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Name______________________________________________ ACCOUNT 261

This task provides you with the opportunity to earn 10-points. These points will be ap-
plied in the HOMEWORK category to replace one of your missed or low scored home-
work or quiz assignment.


Introduction
As you may recall, UW-Whitewater is voluntarily participating in a project sponsored by
the Lumina Foundation for Education called DQP (Degree Qualifications Profile). The
Lumina Foundation is committed to enrolling and graduating more students from col-
lege, especially low-income students, students of color, first-generation students, and
adult learners. The DQP project is described below.


What is DQP?
DQP is a model designed to illustrate what students should be expected to know and be
able to do once they earn their degreesat any level. The profile proposes specific
learning outcomes that benchmark the associate, bachelors and masters degrees
regardless of a students field of specialization.

The framework is based on more than a decade of research and discussion and should
be thought of as a beta version which attempts to define expected learning outcomes
that graduates need for work, citizenship, global participation, and life.

DQP is not an attempt to standardize degrees. Instead, it offers a framework of specific
student learning outcomes intended to transcend distinctions between the pursuit of de-
grees in the arts and sciences and those in applied and professional fields. DQP is also
not concerned with defining what should be taught or how instructors should teach. In-
stead, the DQP describes student performance appropriate for each degree level
through clear reference points that indicate the incremental and cumulative nature of
learning.

Focusing on conceptual knowledge and essential competencies and their applications,
the Degree Profile illustrates how students should be expected to perform at progres-
sively more challenging levels. Specifically, it examines five areas of learning:
1. Specialized Knowledge: Knowledge acquired in a specialized field of study
2. Broad, Integrative: Knowledge acquired in general education fields
3. Intellectual Skills: Competencies that transcend discipline boundaries including:
communication fluency, analytic inquiry, use of information resources, engaging
diverse perspectives, and quantitative fluency
4. Applied Learning: The interaction of academic and non-academic settings and
the corresponding integration of theory and practice.
5. Civic Learning

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Use of the DQP over time should yield several positive results, including:
A common vocabulary for sharing good practice.
A foundation for better public understanding of what institutions of higher educa-
tion do.
Reference points for accountability that are far stronger than test scores or tallies
of graduates, research dollars, student satisfaction ratings, job placements or pa-
tents


Assignment [Typed, double-spaced, 12-font, 1 margins, minimum of 400 words (2-
pages), be as specific as possible, due in the appropriate Dropbox folder by 11:59 pm
on 12/12/12]
1. Read pages 1-18 from the Lumina Foundations booklet outlining the DQP pro-
ject. A copy is included on the courses D2L site. (Time estimate = 45 minutes)
2. Answer the following questions: (Time estimate = 90 minutes)
a. What is the value of the DQP to you as an associate level student? Explain.
Pay particular attention to page 6 (Value of DQP to students).
b. What is your reaction to the associate level learning outcomes described on
pages 10-18? Do you think some are more important than others for account-
ing majors? Why or why not?
c. How well do you feel your undergraduate degree program has prepared you
for the DQP? What suggestions can you provide?