This project will involve adapting the formative model of the DQP to our existing college-wide learning goals in order to better articulate what mastery of our learning goals looks like at various stages of matriculation. Linking the associate level expectations of our learning goals with our existing college-wide learning goals (CWLG) will provide reference points for faculty members to better align institutional student learning outcomes with our general education (GE) objectives. We will also conduct focus groups with students and GE faculty to evaluate the effectiveness of the DQP in evaluating student performance relative to GE learning goals.

Student performance, in relation to the DQP, will be assessed through the use of an ePortfolio. In the fall of 2011, the college began an initiative that requires all new full-time undergraduate students to create an eportfolio in which they demonstrate, through artifacts, their achievement of our college-wide learning goals (CWLG). Students will submit their eportfolios twice during their time at Westminster, once at the end of their sophomore year and again at the mid-point of their senior year. Given that Phase one of the two-part process is completed in the first two years of a student’s college career, we have an opportunity to more clearly articulate the goals associated with the first stage of our student learning initiative by incorporating the DQP formative model of learning outcomes with our current CWLG rubrics. In conjunction with our initial evaluation of sophomore e-portfolios we will conduct an evaluation of their artifacts based on our associates level categories. We will conduct focus groups with students and faculty to evaluate the effectiveness of the DQP model in evaluating student performance relative to our CWLGs.

Westminster (Utah) is a participant of the CIC/DQP project consortium. You may learn more about the work of the CIC/DQP Consortium here:
http://www.cic.edu/Programs-and-Services/Programs/Pages/Degree-Qualifications-Profile.aspx