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Quality Enhancement Plan


Venn diagram showing the QEP topic at the intersection of the institution's strategic vision, institutional data, and stakeholder input.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is embarking on a new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) for its reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC in 2025. The QEP is a campus-wide project that can be created and implemented within one to two years. A QEP Impact Report documents the success of the program at the end of the 5-year implementation period.

Psychology Associate Department Head & Director of Undergraduate Studies Erin Hardin is leading a QEP Steering Committee comprised primarily of a representative group of faculty from across the institution to identify a topic and develop a formal plan. By triangulating the goals identified in our strategic vision with the needs and opportunities identified by our institutional data and key stakeholders, the Committee has identified our 2025 QEP topic area.

The Committee is working to include all campus constituencies in the process, so we hope you will participate when you have an opportunity.

What is a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP)?

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is committed to enhancing the quality of higher education. As part of the reaffirmation process, SACSCOC asks each institution to develop a plan that arises from the institution’s ongoing, integrated, institution-wide planning and evaluation process. The QEP describes a carefully designed and focused plan of action that enhances student learning (student learning is defined broadly) or the environment supporting student learning. The QEP must be consistent with the institution’s strategic plan and must be directly tied to the institution’s mission.

The QEP is developed by a team of faculty, staff, and students that represent different parts of the university community.

The institution’s previous QEP, a component of its 2015 reaffirmation, was Experience Learning – an exciting campus-wide initiative to enhance and expand experiential learning opportunities for students. Learn more about our continued efforts in experience learning.