Program Review

Curriculum (Curriculum Sequence, Program Outcomes, Program Outcome Measures, and Curriculum Review)

• Describe the program’s plan of study • Describe the program learning outcomes
• Explain the curriculum map of the program outcomes showing discovery, emergent, and mastery within course outcome alignment
• Discuss curriculum sequence and process
• Describe the timeframe and process for curriculum review
• Discuss any High Impact Practices (HIPs) that may be included in the program and their impact
• Include course syllabi
• Provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) overview of the curriculum

Questions to Consider:

1. Is the curriculum appropriate to the level and purpose of the program?
2. Is the plan of study aligned with the approved program requirements?
3. Is the curriculum reviewed consistently?
4. Does the curriculum include a general education component?
5. Are required courses offered on a regular rotation?
6. How do the offerings support the missions of the unit, department, college, and university?
7. Does the program effectively assure comparability between multiple sections of the same course?
8. Does the curriculum include a required core of appropriate courses in the discipline?
9. How do the courses in the program foster critical thinking, content integrations, and independent study?
10. Has curriculum been adjusted as a result of assessment of student learning?

Assessment (Assessment Plan and Student Outcomes)

• Explain how data is collected and used to inform continuous improvement.
• Describe the cycle of assessment and process to measure progress
• Include assessment plan and student outcomes

Questions to Consider:

1. Are goals, objectives, and learning outcomes clearly defined for the program?
2. Does the program effectively assess student achievement of learning outcomes for the program and use the information to effect improvements in the program?

Faculty (Qualifications, Alignment, and Workload)

• Provide the faculty roster from Digital Measures to explain faculty qualifications (include faculty and adjuncts)
• Alignment of faculty expertise and programmatic needs
• Describe the faculty workload and responsibilities
• Provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) overview of the faculty qualifications, and workload

Questions to Consider:

1. How does the number and expertise of the program’s faculty contribute to its ability to fulfill its mission and goals?
2. Are faculty's degrees and qualifications aligned with the course they teach?
3. Is the mentoring process equitable to faculty who serve as advisors?

For teaching:

1. What percentage of the unit’s FTE is dedicated to instruction?
2. Are teaching assignments equitably distributed?
3. How are teaching assignments distributed among tenure track faculty, non-tenure track faculty, and graduate assistants?
4. Is the distribution effective in meeting the unit’s teaching goals?
5. Are effective methods in place to train and support graduate assistants with teaching assignments?
6. How does the unit evaluate teaching?
7. Does the unit support, recognize, and reward high quality teaching?

For Scholarly Activities:

1. What percentage of the unit’s FTE is dedicated to research?
2. What is the impact of the unit’s research?
3. How does the unit evaluate the quality of its research programs?
4. How does the unit evaluate the productivity of its research programs?
5. How do the main foci of the unit’s research programs relate to the developments in their respective fields of study?

For Service:

1. What percentage, if any, of the unit’s FTE is dedicated to Service?
2. Are faculty appropriately engaged in faculty governance of the unit, college, university, profession, and public?
3. How does the unit actively contribute to university life?
4. How are faculty engaged in and rewarded for service to their professional discipline?
5. Who do the Service/Outreach programs directly serve?
6. How do the unit’s programs compete with or compliment those of the private sector?
7. What benefit does the program have on local, state, national, and international communities?
8. How does the unit evaluate quality of its service and outreach programs?
9. How does the unit evaluate productivity of its service and outreach programs?
10. How do the main foci of the unit’s service programs relate to current developments in the respective fields?

Resources (Library, Technology Support and Integration, Faculty Support, Administrative Support, Financial Resources, and Facilities)

• Describe resources and resource management to include space/facilities, budget, library resources, faculty support, administrative support, and technology support and integration
• Provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) overview of the resources

Questions to Consider:

1. What is the current status of the facilities?
2. Are the facilities adequate to support the mission of the unit?
3. What is the current status of the information technology/equipment available to the unit?
4. Are these resources adequate to support the mission of the unit?
5. Are library holdings adequate to support the mission of the unit?
6. What resources are available and used to support professional development of faculty and staff?
7. Describe the faculty annual review process.
8. Explain if the administrative structure effectively supports the unit’s programs?
9. Are reporting lines clearly communicated to those affected?
10. How are promotion and tenure procedures explicitly communicated to all unit faculty?
11. How are promotion and tenure procedures equitably applied?
12. What strategies have been used to recruit and retain diverse faculty?
13. Explain if staff duties are clearly defined and appropriate?
14. Explain if staff duties are equitably and effectively distributed?

Students (Enrollment, Graduation Rates, Employment Data, and Student Support, Retention)

• Provide data on enrollment trends across 5-years, graduation rates, and employment data. Include any surveys that may be given to students
• Discuss strategies and efforts for retention, student advisement, mentoring, and career development
• Describe any specific outreach/marketing for prospective students?
• Provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) overview of the student enrollment, graduation, and employment rates

Questions to Consider:

1. Are retention and degree requirements clearly stated in the institutional catalog?
2. Are there processes in place and used to support students in successful completion of the program?
3. Are there organized and effective processes for academic advisement and mentoring of undergraduate and/or graduate students?
4. Does the mentoring process encourage student-faculty interaction outside the classroom?
5. Explain how personalized advisement and guidance are regularly provided to students.
6. Do graduate/professional students receive adequate professional mentoring and access to professional opportunities to assure professional success?
7. Explain how student progress is regularly monitored.
8. How are students advised of their status in a timely manner?
9. Is there a critical mass of students taking sufficient coursework to ensure a coherent group of peers?
10. What are the sources of undergraduate and/or graduate/professional students and where are they placed after graduation?
11. How are graduate students supported financially within the instructional and research programs of the unit?

Summary

• Provide a summary of the self-study
• Provide a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) general summary

Response to Peer Review

• After peer review, the program can provide comments before final submission to Department Head and Dean