The QEP for Seminole State College, Excel-A-Raider, was developed through a highly collaborative process involving students, faculty, and staff from across the college. The goal of the QEP is to cooperatively leverage the services in three areas in Academic Affairs and Student Affairs — advising, instructional support, and faculty mentoring — to positively
impact success for First-Time-In-College (FTIC) students in the college’s Associate of Arts (A.A.) program. A.A. students represent approximately 37% of the college’s student population, and the QEP will focus on three courses that a majority of A.A. students take:

• IDS 1107 – First Year Experience Flightpath: Chart Your Course
• ENC 1101 – English I
• MAC 1105 – College Algebra

The IDS course is currently a requirement for all FTIC A.A. students, while ENC 1101 and MAC 1105 are both gateway courses and completion rates in those latter two courses are considered Key Performance Indicators for the college. Up to this point, the college has not realized its aspiration to reach the benchmark completion rates for these
courses set by the top tier of Florida state colleges.

Success in achieving the goal of the QEP will be measured by the following outcomes, which are informed by the “Goals for Our Students” articulated in the college’s current Strategic Plan:

1. Increased completion rates for FTIC A.A. students in the three courses of IDS 1107, ENC 1101, and MAC 1105
2. Increased persistence for FTIC A.A. students from Fall to Spring and retention from Fall to Fall
3. Increased satisfaction for FTIC A.A. students with the services of advising, instructional support, and faculty mentoring

These outcomes will be addressed through multiple strategies, including:

• Implementing a comprehensive Intrusive Advising framework, coupled with the application of an Appreciative Advising methodology.
• Increasing the availability of student support in the identified courses, such as extended access to tutors and librarians, and actively promoting student support services available outside of class.
• Faculty-student relationship-focused professional development to enable faculty to provide effective mentoring.

A QEP manager will oversee the implementation of these strategies and coordinate efforts between the different groups involved. Some elements of the QEP were piloted in the college’s Summer Bridge program for FTIC students (started June 21, 2023).