Office of Creative Inquiry / QEP
Development of the 2026-2031 Quality Enhancement Plan
The QEP Topic Selection Committee is inviting the university community to participate in the process of selecting the topic for Tennessee Tech University's next Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for the period 2026-2031. The information provided below offers background and context for the development of this plan.
Background
As part of the 2026 SACSCOC Reaffirmation effort, Tennessee Tech is required to create and implement an institution-wide plan aimed at improving either student learning or student success. These multi-year plans are known as Quality Enhancement Plans (QEPs), and the 2026-2031 QEP will mark the university's third such endeavor. When developing a QEP, the institution must adhere to the components outlined in SACSCOC Standard 7.2.
The institution has a Quality Enhancement Plan that:
- has a topic identified through its ongoing, comprehensive planning and evaluation processes;
- has broad-based support of institutional constituencies;
- focuses on improving specific student learning outcomes and/or student success;
- commits resources to initiate, implement, and complete the QEP;
- includes a plan to assess achievement.
Topic Selection
A QEP Topic Selection Committee has been formed to facilitate the selection of a targeted student learning outcome or student success metric. This process aims to incorporate input from various institutional stakeholders while aligning with the University's mission and strategic priorities. After reviewing institutional assessment data and considering the university's strategic goals, the committee has identified 12 potential topics related to student learning and/or success:
Career & Self-Development: Proactively developing oneself and one’s career through continual personal and professional learning, awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses, navigation of career opportunities, and networking to build relationships within and without one’s organization.
Creative/Innovative Thinking: Generating new ideas and novel solutions through practices such as innovation, creative problem solving, creative thinking, imagination, visionary approaches, ingenuity, ideation, experimentation, and brainstorming.
Critical Thinking/Problem Solving/Argumentation: Identifying and responding to needs based upon an understanding of situational context and logical analysis of relevant information.
Communication (Oral or Written): Clearly and effectively exchanging information, ideas, facts, and perspectives with persons inside and outside of an organization.
Digital/Technological Literacy: Understanding and leveraging technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.
Equity & Inclusion: Demonstrating the awareness, attitude, knowledge, and skills required to equitably engage and include people from different local and global cultures.
Intercultural/Global Fluency: Competency exhibited by an individual that values, respects, and learns from diverse cultures, races, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and religions.
Leadership Skills: Recognizing and capitalizing on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.
Personal Wellness/Well-Being: Seeking to inspire and empower students with skills to improve overall health including mental health, stress management, emotional intelligence, and resilience.
Professionalism/Ethics: Understanding and demonstrating effective work habits, and acting with integrity, honesty, accountability, respect, and competence in the interest of the larger community and workplace.
Research/Inquiry/Scholarship: Emphasizing opportunities for students to explore issues through the collection and analysis of evidence and to synthesize that information to generate an original scholarly product.
Teamwork/Collaboration Skills: Building and maintaining collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.
Resources the committee reviewed and discussed to develop this list
» Tennessee Tech University Mission and Vision
» Tech Tomorrow Strategic Plan
» Institutional Assessment Data
– Includes results of surveys administered to Alumni and Employers, as well as information from the IDEA Course Evaluations, National Survey of Student Engagement, and California Critical Thinking Skills Test.
