QEP Timeline
Polk State College’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Explore to Complete, seeks to engage students in intentional curricular and co-curricular career exploration and planning activities. The purpose is to help students develop a career goal so they can get and stay on an academic pathway that leads to graduation.
The student learning outcomes of the QEP are intended to be achieved throughout a student’s educational journey in order maintain engagement. This will help students select and stay on academic pathways, which will lead to increased retention and completion. Further, by engaging in career planning activities throughout their educational journeys, students will be better prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation. They can connect the concepts learned in coursework to the competencies needed for entry into their chosen careers.
The following table outlines the implementation of the action plan for the QEP.
| Year 0 | Fall 2020 | Launch marketing plan to introduce the QEP to the College community. Pilot career assessment instruments with current students. Develop the Pre-Advising session for undecided students. Begin development of the online career center. Begin collecting baseline data for selected assessment measures. |
| Spring 2021 | Select a career assessment instrument and pilot with new students who are onboarding for 12-week classes. Pilot the Pre-Advising session for undecided students with new students who are onboarding for 12-week classes. Provide professional development for advisors on career assessment instrument and career counseling. Revise the online College orientation to include information about the QEP and career exploration and planning. Begin redesign of the SLS 1122 career exploration and planning unit. | |
| Year 1 | Fall 2021 | Launch the career assessment instrument for all new students as part of the onboarding process. Begin the Pre-Advising session for all new undecided students. Pilot the redesigned career unit in multiple sections of SLS 1122 and AS introductory courses. Launch the online career center. Begin developing tool kits for general education courses and faculty. Begin establishing new career-based student clubs and organizations. Begin development of the badging program. |
| Spring 2022 | Develop the Pathway-based Pre-Advising sessions. Make changes to the SLS 1122 career exploration unit based on results of the fall pilot. Provide professional development for SLS 1122 faculty. Make toolkits for general education courses available to faculty. Provide the career exploration and planning unit to AS program directors and faculty. Develop faculty toolkits based on NACE competencies. Recruit alumni to serve as student mentors. | |
| Year 2 | Fall 2022 | Launch the Pathway-based Pre-Advising sessions for students onboarding for fall. Begin using the results of the career assessment to direct students to a Pathway breakout session at First Flight. Make the NACE competency toolkits available to faculty. Launch the Badging program. Launch the alumni mentoring and shadowing program. |
| Year 3-4 | Continue QEP initiatives. Collect and review assessment data and make changes as necessary. | |
| Year 5 | Fall 2025 | Submit the QEP Impact Report to SACSCOC in September 2025. |
| Year 5 | Spring 2026 | Conclude QEP at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. |
