Dear Fellow Monarchs:
Every ten years, our institution has the unique opportunity to work with hundreds of campus constituents to design a new, comprehensive student learning initiative. That initiative is defined in a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which is established and implemented through our reaffirmation of accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
The new QEP, titled PURSUE TRUTH: Read Responsibly. Think Critically., was developed over several years as the institution reviewed General Education data and conducted surveys of students, faculty, staff, and alumni to identify the topic. Additional information is available at .
Since critical reading is a necessary competency for evaluating information in various formats, solving problems, and creatively integrating knowledge into a wide range of contexts to achieve information fluency, workshops will be launched to help faculty design assignments that cultivate these critical reading abilities for students in 100- and 200-level courses. Faculty will be engaged in the utilization of pedagogies and best practices for teaching and assessing critical reading in their courses, and students will receive instruction on critical reading early in their collegiate career. The new QEP will help students develop critical reading habits to carry with them into their major courses, their professional lives, and the world beyond ODU.
Each year, student work from courses redesigned during the QEP workshops will be assessed based on the PURSUE TRUTH learning outcomes to evaluate students’ abilities to analyze information for its purpose and audience; interpret the relevance of information being presented; identify and summarize main points; apply and transfer knowledge to a different setting; and reflect on or evaluate what was learned.
As we are in the midst of our reaffirmation effort, a SACSCOC On-Site Review Committee is on campus this week to review the QEP and our compliance certification. Many Monarchs have dedicated their talent and time to ensuring that our institution is well-prepared for this visit by upholding the highest standards in our individual efforts and daily work. And, with the launch of the QEP, we are poised to continue a proud tradition of fostering dynamic student learning across all disciplines at Old Dominion!
With Monarch Pride,
Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
President