The focus of the QEP is
“improving student learning in critical thinking via active and
collaborative learning techniques.”
SPC's definition of CRITICAL THINKING is the
active and systematic process of
Communication
Problem-solving
Evaluation
Analysis
Synthesis
Reflection
both individually
and in community to
Foster understanding
Support sound
decision-making and
Guide action
What is the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)?
The QEP is a document prepared by the college that describes an action plan for institutional improvement crucial to enhancing educational quality directly related to student learning. The QEP is based on a comprehensive analysis of the college’s effectiveness in supporting student learning and accomplishing the college’s mission. If our plan is accepted by SACS, it must:
Focus on a significant issue related to student learning.
Show we are capable of initiating and continuing the plan.
Include methods for assessing the success of the plan.
Show broad-based involvement from all areas of the college.
We were very excited to bring two
world-class speakers to SPC for the first Critical Thinking Institute
this Spring.
The Critical Thinking Institute consists of a series of workshops
for faculty and staff on (1) critical thinking, (2) teaching for
critical thinking, (3) assessing critical thinking, and (4) using
technology for critical thinking.
The first two workshops will be conducted by Dr. L. Dee Fink, author of
Creating Significant Learning Experiences and frequent
presenter at the SACS Summer Institute, and Dr. Gerald Nosich, author
of Learning to Think Things Through and primary presenter
for the Foundation for Critical Thinking. Both are nationally-known
experts in their field.
Dr. Dee Fink came
to SPC Friday, February, 22nd.
Dr. Fink conducted a six-hour faculty workshop on
infusing critical thinking throughout courses by Creating
Significant Learning Experiences. This workshop was held in the Institute of Government
Conference Center (in the Library
annex) at Seminole.
Dr. Nosich
offered two professional development opportunities on Friday, April 4th:
first, a 1 ½ hour presentation on Critical Thinking Theoryat 8:00in the Seminole Digitorium,
open to all faculty and staff, and second, a hands-on faculty workshop on Teaching for
Critical Thinking
from 10:00-3:00
(with a break for lunch)in the Institute of Government
Conference Center (in the Library annex) at Seminole.
Those planning to attend the faculty workshop should also attend
the first presentation, which gives the foundation for the remainder of
the day.
More
information on the presenters for the Critical Thinking Institute:
Dr. L.
Dee Fink is a nationally-recognized expert on college teaching and
faculty development. After receiving his doctorate from the University
of Chicago in 1976, he accepted a faculty position at the University of
Oklahoma. In 1979 he founded the Instructional Development Program at
the University of Oklahoma and served as its director until his
retirement from Oklahoma in May 2005. He was president of the POD
Network (Professional and Organizational Development) in Higher
Education (2004-2005), the primary professional organization for faculty
developers. At the present time he works as a national consultant in
higher education.
He is
the author of
Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to
Designing College Courses
(Jossey-Bass, 2003) and co-editor of
Team-Based Learning: A Transformative Use of Small Groups in
College Teaching
(Stylus, 2004).
Excerpted from
www.udel.edu/lillyeast
Dr. Gerald Nosich is a noted
authority in Critical Thinking, having worked in the field of Critical
Thinking for 30 years. He has authored
Reasons and Arguments and
Learning to Think Things Through: A Guide to Critical Thinking Across
the Curriculum and numerous
articles, audio- and videotapes on critical thinking. He is the primary travelling
presenter for the Foundation for Critical Thinking.
He currently is a Professor of Philosophy and in the Intellectual
Foundations Program at Buffalo State College.
Dr Nosich has given more than 200
workshops on all aspects of teaching for critical thinking. He has given
many general workshops in teaching for Critical Thinking in any subject
matter course, but he has also given workshops on teaching for critical
thinking in a wide range of more specialized subject matters, including:
Writing and composition
The biological and physical
sciences,
Social sciences,
Education,
Nursing and other health-related
fields,
Arts, humanities, literature and
language arts,
business education,
Technical and professional
fields,
Librarianship.
The emphasis in his workshops, as in
Learning to Think Things Through,
is on helping students learn both to think through the subject matter
and to internalize the power that the discipline can have in their
experience of education and in their own lives.
Adapted from BarnesandNoble.com and CriticalThinking.org
What is the Quality Enhancement Committee (QEC)?
The QEC was established in July 2004 at SPC with the two-fold purpose of:
• implementing and monitoring short-term improvement projects and
• preparing the final QEP document to be submitted to SACS in August 2006.
