Executive Summary

Overview

Santa Fe College’s 2023-2028 Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), Equity-Minded Education: Uniting for Student Success, responds to institutional data disaggregated by race and ethnicity that reveal Black students at Santa Fe College (SF) experience significantly lower course success rates, especially in liberal arts and sciences courses, as well as lower rates of retention when compared with their White and Hispanic classmates. Through design and implementation of a professional development program, the QEP will promote equity-minded teaching practices shown to cultivate greater academic success and improve retention among diverse student populations and to narrow racial equity gaps. Additionally, as research suggests that equity-minded teaching strategies benefit all students regardless of race or ethnicity, the College anticipates the project will improve overall course success rates of students in liberal arts and sciences courses and overall retention rates of First-Time-in-College students. 

The QEP’s comprehensive professional development program will support equity-minded teaching and encourage cross-college collaborations to enhance student success through three initiatives:  

1. Introduce and Reinforce Equity-Minded Teaching Practices. This initiative focuses on providing coordinated, foundational learning to support faculty in adopting shared equity-minded teaching practices that create more equitable learning environments. SF will use proven professional development programs including the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE), the Student Experience Project (SEP), and Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TiLT), in addition to designing custom professional learning opportunities through SF’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. 
2. Implement and Assess Departmental Action Research Plans with a QEP Focus. Once faculty strengthen their equity-minded teaching practices, they will collaborate within and across departments to review student success data, apply equity-minded practices to courses, and assess the impact of various approaches. The resulting departmental action research plans will be implemented and modified through an annual cycle to surface effective approaches, which will be shared across the College.
3. Partner with QEP-Sponsored Student Fellows for Equity-Minded Education. Learning from students and collaborating with them to promote success are important features of equity-minded teaching. This initiative employs students from the target population as partner consultants. Student fellows will serve as a focus and advisory group, providing formative feedback about professional development, departmental action research plans, and faculty artifacts. These fellows will also lead campus panel discussions and forums, raising greater awareness of equity challenges and student experiences.

For additional information about Santa Fe College’s Quality Enhancement Plan, contact Bobby Hom, Professor and Director, Quality Enhancement Plan, at QEP@sfcollege.edu or bobby.hom@sfcollege.edu.