Quality Enhancement Plan, Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life

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http://www.lawsonstate.edu/qep/index.html

QEP and LSCC Relations		Organizational Chart
Questions and Answers		Freshman Academy Instructors Application
Quality Enhancement Plan		QEP

Mission

The mission of the Lawson State Community College Quality Enhancement Plan, Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life, is to provide freshmen with skills and knowledge that will contribute to their success at Lawson State and provide effective engagement strategies to facilitate their success.  The program will assist students in making the academic and social transition to college.  The Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life is designed to help students learn about resources offered by the College, broaden individual ability and horizons, strengthen intellectual and individual responsibility and independence and actively involve students in the learning process.

The Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life, is committed to the College’s Mission Statement of providing “accessible quality educational opportunities” and of “providing affordable and accessible lifelong learning opportunities in order to prepare students for employment or career advancement, enable students to transfer to senior colleges and universities…”

Goals

The goals of The Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life are to:

• Provide a structured program of learning experiences to orient students to college.

• Engage students in the learning process so that they understand the responsibilities of a college student.

• Equip students with knowledge, skills, resources, and experiences that strengthen their success.

• Empower students with a sense of intellectual curiosity about the learning process and its impact within and on their academic, social and personal choices.

Components

The primary components of The Freshman Encounter: e³ 4 life program are:

• The Freshman Academy, a one-semester, one credit-hour, two contact hour course designed to introduce freshmen students to the Lawson State Community College experience.  The course emphasizes the student’s development of their commitment to academic success and their individual responsibility in their academic, social and personal pursuits.  It explains college services; examines college policies and procedures; explores educational goals and career plans; helps students identify their learning style; provides seminars, workshops, guest speakers; and provides a variety of out-of-class experiences to impact the educational process.  The Freshman Academy will engage students in the learning process, equip students with knowledge, skills, resources and experiences and empower students with a sense of intellectual curiosity about the learning process and its impact on their academic, social and personal choices.

• The Faculty/Staff Academy is designed to provide a series of seminars, workshops and activities that are focused on the teaching and learning process and how to engage students in that process. The Academy is designed to enhance teaching impact, knowledge and effectiveness to impact all students but particularly freshman students. The Academy will allow faculty and staff working within the Freshman Academy to reflect on their teaching styles and how best to incorporate successful engagement strategies in the teaching and learning process.  Those involved in the Faculty/Staff Academy will gain the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in fostering student learning and enabling the College to meet its goals.  All instructors within the Freshman Academy will successfully complete the Faculty/Staff Academy.

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Student enrolled in the Freshman Academy will be empowered and equipped with the tools necessary to demonstrate competence in the following areas: 

• Ability to use online technologies effectively in a collegiate environment

• Ability to employ critical thinking skills and logical thought processes in problem solving and decision making

• Ability to communicate effectively and proficiently using written, oral, and listening skills

• Ability to demonstrate appropriate social skills in a variety of collegiate and community settings

• Ability to identify and apply effective time management skills

• Ability to identify and apply effective learning/study skills

• Ability to identify leadership skills, work in a team environment, and engage in community building opportunities

Future Plans for Freshman Academy

Each year the Freshman Academy should be a learning experience that engage, equip and empower students to be successful in and out of the classroom. The curriculum is designed to be flexible to allow for new experiences to be implemented each year.  Future plans include:

• To implement a student advisory committee.

• To implement a uniform theme to engage students. Example:  "Go Green", activities will be centered on environmental issues.

• Organize planned community service activities that relate to Freshman Academy theme.

• To implement pre-professional or disciplined linked content. Students will enroll in the Freshman Academy section that relates to their career choice or major.