Celebrating Success: Year 1 Outcomes of the LevelUP QEP Project
Posted on October 1, 2024 by Michelle Hale
Celebrating Success: Year 1 Outcomes of the LevelUP QEP Project
The University of South Alabama’s LevelUP Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) has achieved remarkable milestones in its first year, preparing students to thrive in their academic and professional pursuits. This innovative initiative, designed to foster critical skills and career readiness, engaged the university community and resulted in impressive outcomes.
We are excited to share key accomplishments from the 2023 - 2024 academic year.
- Engagement Across Academic and Support Units: 20 academic programs from across all colleges and five student support units integrated LevelUP activities.
- Demonstrating Student Learning through Ready, Set, and Go Outcomes: A cornerstone of LevelUP is the "Ready, Set, Go" framework, which guides students through structured learning activities and reflections. These activities are designed to help students build career-ready skills by preparing (Ready), evaluating and planning (Set), and reflecting on their growth and achievements (Go). Over 2,400 students participated in these activities, with 86% achieving scores of 2 or higher, demonstrating meaningful engagement and progress.
- ePortfolio Success: Over 4,200 student projects were uploaded to ePortfolios, a fourfold increase from the baseline, showcasing students’ tangible achievements and growth.
- Professional Development: The Office of Academic Enhancement, in partnership with essential collaborators like the Innovation in Learning Center and Career Development, facilitated 12 opportunities for development with participation from 151 unique faculty and staff and 214 development encounters. In addition, over 115 student professional development encounters advanced career readiness and ePortfolio engagement.
The success of LevelUP is rooted in collaboration, exemplified by 10 dedicated LevelUP Fellows, including eight faculty and two staff members, who played a pivotal role in driving the initiative forward through their individual projects. LevelUP provided over $41,000 in funding to accelerate eight programs, enabling innovative approaches to better preparing students for their next steps. LevelUP contributed to the broader academic community with nine scholarly presentations at regional and national conferences.
As LevelUP continues to grow, its first-year success serves as a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. With a shared commitment to student success, we look forward to expanding the program’s reach and deepening its impact in the years to come.
Learn more about the program and its transformative impact at SouthAlabama.edu/LevelUP.