MURFREESBORO — As
part of its ongoing efforts to help students succeed, Middle Tennessee
State University is launching an initiative to get students more deeply
engaged in pursuing their degrees.
MTSU will kick off its
new curriculum improvement program, called MT Engage, at a campuswide event set
for 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, on the Student Union Commons.
MT Engage is part of
the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, or QEP, an accreditation review
requirement of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on
Colleges, the regional accreditation body for higher education institutions in
the South.
The QEP “describes a
carefully designed course of action that addresses a well-defined and focused
topic or issue related to enhancing student learning and/or the environment
supporting student learning and accomplishing the mission of the institution,”
according to the accrediting association, more popularly known as SACS.
The MTSU kickoff event
will introduce MT Engage to the university community, including determining the
winner of a logo contest for the initiative. Guest speakers will include MTSU President
Sidney A. McPhee as well as students and faculty members.
“This effort strongly
complements our Quest for Student Success initiative by providing students with
a high quality university experience that pushes them toward their degree and prepares
them for the real world,” McPhee said. “The name itself — MT Engage — speaks to
the goal of our university to provide students with an in-depth educational
experience.”
The top three designs
submitted for the logo contest will be showcased at the kickoff event and the
concepts of each will be discussed. Voting booths will be set up for students
and faculty members to vote on the logo design they like the most. The winning
design will be used as the official logo for MT Engage.
Contest voters will
have a chance to win prizes such as gift cards, candy, pens and koozies when
they cast their vote. Light snacks will be provided. Following the event, games
will be set up on the Student Union Commons until 2:30 p.m. as an opportunity
for students to explore elements of MT Engage.
MTSU’s previous
reaffirmation initiative resulted in the Experiential Learning program, a
highly successful program in which the university emphasized hands-on
activities and public service as an integral part of a student’s learning
experience.
MT Engage – which is
still being developed by a committee representing a cross-section of faculty,
staff and students – involves students in active learning and critical
reflection. This would be accomplished “by creating a culture of engagement
emphasizing within the classroom and beyond the classroom experiences and
reflecting on these experiences within an ePortfolio that showcases the
knowledge, skills and abilities achieved.”
QEP organizers have been
working closely with professor Tricia Farwell’s fall advertising campaigns
class to help plan the logo contest and kick-off event for MT Engage. The
students enrolled in the course make up a team that includes Chad Jones, Sonia
Torres, Laura Moore, Taylor Sloan, Courtney Webb, Grace Mueller and Morgan
Mosley.
“This event totally
captures the essence of MT Engage. Our class was given the opportunity to
engage in MTSU by helping to plan the event,” said Mosley, a senior. “Students
were given the opportunity to engage by designing a logo for the contest. On
top of that, every person on campus will have the opportunity to engage by
voting for the logo that will be used by MT Engage.”
For more information
about MTSU’s QEP, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/QEP/
or contact associate professor Dianna Rust at 615-898-5325.
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