What is the QEP?

Section 2.12 of the Core Requirements for reaffirmation

of accreditation by the Commission on Colleges of

the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

(SACS) requires the development by HCC of a Quality

Enhancement Plan (QEP) for 2012-2017.

The QEP, submitted four to six weeks in advance of

the on-site review by the Commission (scheduled for

early November 2011), is a document developed by

the institution that

(1) includes a process identifying key issues

emerging from institutional assessment,

(2) focuses on learning outcomes and/or the

environment supporting student learning and

accomplishing the mission of the institution,

(3) demonstrates institutional capability for the

initiation, implementation, and completion

of the QEP,

(4) includes broad-based involvement of

institutional constituencies in the development

and proposed implementation of the QEP, and

(5) identifies goals and a plan to assess

their achievement.

The SACS Liaison Charles Cook and SACS Director

Judy Cantwell worked with the SACS Steering

Committee and several sub-committees over the past

year to complete our Compliance Report (submitted in

March 2011) and to develop our QEP. Our Compliance

Report is currently under review by an Off-Site

Committee that likely will ask for more information and

clarification in a follow-up Focused Report.

How was the QEP developed and selected?

In conjunction with the Compliance Report, a

sub-committee, co-chaired by President Fena Garza

of HCC-Southwest College and Executive Dean

Butch Herod of HCC-Northwest College, led efforts

to develop a QEP topic. The committee created a

web-based “Suggestion Box” for any HCC faculty,

staff, administrator, student, or community member

to submit proposed topics. The Co-Chairs also held

forums at the District with the Board and senior

administrators and at all of the Colleges to generate

discussion, answer questions, and encourage

participation. These activities resulted in the

submission of over 400 topic suggestions!

During Fall 2010, the QEP Development Committee

narrowed the topics to the top five categories. At the

beginning of the Spring 2011 semester, faculty were

invited to submit applications to write “white papers”

of 8-10 pages on one of the topics, detailing goals and

plans of action. Almost 50 applications were received,

from which 8 faculty were selected in late January 2011.

May 16, 2011, Vol. 1, #1From the Office of Dr. Mary S. Spangler, Chancellor

Quality Enhancement Plan

UPdatE

They submitted white papers covering the five topics

in early April 2011, and an evaluation team composed

of HCC faculty and administrators selected one topic,

presenting it to the Steering Committee for final approval.

What is HCC’s QEP topic?

The winning topic is HCC INSPIRE: Innovative

STEM Program Initiatives to Reform Education,

submitted by author and newly-appointed QEP

Director Tineke Berends, Professor of Biology from

HCC-Northwest College. The overall goal of HCC

INSPIRE is to “lay the foundation for system-wide,

data-driven reform of HCC STEM (Science/Technology/

Engineering/Math) education, utilizing teaching and

student support strategies proven to encourage critical

thinking, higher-level scientific reasoning, and STEM

student recruitment, retention, and success.”

What are the next steps?

Dr. Berends will be engaged in writing the full QEP

from now until early August, at which point it will be

submitted to SACS along with the Focused Report.

Dr. Berends will spend the summer in additional

research and consultation with experts around

the country to develop a 60-80 page plan that will

“flesh out” all the related details, including budgets,

timelines, and evaluation components. She remains

open to your suggestions and assistance in completion

of this very important task for our college. The On-Site

Committee will then evaluate both documents during

its visit in early November 2011.

What will be the focus of the QEP?

Currently, HCC INSPIRE has three broad goals and

several related strategies for the collaboration of

college-based teams:

1. Increase student access to STEM-related

academic learning skills resources,

opportunities, and support.

a. Creation of an online academic learning skills

clearinghouse of best practices

b. Implementation of general academic learning

skills workshops for students

c. Integration of student peer-led learning and

tutoring sessions

d. Support for system-wide student science clubs

and competition

e. Creation and implementation of a STEM-

focused, CSI-style, freshman success course

2. Prepare increasing numbers of HCC faculty for

innovative teaching strategies, to include

a. Inquiry-Based Projects

b. Conceptually-Oriented Tasks

c. Collaborative Learning and Learning

Communities

d. Use of Technology

3. Identify the elements required for HCC Model

Courses and create one or more STEM model

courses, impacting the following areas:

a. Developmental math

b. College level math

c. College level science

d. College level science and engineering-related technical programs

INSPIRE

Innovative STEM Program Initiatives to Reform EducationINSPIRE

Who else should be acknowledged for their contributions?

Thanks to the Board of Trustees for their involvement

in providing suggestions for the QEP and interest in

receiving the on-going reports on the topic selection.

At the May 2011 Board Committee on Academic

Affairs/Student Services, they received a report on the

substance of HCC INSPIRE and forwarded it to the

Committee of the Whole.

Congratulations to Tineke Berends, and thanks to all of

you—Charles Cook, Judy Cantwell, Fena Garza, Butch

Herod—who have contributed to our reaffirmation

efforts thus far as we move forward in providing ever

greater opportunities for students to achieve academic

success in their lives and careers.

Thank you to the “white paper” authors for their work:

Saler Axel, Suanna Davis, Charlotte Hamilton, Judy

Hayman, Janis Innis, Douglas Rowlett, and Lifang Tien.

Thank you to the QEP Development Committee

members for their efforts: Alan Ainsworth, John Boxie,

Tenecia Brown, Willie Caldwell, David Diehl, Arnold

Goldberg, David Joost, Beverly Joseph, Stephen Levey,

Mike McCormick, Martha Oburn, Norma Perez, Cheryl

Peters, Elizabeth Scherer, and Mary Alice Wills.

Future editions of the QEP UPDATE will be prepared

by the QEP Director and the Office of the Vice

Chancellor for Instruction.

Introducing the QEPHCC INSPIRE: Innovative Science Program Initiatives to Reform Education:Changing the way we teach based upon how our students learn, beginning with the sciences

HCC INSPIRE will improve student learning in the sciences by providing real-world, active and collaborative learning opportunities. We define real-world, active and collaborative learning as students engaging with each other and with faculty in a mutual search for in-depth understanding, meaning or solutions in the context of real-world situations relevant to everyday life and career.

The sciences were chosen as the starting point for the QEP because of the growing national need for improvements in science education. Over time, HCC INSPIRE-driven strategies and infrastructure will allow extensive scaling up of real-world, active and collaborative learning across all disciplines. Students engaged in this type of learning will gain skills identified as important for 21st century learning: critical thinking, information literacy, communication, personal and social responsibility, teamwork and quantitative reasoning.

QEP Q & A: What is a QEP and why is it important?What is a QEP?QEP stands for Quality Enhancement Plan. As part of its reaffirmation process, HCC is required by our accrediting agency (SACSCOC) to develop a comprehensive, 5-year QEP that will improve student learning, engagement and success.

What is SACSCOC?The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the regional accrediting body for institutions of higher learning in most of the southern United States and Latin America. HCC is accredited by SACSCOC to award 2-year Associates’ and Applied Associates’ degrees. Reaffirmation of accreditation occurs every ten years.

Why is accreditation important?Accreditation by one of the regional accrediting bodies like SACSCOC ensures that HCC maintains its high educational standards and international reputation. In addition, accreditation means that HCC and its students will have access to federal grant funding, including student financial aid, and students’ credits from HCC may be transferred to other accredited institutions.

What is unique about the QEP?The QEP is unique in that it is a faculty-driven effort with district-wide, broad-based involvement from all stakeholders: students, staff, faculty, administration, the HCC Board of Trustees, and the community.

How was the QEP developed?HCC’s QEP is the result of:

• District and college-level forums

• Over 400 online topic suggestions by staff, administrators, faculty and students

• Eight white papers

• District-wide roundtable discussion

• District-wide faculty and student surveys

From the HCC QEP Office October 2011 Vol. 1, #2

INSPIREInnovative Science Program Initiatives to Reform Education

Newsletter

10142011.Dist246_QEPnewsletter.indd 1 10/14/11 9:54 AM

Read the QEP onlineThe QEP has its own web pages on the SACS web pages online at hccs.edu/qep. On this site you can learn more about the process HCC used to create the QEP and read the entire QEP document. You may also read the online at hccs.edu/qepdocument.

The QEP Director is Dr. Tineke Berends. After a post-doctoral fellowship at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, she joined Houston Community College as a biology instructor at the Northwest College in 1995. Read more of Dr. Berends’ biography on the QEP web pages referenced above.

Key elements of HCC INSPIRE• Improving Student Learning: Enhancing existing

biology, chemistry and physics courses with substantial problem-based learning modules and concurrent development of online, module-supporting learning object collections.

• Improving Student Engagement: Increasing STEM student access to extra-curricular learning opportunities through district-wide expansion and sponsoring of science clubs.

• Improving Student Success: Developing more student learning communities involving science courses and a science-based Freshman Success Course.

_______________________________________________

SACS is comingA SACSCOC reaffirmation team will be visiting the HCC campuses on November 7 – 10, 2011. You may be asked to answer questions and provide feedback about the QEP. This issue of the QEP newsletter is designed to give you the kind of information about HCC’s QEP that you might be expected to know.

For more information, questions or feedback, please contact: Dr. A. Tineke Berends, QEP Director at 713.718.5875 or tineke.berends@hccs.edu or Judy Cantwell, HCC Accreditation Compliance Director at 713.718.7032 or judy.cantwell@hccs.edu.

Dr. Tineke Berends, HCC QEP Director

10142011.Dist246_QEPnewsletter.indd 2 10/14/11 9:54 AM

Newsletter

FROM THE HCC QEP OFFICE August 2012, Vol. 2, #1

QEP Off to a Good Start Development Teams Will Pilot Their Modules

during the Fall Semester Seven HCC science faculty members spent Summer I

designing and creating problem-based learning

modules to be utilized in Biology 1406, Chemistry

1411 and Physics 1401 courses during 2013-2014.

Three Biology faculty: Audrey Bush, Leena Sawant

and Pauline Ward; two Chemistry faculty; Paul

Clemens and Ammani Krishnaswamy; and two

Physics faculty: Aaron Marks and Yuriy Pinelis were

lead and supported by QEP Director Tineke Berends,

and her Associate Director, Jennifer O’Neil.

Instructional design advice was available from Terri

Bubb, an instructional designer with Teaching and

Learning Resources.

Earlier this year, Dr. Berends and Dr. O’Neil created

an online QEP Faculty Forum open to all faculty in

Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Suggestions and

advice concerning the modules were solicited via the

forum, and science faculty members were apprised of

the progress of the three teams through daily updates

posted on the forums’ wiki pages. The online sites

were also used as discussion forums for the faculty to

comment on questions concerning teaching methods,

textbook issues and other instructional matters of

interest.

New Faces An Associate to the Director and a Secretary

are added to QEP Personnel

Jennifer O’Neil (pictured above) came on board during

the Spring 2012 semester f r om the biology

faculty at Northwest College. One of her major

contributions was to assist in writing the final QEP

document. She also provided support for Camp

INSPIRE and the launch of the forum.

Leona Sanders (pictured above) joined the QEP team

as Secretary to the QEP Director in July 2012. She

may be a familiar face to some in that she has been a

library assistant at the Northeast College for the past

three years.

Faculty Teams Produce Three Modules The QEP learning modules are designed to cover one

textbook chapter in the basic science courses. Topics

were chosen by faculty during roundtable discussions

led by the Program Coordinators in each discipline

during Camp INSPIRE. The module developers

created unique case studies for each discipline that will

incorporate active and collaborative teaching

strategies, address common student misconceptions

and provide instructors with a toolbox of online and

offline learning objects that will enhance student

learning.

The Physics module will address the concept of

vectors, 2-D kinematics and projectile motion.

Students will act as ballistic specialists as they solve

the murder of a famous actor on a movie set. This

module will also include a laboratory exercise that

will enable students to test their hypothesis and solve

the crime! New equipment for this lab exercise was

recently purchased using QEP funds.

The Chemistry module covers stoichiometry. Students

will act as quality control chemists in an automobile

factory and will examine the chemistry behind the

proper deployment of airbags in car crashes. Students

will form hypothesis and examine data before solving

the case.

The Biology module will address all aspects of cellular

respiration. Students will act as CSI interns

investigating a suspicious death.

You can read the daily blogs written by the module

developers during Summer I on the QEP faculty forum,

under “wikis”.

Scenes from Camp INSPIRE

January and May 2012

For more information, questions or feedback

Please contact QEP Director, Dr. A. Tineke Berends at 713-718-5875 or tineke.berends@hccs.edu

or Judy Cantwell, HCC Accreditation Compliance Director at 713-718-7032 or judy.cantwell@hccs.edu

With the help of the Teaching and Learning Resources group, the QEP Science Faculty Forum has been up and running since summer 2012. Through this forum, we hope to usher in a new level of communication and collaboration among all HCC science faculty. This is the place where we can come together to ask questions, solicit how-to’s, share resources, exchange ideas, offer comments, laugh at the latest “Science Smile of the Week”, find out what happened at the latest Camp INSPIRE event, or find out about upcoming STEM events and opportunities. Most importantly, science faculty will be able to help shape our QEP project as we go along. We are finding that multiple brains really are better than one; together we CAN make a difference in how well our students learn. The QEP Science Faculty Forum is structured as an Eagle Online shell. So far, all known HCC Biology, Chemistry and Physics faculty have been “enrolled”. To access the forum, start on the HCC web page and click on “online courses”, followed by “Eagle Online login”. First-time forum users should enter first.last name (same as HCC email login), and

QEP SCIENCE FACULTY FORUM UP AND RUNNING

HO

UST

ON

C

OM

MU

NIT

Y C

OL

LE

GE

New

slet

ter

L e t ’ s g e t i n s p i r e d

HCC INSPIRE FAQ

Does active learning work?

Find out by clicking on the video

link on the QEP Faculty Forum

(posted directly below the contact

information). For login

information, see above.

In this issue:

QEP Science Faculty Forum Up

and Running

1

QEP Active and Collaborative

Module News (BIOL 1406,

CHEM 1411 and PHYS 1401)

2

Camp INSPIRE NEWS 3

Student Quotes 3

J A N U A R Y 3 , 2 0 1 3 V o l u m e 2 , I s s u e 2

Go to http://www.hccs.edu/portal/site/hccs > Online Courses > Eagle Online Login, >

Username: first.name.lastname >Password: machappy

QEP ACTIVE AND COLLABORATIVE MODULE NEWS (BIOL 1406, CHEM 1411 AND PHYS 1401)

I n an interrupted case study, the case is presented in dis-tinct parts over the course of one or two class periods. Each successive part involves disclosure of additional data and/or clues, followed by discussion questions. The

latter are carefully designed to encourage critical thinking, ac-tively draw out common misconceptions , and create a need for further knowledge. Hence the case study parts may be “interrupted” by chapter material presented as short lectures, video or animation presentations, reading, and/or other stu-dent exercises. In fact, in addition to developing the case study materials, QEP module developers also collected many useful teaching resources for all to share.

N ot surprisingly, first-time implementation proved quite a challenge, and we look forward to learn-ing more during each implementation round. Departmental finals data is still being analyzed.

However, anecdotal evidence shows that active learning tech-niques did boost performance on instructor tests. Students participating in the module experience definitely were engaged and thinking critically. Several module piloters reported great-er student-to-student interaction (both inside and outside of class), and a much greater willingness on the part of students to ask questions. Many students expressed appreciation for the real-world application of seemingly abstract chapter concepts. With its focus on metacognition, active learning also turns out to be a great way to monitor student thinking in real time, and

to draw out major misconceptions that might otherwise have gone undetected and uncorrected. On the instructor side, time of course remains a big issue. However, most module piloters found that incorporation of the case triggered a useful focus on student reception and efficiency. Teaching with the end in mind became very important: what is it we really want our students to learn, and what is window dressing? It also became clear that student-centered teaching techniques such as leading productive group discussions takes some practice (then again, how stellar were our very first lectures?). One of the greatest benefits was the opportunity to share successes and learn from each other. Based on the Fall 2012 piloter experi-ences, all case study materials were revised extensively.

These revised case study materials, along with interchangeable data/clue sets and relevant teaching resources have been up-loaded their own repository – a password-protected shell in Eagle Online. All BIOL 1406, CHEM 1411 and PHYS 1401 instructors who have completed a QEP Module Workshop will be “enrolled” for access during the next implementation round. The first workshop is scheduled for January 10, 2013. Partici-pants were nominated by QEP Module Developers, Chairs and Program Coordinators and include FT and PT faculty from all across the district. Additional workshops will be held on a se-mesterly basis. As the product and our skills improve, we hope that all BIOL 1406, CHEM 1411 and PHYS 1401 will be able to join our growing faculty learning community!

W e are happy to report that the new, real-

world, active & collaborative modules devel-

oped over Summer I, 2012 have now been

piloted in 15 sections by our 8 hard-working

module developers. Each module was structured as an inter-

rupted case study. In a typical case study, students take on the

role of someone responsible for solving a real-world problem

or crime. Students cannot solve the mystery unless they truly

understand the chapter material:

Target Course Central Concept Real World Application

PHYS 1401 Projectile Motion

“A Bad Day for the Monkey”: Students must use projectile motion concepts and calculations to solve a fatal blow dart shooting on

an action movie set.

(Developers: Aaron Marks and Yuriy Pinelis)

CHEM 1411 Stoichiometry

“Failure to Launch”: Students must use stoichiometry knowledge and skills to determine if a faulty airbag is to blame for a fatal car

accident.

(Developers: Paul Clemens and Ammani Krishnaswamy)

BIOL 1406 Cellular

Respiration

“Cellular Respiration: A CSI Investigation”: Students must use knowledge of cellular respiration pathways and cellular structure to

investigate a possible poisoning.

(Developers: Audrey Bush, Jennifer O’Neil, Leena Sawant

and Pauline Ward)

Camp inspire news

S t u d e n t q u o t e s

“Being able to see that real-world tragedies can be explored w/what we learn in the classroom is pretty awesome” ~ HCC Student

“It really makes me feel like I learned something and could solve a problem on something that mattered rather than just seeing numbers

and not knowing their significance” ~ HCC Student

“The whole concept of “grams to moles, moles to moles, moles to grams” sunk in a heck of a lot better” ~ HCC Student

First of all, we’d like to extend a sincere thanks to all those who contributed to

our Camp INSPIRE events on January 11, May 15 and 16, and August 24, 2012.

It was great for everyone to get to know one another face to face, and your

input gave us valuable direction on how to proceed with the various QEP pro-

jects! Our 4th Camp INSPIRE on January 10, 2013 will be no less important

(http://imc09.hccs.edu/campinspire). This time, we will be looking for STEM

faculty input on two key topics: how to engage STEM students outside of

class, and how to prepare first year students for rigorous science course work.

For the former, we will want to brainstorm appropriate district-wide activities

for STEM club students. Already, several great, faculty-driven ideas are

emerging: science fair projects, the “It’s Just STEM” competition, lab skill cer-

tification, research “internships”, iGEM competitions, faculty-guided research

paper, PowerPoint or poster projects. For the latter, we will want to discuss

what we would like for our students to be able to do in terms of reading, pro-

cessing, and studying scientific information before they enroll in science classes. Once these needs have been cata-

logued and prioritized, a team composed of science faculty and EDUC 1300 faculty will work together over the summer

to create appropriate “science learning modules” for implementation in “science-emphasis” EDUC 1300 sections.

We are on the web

hccs.edu/educationmatters/tag/sacs-qep

For more information contact:

Dr. Tineke Berends

Tel: 713-718-5875

Mobile: 713-515-8569

Fax: 713-718-8406

E-mail: tineke.berends@hccs.edu

Teaching Science will

NEVER be the same!!!