Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)
Commit To Complete
Quality Enhancement Plan (2024–2029)
Welcome to Commit to Complete, College of the Mainland’s Quality Enhancement Plan
for enhancing student success!
What is a QEP?
A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a comprehensive, five-year action plan that targets
an issue identified by the institution as it relates to enhancing student learning
and / or success. It is a critical aspect of the reaccreditation process of all Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) members.
The COM QEP is Commit to Complete
Commit to Complete is a college-wide student success effort focused on improving persistence,
retention and completion utilizing the Guided Pathways framework.
QEP Goal
The overarching goal of Commit to Complete is to improve student completion rates
by providing impactful guidance and resources to ensure students’ confidence in setting
and achieving their educational goals.
Commit
Students will choose an academic pathway based on future educational / career goals
and personal interests.
Continue
Students will continue their chosen academic pathway.
Complete
By providing students with guidance and resources to feel secure in their committed
educational path, the likelihood of them completing significantly increases.
How was the QEP topic selected?
To identify a topic, the College convened a diverse QEP Development Committee. This
committee conducted a series of activities aimed at gathering both quantitative and
qualitative data from a range of institutional, state and federal sources to inform
their decision-making process.
Various outreach strategies, including surveys and focus groups, were employed to
solicit feedback from COM employees, students and key stakeholders. The committee
carefully analyzed and interpreted all acquired data, including statistics concerning
enrollment, persistence, retention and student outcomes.
The analysis generated several potential QEP topics. However, a clear preference emerged
for focusing on implementing the Guided Pathways model to bolster student success.
This choice resonated with the committee and seamlessly aligned with the College’s
strategic plan, which prioritizes the successful implementation of the Guided Pathways
model.
Building upon the initial groundwork laid for a Guided Pathways model, the committee
enthusiastically recommended adoption of the “Commit to Complete” initiative as the
QEP topic to the College president.
QEP Implementation Committee
Dr. Shinya Wakao (Co-Chair)
, department chair, Social and Behavioral Sciences
Kelley Waters (Co-Chair)
, director, Career Services
Dr. Helen Castellanos Brewer
, President
Michelle Brezina
, dean, Student Services
Deborah Fregia
, associate dean, Student Services
Dr. Michelle Davis
, director, Academic Planning and Innovation
Kathryn Park
, director, COM Library
Why Commit to Complete?
The Commit to Complete program aims to enhance the academic journey at COM by providing
students with the necessary support and resources to empower them to shape their futures
and achieve personal transformation. This journey commences with our dedication to
assisting students in identifying and cultivating a well-defined career path, guiding
them towards successful advancement, and ensuring timely completion of their degree
or certificate program.  This plan will ultimately lead to the development of Guided
Pathways that will help academic transfer and workforce students.
Campus Goals
Goal 1: Strengthen well-defined academic pathways to meet the career goals for all
students.
The objective of this goal is to furnish all students with clearly defined academic
pathways that align with their academic and career goals.
Strategies/Actions:
The office of Executive Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs will reestablish
the Guided Pathways Initiative at College of the Mainland.
The Guided Pathways Initiative Committee will work with faculty and Student Affairs
to provide clear maps to completion for all workforce and academic programs.
Faculty and staff will be provided professional development to ensure complete understanding
of the new pathways.
Goal 2: Provide improved resources to ensure students get on the right path.
The objective of this goal is to ensure every new student is supported in college
and career exploration to select an appropriate major for the student’s interests.
Strategies/Actions:
Faculty will review the current meta major breakdowns and ensure that they are meaningful
and easy to understand.
The Career Services Office will review the current technology available for students
to offer them support in selecting a career and/or major. These tools will be used
to serve not only current students, but also potential applicants looking to make
more educated choices about their pathways.
The Advising Office will create materials for students to comprise a “Pathway Pack”
which will include program and meta major information as well as campus resources.
This will be dispersed upon enrollment, with additional supporting materials being
available for students during advising sessions once they are registered for courses.
The Advising Office will determine the best use of current or new technology to develop
a more effective degree auditing process, as well as educational plan, allowing students
to not only see the current path they are on, but also personalized information addressing
their path to graduation, transfer courses required, electives of interest, and their
specific timeline based upon their full or part time status.
Professional development will be offered to faculty regarding resources available
through the Career Services Office to increase the number of faculty using this service
to help their students with experiential learning as well as career development.
Goal 3: Provide improved resources to ensure students stay on the appropriate path.
Goal three includes actions focused on keeping students on path with their academic
goals. These actions are designed to decrease students’ hours to completion and increase
overall number of credential completion.
Strategies/Actions:
The Advising Committee will review and improve the tools provided to students to track
their progress. This will allow students to feel confident in their accomplishments.
Additionally, these tools will allow students to explore other academic plans if they
are considering other paths.
The Faculty Engagement Committee will access and incorporate specific tools aimed
at students enrolled in Psychology for Success classes. Faculty will adapt the coursework
to help students monitor their progress toward degree completion.
The Student Life Committee will work with various Student Affairs Departments to develop
a “First Year Experience” for all entering students. This program will connect students
with the mission of College of the Mainland as well as connecting with student life
programs, campus resources, student services and faculty.
The Career Services Committee will increase students’ awareness of Career Services
activities and tools to all students. Enhancements will include adding services designed
for part-time, evening, and online student populations
Goal 4: Improve practices and processes to ensure students are learning.
Goal four is designed to improve student completion rates and ensure graduates are
prepared for the careers they will enter. COM will increase the number of opportunities
for students to apply theoretical concepts of their programs through hands-on, experiential
activities.
Strategies/Actions:
The Faculty Engagement Committee will identify current practices of experiential learning
programs and review all academic programs for experiential learning and internships.
The Career Services Office will hire a Career Services Coordinator for students in
career planning and preparation. Specifically, the Coordinator will engage with local
employers to develop internship and experiential learning opportunities for students.
All academic programs will be reviewed to add group activities for students where
possible. Additionally, professional development will be provided to faculty to embed
group activities in courses.
The Office of Planning, Effectiveness, Analytics and Research (OPEAR) and the Marketing
Department will collaborate to develop a report system showing campus statistics on
our website such as enrollment, completion, and transfer rates.
Key Dates and QEP Timeline
Spring 2024
Re-establish the Guided Pathways initiative with leadership sub-committees to carry
out
assigned activities.
Hire QEP Director and establish budget for activities.
Begin communication plan and professional development for faculty and staff.
Fall 2024
Implement review of academic program listings to develop both full-time and part-time
pathways (ie. 9 credits per semester) and include meaningful information such as critical
courses, recommended course sequences, financial costs of the program, labor market
information, and needed transfer information.
Explore technology to facilitate improved resources to help students select an appropriate
academic path and persist through their program.
Develop a system where all students will establish individualized academic plans to
guide
them through their educational journey.
Spring 2025
Faculty will fully implement early alert system to provide intervention for students
in
trouble.
Expansion of career exploration tools to assist students in determining appropriate
academic plan early on.
Fall 2025
Revised academic maps accessible to students.
Students will be able to access their degree requirements in the selected technology
so
they can follow their progress towards completion.
Spring 2026
Faculty will receive professional development and resources on strategies for including
experiential learning in academic programs.
Fall 2026
Develop First Year Experience program for all incoming students.
Expand experiential learning opportunities for students.
Spring 2027
Research best practices for optimal student/advisor caseloads to ensure proper staffing.
Fall 2027
Implement student degree audits for all students.
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