Liberty University Quality Enhancement Plan - Current

Section I: Executive Summary Liberty University’s mission focuses on the development of “Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge and skills essential to impact the world

Executive Summary

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Process Used to Develop the QEP

Next, in the spring of 2014, the QEP Topic Selection Committee (see Appendix A, Table A2) placed the

Director consulted with several other institutions and QEP Directors on best practices related to undergraduate research programs

Identification of Topic

Mission, Purpose, and Strategic Plan

As explained in Section II, a broad sampling of University constituencies participated in the selection of Liberty’s QEP topic

Leadership Team reviewed the recommendations and proposed that the QEP focus on the topic of research and scholarship

Evaluation questions were as follows, though group leaders had the freedom to expand and elaborate on them as necessary to spark substantive conversation:

 How is the QEP topic understood and defined within the discipline? How could the QEP topic be conceptualized and practically implemented in the discipline?

 How acceptable and appropriate is the topic for the QEP?

Research and Scholarship Survey (RSS)

Student Research and Scholarship Survey (RSS) Results

Undergraduate Residential Students Who Strongly Agree or Agree

1 Engaging in research and scholarship is an important aspect of being a good citizen and steward within the community and world

2 I currently have the discipline specific skills to conduct research and analysis needed for employment 60%

3 I have (or had) the opportunity to work on a research project (other than a thesis) with a faculty mentor

4 Published a peer-reviewed journal article (Percent

5 Presented at professional state, national, or international conference (Percent Yes) 12%

Desired Student Learning Outcomes

1 Increase the focus on the development of the infrastructure required for the expansion of undergraduate residential student research and its dissemination

2 Increase training and support for faculty in the skills required for mentoring students in the development and design of research

3 Increase funding and allocation of University resources for the creation of additional curricular and co-curricular opportunities for undergraduate residential students’ engagement in research and scholarship

Key Definitions: Inquiry, Research, and Scholarship

1 Demonstrate the ability to articulate the value of research and a basic understanding of the role of research and scholarship in the life of a university student.

2 Develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in research and scholarship.

3 Design a research proposal/project that is discipline specific.

Actions in Support of the University Goals and QEP Student Learning Outcomes

University Goal 1: Increase the focus on the development of the infrastructure required for the expansion of undergraduate residential student research and its dissemination

 Action 1.1: Establish Center for Applied Research & Scholarship (CARS)

 Action 1.2: Establish Collaborative Relationships across the University

The QEP Steering Committee believed that Actions 1.1 and 1.2 were necessary to ensure the success of SLOs #1-3

University Goal 2: Increase training and support for faculty in the skills required for mentoring students in the development and design of research

 Action 2.1: Provide Faculty Development and Recognition

The QEP Steering Committee believed that Action 2.1 was necessary to ensure the success of SLOs

University Goal 3: Increase funding and allocation of University resources for the creation of additional curricular and co-curricular opportunities for undergraduate residential students’ engagement in research and scholarship

 Action 3.3: Designate Research-Intensive Courses in the Disciplines

 Action 3.4: Conduct an Annual Research Week

The QEP Steering Committee believed that Action 3.4 would contribute to the success of SLOs #1-3 and Action 3.5 would contribute to the success of SLO #3.

Student Dissemination of Research and Scholarship

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Literature Review and Best Practices

A Need for a Focus on Research and Scholarship

First, Griffiths (2004) developed a framework that relates research and teaching and informs the design of a research-focused curriculum Griffiths (2004) identifies three research-teaching nexuses:

1 In research-led learning experiences, students are research consumers and the “curriculum is structured around subject content.” Information is transmitted, not discovered, and there is an

“emphasis on understanding research findings rather than the processes.” (p 722)

2 A research-oriented course emphasizes “understanding the process by which knowledge is produced in the field” and students undergo research training with a focus on “teaching of inquiry skills” (p 722)

Figure 3 Alignment of Liberty University’s QEP SLOs with the research curriculum framework presented by Healey and Jenkins (2009, 7: amended from Healey, 2005, 70)

Third, the Research Skill Development (RSD) framework (Willison & O’Regan, 2007) provides insight into the knowledge and skills needed to design and conduct research Based upon Bloom’s taxonomy

(Bloom, Engelhardt, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956) and the Australian and New Zealand Information Literacy Framework (ANZIIL) (2004) Standards, Willison & O’Regan (2007) identify the following six dimensions of the research process:

The Benefits of a Research and Scholarship Focused QEP

 Increased curiosity about self and the world

 More advanced analytical and critical thinking, problem-solving, technical, information literacy, and communication (writing and speaking) skills (i.e., twenty-first century skills necessary for the professional world)

 Better acquisition of discipline knowledge and the ability to apply college learning to real-world settings

 Increased confidence and professional competence

 Greater likelihood to integrate socially and academically into the university community

 Higher persistence in the initial degree enrolled

 Higher motivation to attend graduate school

 Greater likelihood to be accepted into graduate school (undergraduates)

 Greater competiveness in the job market

Faculty also benefit from engaging undergraduate students in research and scholarship (Chapman, 2003; Elgren & Hensel, 2006; Healey & Jenkins, 2009; Kuh, 2008; Osborn & Karukstis, 2009) Advantages for faculty include:

 Satisfaction in their advisor relationships with students

 Establishment of more rigorous coursework

Best Practices for Developing Liberty University’s QEP

Literature Supporting the Inclusion of the SLO #1

SLO 1: Demonstrate the ability to articulate the value of research and a basic understanding of the role of research and scholarship in the life of a University student

 Understand why inquiry is valuable

 Understand the value of research skills and knowledge, as a consumer of information

 Gain awareness of opportunities to engage in research and scholarship at the University

 Develop an initial level of research self-efficacy

 Understand how knowledge is generated through the research process and disseminated through scholarship

 Understand the practical utility of research

 Understand ethics related to research

 Understand appropriate information literacy techniques for finding, choosing, summarizing and evaluating sources

Literature Supporting the Inclusion of the SLO #2

SLO #2: Develop the knowledge and skills required to engage in research

Actions to be Implemented to Achieve Goals and SLOs

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