Poonam Gulati Executive Director, Impact Learning Office
Dr. Wendy Burns-Ardolino Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Tim Redl Department of Mathematics (Co-Chair)
Dr. Charlie Finch Director, Strategic Initiatives and Projects, Student Success and Student Life
Mikayel Yegiyan Director, Institutional Data Analytics
Michael Connelly Assistant Vice President for Advising and Student Progression
Stefany Records Business Affairs Representative (Co-Chair)
Hayden Bergman Marketing and Communication Representative
Veronica Costilla or designee Student Government Association Representative
TBD Graduate Student Representative

Date Agenda Minutes
December 19, 2023 Meeting Agenda Minutes
January 12, 2024 Meeting Agenda Minutes
January 26, 2024 Meeting Agenda Minutes
February 12, 2024 Meeting Agenda Minutes
February 23, 2024 Meeting Agenda Minutes
March 1, 2024 Meeting Agenda Minutes



Resources

Link to evaluation rubric: Quality Enhancement Plan Framework Link to QEP Examples (UHD’s most recent QEP is listed under 2016, Track B).

Learn More: SACSCOC Seeking Reaffirmation Handbook (2020)