UTC was reaffirmed at the 2011 SACS Annual Meeting.
UTC's Quality Enhancement Plan
Download the FINAL QEP for review.ThinkAchieve: Connecting the Classroom and the Community
Critical thinking is the habitual practice of raising questions, identifying problems, analyzing existing information, creating innovative solutions, and reflecting on the process and the product as a means of constant improvement.
ThinkAchieve: Creating Connections will integrate this definition in the following student programs:
- ThinkAchieve: Introduction – pre-orientation and orientation programming
Introduces students to the concepts of critical thinking and problem solving and uses small groups discussions to point out methods of critical thinking. Serves as an introduction to further university expectations across the curriculum.
- ThinkAchieve: In the Classroom – curricular integration
Allows departments and faculty to define, focus, and assess critical thinking within the disciplines to help student improve their skills.
- ThinkAchieve: Beyond the Classroom – experiential learning
Provides students with opportunities to participate in learning outside the classroom that will help them relate their university studies and critical thinking and self-assess their skills in critical thinking.
Students who have developed the habitual practice of critical thinking will
- raise pertinent questions,
- identify relevant problems,
- analyze existing information,
- create innovative solutions, and
- reflect on their process and product to
- seek ongoing improvement.
Supporting Program proposed in the plan:
Faculty & staff development, ThinkAchieve Grants Program, Think Achieve Faculty Learning Communities, ThinkAchieve Awards program
Faculty and Professional Development Opportunities proposed in the plan:
- Institutes, seminars, workshops
- Faculty Learning Communities
- ThinkAchieve Fellows
- ThinkAchieve Grants
- ThinkAchieve Mentors
Institutional Assessment currently proposed
- CAT (Critical Thinking Assessment test [scored by UTC faculty]; http://www.tntech.edu/cat/)
- ETS Proficiency Profile Exam (ETS PPE [replaces MAPP] http://www.ets.org/proficiencyprofile/)
- NSSE (National Survey of Student Engagement [http://nsse.iub.edu/])
- FSSE (Faculty Survey of Student Engagement [http://fsse.iub.edu/])
