The University of South Alabama’s (USA) LevelUP: Uniquely Prepared for What Comes Next Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is a campus-wide initiative aimed at uniquely preparing students for what comes next. Through metacognitive reflections, students will synthesize connections among learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom as they look ahead and plan for their future. LevelUP provides enhanced opportunities for students to develop career readiness competencies that prepare them for life after their degree, as confident, ready, and capable members of the workforce or well-equipped graduate students.
The focus of LevelUP is closely aligned with USA’s mission of striving to make a difference in the lives of those it serves through promoting discovery, health, and learning and advances USA’s strategic priority to improve student access and success. Conceptualized through a transparent, thorough, logical, and consensus-driven approach, the LevelUP QEP is derived from USA’s ongoing university planning and evaluation processes and has broad buy-in and support.
LevelUP is focused on three specific and measurable student learning outcomes (SLO):
- Ready: Through a portfolio-based values affirmation activity, students will explain the importance of their self-identified values (SLO 1).
- Set: At the midpoint of their program, students will evaluate their level of competence to engage in three readiness behaviors using an ePortfolio (SLO 2).
- Go: As they near completion of their academic program, students will articulate how their program and experiences relate to their readiness for their next steps in an ePortfolio (SLO 3).
With professional development, coaching, and resources, faculty and staff will utilize components of a LevelUP readiness toolkit and evidence-based strategies to support students in connecting learning and development experiences to readiness behaviors. To enact meaningful, sustained achievement in better preparing students for what comes next, academic programs and student support services will identify and assess at least one intended outcome aimed at improving student career readiness. Through LevelUP, students will graduate from USA uniquely and confidently prepared to take their next step.