Office of Institutional Research & Effectiveness

The University conducts periodic reviews of all academic degree programs in order to    promote academic quality and productivity and to assure alignment with the mission of the institution. Academic programs will be reviewed in the context of an overall departmental review. The department, dean, the graduate dean, and provost and vice president for academic affairs will use the review results to guide university planning, determine program directions, establish objectives, shape institutional goals, and promote institutional effectiveness.

The Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (IR&E) is responsible for coordinating the program review process. The office shall maintain the review schedule, provide the standard reporting format and data, structure the review process, maintain records of the outcomes, and monitor relevant follow-up.

Department and program reviews should involve wide participation of the faculty and include input from a variety of sources, such as alumni, students, other departments, employers of graduates, and external constituents. A program can be reviewed outside the typical 7-year cycle, at the request of the supervising Dean.

The final report of either a Stage I or Stage II review shall be submitted to the VPAA for approval. In the third year following a Stage I review, or annually following a Stage II review, an interim report shall be forwarded through IR&E to the Provost’s office, indicating progress toward recommendations issued in the report.

Stage I Review

All academic programs within a department are scheduled for a ‘Stage I’ review on a 7-year cycle. The review shall include a qualitative and quantitative examination of departmental and program achievements and shall be accompanied by recommendations for improvement.

Required elements of a Stage I Review include:

1.    A statement of strategic initiatives / expected outcomes for the department

2.    A quantitative summary for each academic program, generated by IR&E, providing standard reporting elements, as determined by the VPAA.

3.    A qualitative assessment of the effectiveness of each academic program provided by the program, including responses to specific questions, as determined by the VPAA. An important element in this review is the examination of student progress toward program learning outcomes and the related efforts for program improvement, which shall be maintained within the university-authorized software and tracking program.

4.    A statement of progress related to recommendations from the prior review cycle.

5.    Recommendations resulting from the current review, generated by the supervising Dean and/or VPAA, with an established timeframe

Academic programs that have been specifically reviewed at the program level by an external accrediting body within the 7-year cycle, may submit the findings of the external accreditation review in lieu of element #3, above, with the provision that programs will need to specifically address the student learning outcomes and related program improvements, if they are not detailed in the accreditation report.

Graduate Program Reviews.

The graduate dean shall review all graduate programs. The academic dean, in consultation with the department, will also select an external reviewer to evaluate PhD and Doctoral programs. The graduate dean will provide the academic dean and the VPAA evaluations and recommendations regarding the quality and viability of a department’s graduate programs and the necessity of further review.

Stage II Review

Stage II reviews will be scheduled and conducted based upon the supervising Dean or Provost’s estimation that the results of a department/unit’s Stage I review indicates a need for a comprehensive review of a program by a committee of external peers.

Stage II reviews will be conducted within a framework determined by the VPAA and facilitated by the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness.