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Based on our findings we identified 6 areas where a student’s lack of knowledge of how University processes work could impact their ability to have a successful first-year experience. These areas, along with the objective of the proposed activities, are given in Table 1.

All of these knowledge activities relate to normal University processes and practices. The QEP effort has not developed any new University processes to address the knowledge issue. Rather, the proposed QEP change is in regards to how the activities are implemented. That is, the QEP requires a more focused and coordinated effort specifically targeted to first-time freshmen.

Table 1 Knowledge Activities

Detail on each of these 6 plays is provided in Appendix 5. Here we provide a description of what action will occur, when it will occur in the first-year experience, where the action is expected to take place, and how it will be implemented to address gaps in student knowledge.

It should also be noted that for this group of activities a “quarterback” has been identified to implement each play. The quarterbacks represent individuals who under normal circumstances would have direct responsibility for the activity addressed by the play. For example, the quarterback for the financial aid activity will be the current director of the TSU Financial Aid Department.

Five plays have been identified to address academic skill and motivation issues. These plays are based on the findings that many of the new TSU students lack a clear and meaningful understanding of what it means to be a student and are therefore unlikely to engage in the type of academic related activities required of university students. These areas, along with the objective of the proposed activities, are given in Table 2.

Table 2 Skills and Motivation Activities

These plays do not have quarterbacks in the same sense as the previous set of plays. These activities will be implemented by the Executive Committee. The logic associated with these activities is that each play represents direct involvement and intervention by faculty. As a result, there is no direct administrative unit to which faculty report that could provide the diversity of skills and expertise necessary for success for these plays. Thus, given the relationship of the Executive Committee with the faculty as developed over the course of the QEP planning process, it was determined that the Executive Committee should take overall responsibility for the implementation of these activities.

The Executive Committee will identify faculty with the relevant expertise and provide guidance and support as necessary to meet the objectives of the specific play. The exception to this is the “Self-Actualization” Play. This play will have quarterbacks. It is designed to provide students with an opportunity to develop a personal career plan within the context of Freshman English I, a gateway college level core course. English faculty members who have currently integrated the personal career planning into a signature assignment have been identified as quarterbacks.

These quarterbacks will be responsible for implementing the activity in all first-year English courses being taught in the English department. It should further be noted that this group of plays will not be expected to be complete within the 45-day window. Given the type of activity proposed for each, they will extend through the entire first semester of enrollment. Again detail related to who, what, when, where, and how is provided in Appendix 5.

The last 3 activities relate, in a direct and indirect manner, to student involvement in the academic life of the university. These areas, along with the objective of the proposed activities, are given in Table 3. Because faculty are an integral part of this project, as well as instrumental to the success of students in general, we concluded that an activity designed to stimulate their engagement with this effort was crucial. Thus, the faculty engagement play has been added to not only help focus faculty attention on the first-year experience of first-year students but to tap their creativity in regards to innovative approaches that could be implemented to improve that experience. 

Table 3 Institutional Engagement Activities

The Transition to Major play is designed to provide a means by which to smoothly transition first-year students into the normal academic environment of their chosen major field; thus, providing students with a seamless pathway to independent university life. And finally, our research has indicated that students who are not engaged in campus life are less likely to achieve academic success and less likely to continue at the institution (Upcraft, Gardner, and Barefoot, 2004; Young, 2019). Accordingly, this play is conceived as an attempt to find unique ways to engage students early-on in campus life.

Appendix 5 provides the detail for these three plays.