The Basics
What is SACS?
SACS stands for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It is the accrediting body for institutions of higher education that award Associate, Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degrees in the 11 southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia) and in Latin America. As part of the accreditation process, SACS requires that all colleges create a Quality Enhancement Plan.
What is a Quality Enhancement Plan?
A Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a proposal of activity that a college creates to enhance its effectiveness as an educational institution. To simplify this process and aid in goal attainment, the college usually limits its focus to one or two "topics". Based on feedback from college stakeholders, the college selected "Improving Critical Thinking" as the Quality Enhancement Plan topic. The goal of the QEP for NSCC is therefore to adopt a suitable definition for critical thinking, determine how to best implement this skill with our student body, and develop assessment tools to determine if we have succeeded.
The current version of the plan can be found at the following link (this plan is a draft and will be revised).
Download the Quality Enhancement Plan ( pdf )
Who is involved in the QEP?
The QEP is a campus-wide effort, and we want everyone to be involved and informed. A committee was selected to coordinate the college's preparation and implementation of the QEP. Several sub-committees have been formed to make the process run smoothly. More information on who are in the committees and what they accomplished can be found at the committees link and by reading the progress reports.
What is Critical Thinking?
Critical Thinking, for the purposes of the Quality Enhancement Plan, is defined as the "careful and deliberate determination of whether to accept, reject, or suspend judgment" (Moore and Parker, 1994). The fundaments of Critical Thinking have been summarized in the document The Four Characteristics of Critical Thinking.
The following video is a good introduction. video
Why should I care about any of this?
If you are a student...
- The reason why critical thinking was chosen for the QEP is because employers in the Nashville Area complained that graduates can't transfer the information they learned in school to the job. New hires (our graduates) weren't independent enough when it came to problem solving. Becoming a better critical thinker will make you more marketable and more competent on the job
- You will find more critical thinking components nudging their way into your curriculum and assessments
- You will take the California Critical Thinking test before you graduate and that test will reflect on this school. The reputation of this school will affect your degree and job prospects.
If you are a member of the faculty...
- You will be required to integrate more critical thinking into your curriculum
- You will be required to assess your curriculum and your students' attainment of critical thinking skills
- You will be required to create activities that promote critical thinking in your discipline and therefore understanding this subject will be of prime importance for success
If you are a reviewer...
- You need an objective measure by which to judge the success of the NSCC QEP. Understanding the definitions, goals, and proposed assessments will enable you to determine whether NSCC is meeting the objectives.
For everyone...
In order for us, as an institution, to succeed at this effort, we all need a common vocabulary. We need to be on the same page.
What should I do next?
Find the link in the main menu that applies to your role as a student, faculty member, or reviewer and proceed to the applicable section. In that section you will find information that will help you succeed in your role.