Candidate Topic 1 - Transformative Academic Advising

The recently released Boyer 2030 report challenges research universities to ensure that all students receive holistic advising, defined as “[advising] that is student-centered and encompasses academic, career, and basic needs guidance.” Nearly five years ago, a 2018 provost-sponsored task force on undergraduate academic advising at Georgia Tech came to a similar conclusion among its recommendations. As we seek to enhance access and close attainment gaps for students who are not fully represented here, which includes limited income (Pell), first-generation, and other underrepresented students, we must first acknowledge that access without support is not access. Academic advising is the cornerstone to achieving this goal and is often cited in the student success literature as one of the most important indicators of student satisfaction. Addressing our gaps and inconsistences in advising practice across the Institute; providing more intentional academic support for transfer students (a key pipeline for many of the student populations noted above); leveraging our strengths in artificial intelligence and technology-enhanced learning; and redesigning advising to be holistic (as defined in the Boyer report) will establish a foundation to support students in fully engaging Tech’s transformative teaching and learning and in achieving academic and career success.

Candidate Topic 2 - Leadership in Progress and Service: Creating Intentional and Transformative Learning Experiences

From its start, Georgia Tech’s undergraduate education has followed an experiential learning or “hand and mind” philosophy: students learn by doing. At the same time, Georgia Tech recognized and embraced “Progress and Service” as the directional purpose of a Georgia Tech education; we prepare our graduates to contribute and lead in “Progress and Service” in their professional, personal, and civic lives. The proposed Progress and Service Certificate will prepare students to be leaders through their transformative learning experiences. This will be accomplished by a new type of undergraduate certificate (or other type of credential) that is centered on compelling interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, or disciplinary themes. Examples could include an interdisciplinary lab that teaches students how to communicate across disciplines; courses that integrate architecture, engineering, and computing; or embedding an ethicist alongside faculty from almost any discipline to bring multiple dimensions into the student learning experience. The certificate will be designed to integrate high-impact classroom, experiential, and reflective learning, to develop student leadership, to expand opportunities for students to pursue this learning in interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary fields, and to promote thematic coherence in students’ general education coursework without adding credits to the degree. To implement this, we must provide support for faculty to expand experiential learning opportunities in their course and curriculum design through stronger connections with Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) faculty as well as academic leadership/staff of existing high-impact practices (e.g., Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP), Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS), study abroad, undergraduate research, co-op).

Candidate Topic 3 - Transformative Teaching through Experiential Learning

In the Institute Strategic Plan, we established the bold goal to “provide all students with transformative learning experiences to grow as creative, ethical, globally aware, technologically sophisticated leaders who can define and solve problems to improve the human condition.” Embedding high quality experiential learning and high-impact practices into existing coursework brings knowledge to life and inspires students to see connections between course content and their communities and future careers. While our physical location in midtown Atlanta and connections across Georgia, the southeast, and beyond have helped Georgia Tech establish strong internship, co-op, and research experiences for undergraduates, this QEP would center experiential learning at the heart of our classroom pedagogies. Building on the momentum from SLS, VIP, and other high-impact programs, this QEP would expand access to transformative learning experiences by building them into the space that all students share – the classroom. Experiential learning will be embedded into existing courses that satisfy degree requirements without increasing the time to graduation. This project would bring together a variety of undergraduate co-curricular experiential learning opportunities across the Institute, support faculty as they embed experiential learning in their courses and connect Georgia Tech to alumni and other local and statewide leaders. To implement this, we must provide support for faculty to explore experiential learning as it applies to their course design through stronger connections with CTL faculty, with faculty across Schools and Colleges, with leadership of existing high-impact practices, and with community partners.

The QEP Topic Selection Committee is comprised of representation from across the Georgia Tech community.

• Shatakshee Dhongde, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts  
• Luoluo Hong, Vice President for Student Engagement & Well-Being, Division of Student Engagement & Well-Being  
• Javier Irizarry, Associate Dean and Professor, School of Building Construction, College of Design  
• Aisha Johnson, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Outreach, Georgia Tech Library  
• David Joyner, Executive Director, Online Education & OMSCS, College of Computing  
• Loraine Phillips, Associate Provost for Academic Effectiveness, Office of the Provost  
• Hunter Richardson, Vice President of Academic Affairs, Undergraduate SGA 
• Carrie Shepler, Assistant Dean for Teaching Effectiveness, College of Sciences  
• Mitchell Walker, John W. Young Chair and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering  
• Kate Williams, Assistant Director for TA Development and Future Faculty Initiatives, Center for Teaching and Learning  
• Craig Womack, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs, Scheller College of Business  
• Juana Cunningham (ex officio), Senior Consultant, Georgia Tech Strategic Consulting 
• Daniel J. Lyczak (ex officio), Data Scientist, Institutional Research & Planning 
• Cara-Joy Wong (ex officio), Program and Portfolio Manager, Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Education and Learning, Office of the Provost  

January – February 2023: Committee collects input from campus. 

February – March 2023: Committee reviews input, decides on a topic, and writes draft outline for Provost McLaughlin.  

March 2023: Review and revision period. 

Late March / Early April 2023: Final outline of the QEP topic submitted to Provost McLaughlin.  

April 2023: Committee co-chairs announce the QEP topic/focus to campus. 

Spring and Summer 2023: QEP Implementation Committee formed and begins work. 

More on the timeline:  

Visit Georgia Tech’s Office of Academic Effectiveness to see the 2022-2025 SACSCOC reaffirmation timeline.