Valencia College the learning outcomes can be imbedded or added as part of a required co-curriculum. During the evolution of the QEP, multiple discussions led us to the agreement to commit to the development of these three versions of the New Student Experience course in order to encompass the variety of our students’ educational pathways. The NSE course implementation sequence chart provided in (Appendix 7) describes the steps to design, pilot, and integrate this curriculum, for a “NSE Basic Course,” “NSE Majors Course” and “NSE Associate in Science Course.” As referenced in Section III, this commitment to develop different versions of the NSE course based on student program of study was an important change from previous times at Valencia when there was resistance to the idea of a required NSE course. An underlying current in Valencia’s success in improving student learning outcomes is a deep and authentic commitment to faculty and staff development based on a wide range of competency-based programming. The QEP faculty development plan builds on a foundation that supports all faculty members as they expand their professional practices and examine their ongoing development in the seven Essential Competencies of a Valencia Educator. (Appendix 8). Our coordinated and comprehensive Office of Faculty and Instructional Development provides programming on pedagogy, course design, curriculum, and student development. The intention of Valencia's faculty development programming is to engage teachers, scholars and practitioners in continuous improvement processes that result in enhanced student learning. Similarly, the Valencia staff professional development programming formalizes the identification of areas for professional improvement and provides programs to staff members to improve their professional skills. The QEP faculty/staff development plan is an important component that will support the curricular and co-curricular program development. Please note that the details of assessment activities are included in Section X.
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