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SACS Reaffirmation  

QEP Student Experience Framework

 

The UNC Asheville QEP will focus on enhancing students’ critical thinking through participation in academically rigorous experiences that involve inquiry, application, reflection and communication.

Although an inquire-apply-reflect-communicate experience may be present in a variety of forms in many courses at UNC Asheville, the QEP will provide professional development opportunities to help educators enhance their students’ critical thinking throughout this experience.  And, while critical thinking may be an academic exercise in almost every course, there is no consistent University-wide application of intentional pedagogy for critical thinking. During the implementation of the Quality Enhancement Plan, the University will 1) develop a definition of critical thinking that establishes a shared standard; 2) provide opportunities for professional development in pedagogies that have been shown to improve critical thinking; 3) initiate the Inquiry ARC, a student experience designed to enhance critical thinking; 4) iteratively assess changes in students’ critical thinking; and 5) evaluate the assessment results and retool the enhancement plan as appropriate. 

Since the purpose of the QEP is to enhance students' critical thinking skills, professional development opportunities will focus on how educators can improve their students' critical thinking skills when using the following framework.

 

 

The Student Experience Framework

Inquiry ARC 

The Four Components

 

The focus of the UNC Asheville QEP is on enhancing critical thinking through participation in academically rigorous projects that are carefully mentored, student-driven, and shared with others.

The framework for these academically rigorous projects is titled Inquiry ARC and is described as follows:

Inquire (I)

Inquire refers to the process of identifying an issue or concept to explore in a project. It is a question-driven search for understanding that requires asking relevant and probing questions from multiple perspectives and gathering information from a variety of sources (literature, experts, communities, or individuals).

The critical thinker considers the significance of a topic, comes to a clear and accurate understanding of the topic, logically analyzes information, and concludes by crafting a specific question or concept to explore.

Apply (A)

Apply refers to the process of designing and implementing a project that is identified during inquiry and results in a product (e.g., oral presentation, paper, film, poem, experimental design, marketing campaign, installation, program, or musical composition).

The critical thinker articulates a purpose, distinguishes assumptions and points of view from concepts and information, and uses well-reasoned interpretation to identify fallacies. The critical thinker is able to identify conclusions and analyze how they relate to supporting premises. In acting on this purpose by designing and implementing a project, the learner considers implications and consequences of continued inquiry before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.

Reflect (R)

Reflect refers to the practice of periodically reviewing, evaluating, and deepening learning.  

The critical thinker evaluates in writing what has been learned from the project and thereby internalizes core meanings and fundamental concepts. In addition, the learner internalizes the intellectual skills used during the learning process, which contributes to a deeper understanding of the issue, the ability to connect it to one’s own life, and an enhanced ability to engage in critical thinking in the future.

Communicate (C)

Communicate refers to the process of sharing what one has learned orally, visually and/or in writing. 

The critical thinker effectively communicates what has been learned to a teacher or mentor (and possibly others) and in so doing, further internalizes the knowledge gained.

In Phase 2 of the QEP process, communication will be formally extended to include engaging in a dialogue with an audience outside the discipline (e.g. the campus, the local community, national and global partners) and responding to feedback from that audience.

 

Defining Features of a Successful Inquiry ARC Experience

The experience:

  1. Is guided by an educator who has QEP training in critical thinking pedagogies and assessment methods;
  2. Facilitates the development and demonstration of inquiry skills on a meaningful issue, concern, or problem by guiding the students to ask relevant and probing questions from multiple perspectives and sources (literature, experts, communities or individuals);
  3. Requires the application of that inquiry to the process of designing and implementing a project that results in a product (e.g., oral presentation, paper, film, poem, experimental design, marketing campaign, installation, program, or musical composition);
  4. Incorporates ongoing, directed reflection by the student with feedback from students, educators, and others involved with the experience;
  5. Requires communication about the project in oral, written, or visual form to, at least, the educator. In addition, in Phase 2, some Inquiry ARC experiences may also feature an opportunity to communicate about the product and/or process with an audience outside the discipline (e.g. the campus, the local community, undergraduate research conferences, national and global partners). Communication with an audience outside the discipline means that the student must conduct a dialogue and respond to feedback;
  6. Results in a product or products that can be assessed using Inquiry ARC tools;
  7. Encourages the student to act on what has been learned;
  8. Often will include opportunities to engage with individuals within or outside the discipline throughout the experience. For example, the inquiry stage may involve connecting with the community to identify significant topics to explore. In the apply stage, learners may interact with individuals affected by a problem or issue in order to gather insights for designing and implementing a project that addresses a meaningful question.  Beginning in Phase 2 of the QEP, the professional development for the communicate component will be expanded to help educators improve their students’ abilities to discuss their projects with an outside audience.

 

Last edited by manns@unca.edu on March 22, 2012