The purpose of the Kentucky State University QEP, Academics with Attitude: Building the Foundation for Student Success (AWA), is to effect attitudinal changes in students that will result in improved behavioral and academic performance in developmental and gateway classes. The three AWA Educational Goals and their associated learning outcomes (described in Section IV and again below) are clear, specific, and measurable. To assess the degree to which those educational goals and learning outcomes have been achieved, the project Implementation Committee will have access to a comprehensive system of instruments that provide direct and indirect measures of (1) attitudes among students indicative of their engagement in the learning process and (2) student academic performance in reading, writing, mathematics, and basic science skills. The expectation is that students who participate in the QEP will outperform those who do not. The 2008-2009 QEP Pilot Project, which consists of 60 students under QEP management and a control group of 60 who are not, will provide valuable baseline information for assessment purposes. An initial evaluation of data from the first semester of the QEP Pilot Project conducted by the Pilot Coordinator, the faculty-staff teams who participated in the project, and the QEP Committee showed encouraging results. (Link to COMPARATIVE GRADES FOR 084 PILOT.pdf) Compared to the control group of students, students in the Pilot Project passed their courses with a C or higher at significantly greater rates:

Near the end of the 2009 spring semester, the AWA Implementation Committee will begin its evaluation of data collected during the first pilot project, formulate recommendations, and implement them in time for the summer 2009 pilot.

The QEP Implementation Committee and its Director have the responsibility for ensuring that the data for evaluating the QEP is preserved in a retrievable and useful form, that proper and timely assessments of the QEP occur, and that corrective actions based on the evidence are taken when necessary for improving student success in achieving the three AWA Educational Goals. Members of the Implementation Committee were selected because each is familiar with an area critical for the success of the QEP and has knowledge of the types of assessments conducted in it. They will work with the Director to

(1) coordinate and monitor assessments conducted in the component parts of the QEP (e.g., QEP designated University Orientation classes, QEP designated developmental and gateway courses, ACE sessions with QEP students, QEP resident life/learning communities)

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