SMU in Four – SMU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) – is SMU’s comprehensive approach to improving retention and four-year graduation rates. To this end, this initiative advances student academic success through its most essential form: progress towards a degree. The strategies in this QEP build upon existing University practices to address the needs of all SMU students and ultimately lead them to greater levels of success.
I served on the First Year and Gateway Courses Pillar where we sought to:
- Improve the design and instruction in first-year and gateway courses to promote student engagement and success and reduce equity gaps.
- Expand faculty information on the best practice research based on strategies to engage students.
To this end we developed and implemented three key strategies:
- Creating a nine-month Course Redesign Initiative that aimed to improve student success in high enrollment and gateway courses.
- Providing faculty with pedagogical development opportunities to improve understanding of best teaching practices through a Student Engagement Institute
- Encourage department chairs to put the universities best instructors in first-year and gateway courses to ensure a strong academic foundation for undergraduate students.
Relevant Links:
Educator. Designer. Librarian. 