Virginia Commonwealth University Academic Program Review Procedures and Guidelines

Transcription

1 Virginia Commonwealth University Academic Program Review Procedures and Guidelines I. Introduction and Purpose Program review is an initiative of the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. The dean of a school/college is the person accountable for program review. The program review process involves an intensive review of degree programs in an academic unit. At Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), most academic degree programs are organized within the university s schools and colleges. Within VCU s schools and college, degree programs are typically aligned with disciplinary departments (e.g., all degree programs in history are within the Department of History, which is within the College of Humanities and Sciences). In some instances, the school or college is not further organized by academic department (e.g. all degree programs in social work are aligned directly under the School of Social Work). In addition, a few academic degree programs are in other types of academic units (e.g., VCU Life Sciences, Center for Clinical and Translational Research). All academic degree programs will participate in this program review process. VCU is committed to becoming a premier urban, public research university. VCU s Quest for Distinction identifies four themes for achievement over the next six years: Become a leader among national research universities in providing all students with high quality learning/living experiences focused on inquiry, discovery, and innovation in a global environment Attain preeminence as an urban, public research university by making contributions in research, scholarship, creative expression, and clinical practice to advance knowledge and enhance the quality of life Achieve national recognition as a fully-integrated research university with a commitment to human health Become a national model for community engagement and regional impact VCU is also committed to benchmarking its progress toward becoming a premier urban, public research university. Thus, we must embrace regular and rigorous discourse about our strengths and weaknesses in instruction, student learning, research, service, and patient care in order to proactively address our challenges and better allocate our resources based on our mission. The challenge is to implement program review processes that are thorough and efficient and that produce reliable accounts of our complex organization and the units within it. The program review is a reflective appraisal of a unit s achievements, challenges, aspirations, and plans of action. The unit of analysis in program review is either the departments within a school/college where degree programs reside or the entire school if the degree programs are not associated with a specific department. 1

2 The elements of a program review process include a self-study and evaluation that is multidimensional, an external review, and an implementation of the action plan. The self-study and evaluation (referred to as self-study) serve the dual purposes of demonstrating accountability and improving performance. We are accountable to our students, community, and the Commonwealth to provide and produce excellent instruction, research and scholarship, service, and patient care. Continuous improvement is necessary for us to reach and sustain standards of excellence, remain competitive, and meet our responsibilities to our stakeholders. Academic program review will: describe and re-evaluate a unit s contribution to the university mission and strategic plan, the needs of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and where appropriate, the needs of the profession it serves; measure and analyze the overall productivity and quality of performance (including teaching, research and scholarship, service, and/or patient care) of a defined unit; identify existing and potential areas of excellence and distinctiveness; and guide decisions regarding funding, continuation, and improvement. The university s academic program review rotation is six years; each school or college for phase 1 of program review will complete self-studies for all of its units within the six-year time frame. The schedule for the individual units program reviews will be set by the deans of the respective schools or college in advance of the commencement of the program reviews. For programs that cross units, disciplines, and schools, such as the Ph.D. in Media, Art, and Text, the Master of Product Innovation, and the M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical and Translational Sciences, the deans and senior academic administrators will discuss and recommend the program review schedule. For dual or combined degree programs in different disciplines within the same school or college (e.g., combined Certificate in Aging Studies and M.S. in Occupational Therapy), the dean will set the schedule in consultation with department chairs. For dual degree programs offered by disciplinary programs in different schools or school/college combinations where courses from both disciplines are taken in the same semester (e.g., Master of Business Administration/Master of Education in Sport Leadership; Master of Social Work/Master of Public Health), the deans will set the program review schedules in consultation with one another so that the reviews can be scheduled for the same review year. For dual degrees offered by disciplinary programs in different schools or school/college combinations (e.g., M.S. in Mass Communications /Master of Literature) where the discipline-specific courses are completed sequentially (strategic public relations at VCU and journalism at Fudan University), the deans can set separate review schedules for the academic programs. Typically, unit program reviews will involve an 18-month process. For example, the first cohort undergoing program review will begin in January 2012 and end in June The second cohort will begin in January 2013 and end in June 2014, and will progress until all program reviews are completed in a six-year cycle. Units of less complexity might easily complete the program review process in less time. 2

3 The self-study will: be aligned with university annual reporting needs and processes VCU engages in other internal planning and evaluation processes on an annual basis, including student learning outcomes, faculty performance assessments, and department reports. The reports and related data from these processes are resources for responding to the guiding questions and framework of the unit s self-study. There should be internal consistency among the products of the self-study and other university planning and evaluation processes. complement and support accreditation processes to avoid duplication of effort For units engaged in other accreditation or external review processes, the timing of this internal program review will be coordinated, in advance, through the deans. In principle and practice, an external accreditation review can be considered as establishing program quality. The framework and guiding questions for the VCU academic program review may be different. The VCU academic program review for an accredited program will focus on those aspects not sufficiently addressed in the accreditation. Materials from external reviews can be excellent resource materials for a unit s self-study and, likewise, a unit s self-study can inform or supplement an accreditation report. Collectively, the accreditation reviews and program review self-studies will provide evidence of VCU s institutional commitment to quality and continuous improvement. This evidence is critical to VCU s SACS reaffirmation. include a viability review of each academic degree program The Commonwealth mandates the monitoring of degree program viability, and SCHEV requires proof of degree viability every five years. SCHEV [ assesses program viability against degree production standards and reports back to VCU its degree production for academic majors. Units must track degree production by major annually to ensure minimum standards are met. Newly approved programs are included in the unit self-study after five years of implementation. The framework for the self-study incorporates the data required for degree viability (see Self-Study Template, Section III) and the data can be obtained from VCU s Office of Planning and Decision Support (OPDS). integrate the assessment of student learning outcomes Student learning is central to the university s educational mission and student learning outcomes are assessed for all SCHEV-approved degree programs on an annual basis. Assessment Quality Reviews (AQR) is a new initiative at VCU. These reviews, conducted on a three-year cycle, focus on the quality of the unit s assessment practices related to student learning outcomes. Findings and action plans from these reviews will be incorporated into the self-study. 3

4 be based on evidence that is both standardized at the university level and complemented by unit specific data and analysis The self-study will include retrospective data from the past five years, if available. There are defined university level metrics for teaching, research, and service that provide a foundation for the self-study and facilitate cross-unit comparisons, and additional metrics are under development. Each unit will supplement data from VCU s central systems with local unit level data from reports and systems for the self-study. It is possible that some original data collection will be needed for the analysis. Other potential sources of evidence are national data, peer comparison data, and disciplinary or professional standards. If there are valid data or standards available, they are to be included if appropriate. Units are expected to use these data sources for benchmarking past and present performance and for setting goals or aspirations. It is highly recommended that academic units consult with OPDS in developing its data collection plan. inform resource allocation decisions The self-study analysis will include an assessment of current resource levels and projected resource needs. result in an action plan II. Principles The unit self-study will conclude with a concrete action plan that aligns the unit with the university s overall mission and strategic plan. The overall aim is for continuous improvement in the areas of instruction, student learning, scholarship/research/creative works, community engagement and service, patient care (when applicable), and diversity. Focus of Self-Study The self-study must focus on the unit s role in the university and its contribution to the university s mission advancement as well as its contribution to the Commonwealth and global reach, if there is an international component to the program. For units that have external accreditation reviews, the accreditation report will serve as the starting point in the creation of the self-study with the expectation that some augmentation will be necessary to address the different lenses in which the units are assessed for program review. Guiding questions will frame each unit s self-study strategy. Each unit s review will be guided by key questions from the provost and vice president for academic affairs, the vice president for health sciences, the dean of the respective school or college, the dean of the Graduate School (for graduate programs) and the chair of the individual department in consultation with the dean. 4

5 The guiding questions from the provost are: Theme I What recruitment strategies have been employed to attract talented and diverse students to VCU and how have those strategies been aligned with the offices of undergraduate and/or graduate admissions? What supports have been employed to ensure academic quality and student success and what evidence can you provide regarding the efficacy of those efforts as well as ongoing challenges that may exist? Which of your academic programs demonstrate strong student engagement, and describe the efforts that have enhanced the engagement of students in their academic programs including a description of innovative capstone experiences? Theme II What are your units areas of distinction with respect to sponsored research, scholarship, and/or creative expression? How have you identified and measured faculty productivity in research, scholarship, and/or creative expression? How has your academic program contributed to interdisciplinary research, and what distinctive contributions can you cite? What challenges, if any, limit faculty, staff, and student involvement in interdisciplinary research? How has your academic program engaged students in research, scholarship, and/or creative expression? Theme III Has your academic unit identified program areas that demonstrate a commitment to human health? What are the successful program area initiatives that have advanced the university s commitment to human health? How has your academic program benefitted from or contributed to the advancement of the initiatives related to clinical and translational science? What program areas are aligned with initiatives sponsored by the Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR)? Theme IV How has your unit incorporated service learning as a student engagement effort? What new courses/community initiatives have been initiated to ensure high quality learning/living experiences in a global environment? How has your unit defined and participated in community-engaged scholarship? What exemplars can you describe as evidence of community-engaged scholarship? What program initiatives can you describe as exemplars of best practices to ensure the university s classification as a Carnegie community-engaged university? 5

6 What initiatives or curricular offerings have you initiated to address challenges in local and/or global sustainability? Within the schools or college, the dean will take the lead on developing additional guiding questions for units. After the self-study workshops, the vice provost for academic and faculty affairs will be available to consult on the framing of unit-level questions, if requested. While there will be variability based on the unit s mission, the self-study must include an assessment of the teaching, research/scholarship/creative works, service, and patient care (where applicable) aspects of the unit. These four aspects represent the elements of VCU s core mission and vision. Selection and Scheduling Self-Studies A regular schedule/process of unit reviews will be developed to plan and set expectations. The provost will charge each dean with conducting comprehensive program review for individual units in the school/college over a six-year period. The vice president for health sciences and the provost will approve the program review rotations within each division. The scheduling of program reviews will be coordinated with other events such as external accreditation reviews, organizational changes, leadership changes, and sentinel events, and involve consultation between the respective deans (and department chairs, as appropriate) for dual or combined degree programs within and across schools. The first key event for each program review will be a workshop, organized by the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs that explains program review, the program review procedures and guidelines, the self-study template, and timeline. Workshop scheduling will be coordinated in advance as a component of the timeline. Structuring and Managing the Self-Study Team The dean or administrator of the unit is the person accountable for program review. Depending upon the size of the school or college, review coordinators and unit self-study chairs may be appointed. Broad unit involvement is encouraged as part of the self-study process. Review Coordinator The dean of the school or college will appoint a coordinator of the units program reviews. The review coordinator position may be assigned to an associate or assistant dean, or it may be a separate position. The review coordinator will oversee the progress of the program review with close attention given to the completion of the self-studies. The review coordinator will serve as a liaison between the dean s office and the self-study chairs associated with the individual units. Self-Study Chair The self-study chair will provide direction to the department/unit, ensure that the self-study is a collective effort within the department/unit, manage the resources and timeline, and serve as the liaison for other key activities and communications, such as consultations, clarifications, and requests for information or data from centralized sources. 6

7 Guiding Questions The self-study must focus on the unit s role in the university and its contribution to the university as well as its contribution to the Commonwealth and global reach, if there is an international component to the program. The self-study must consider the alignment between the unit s mission and the university s mission and strategic plan. A key early responsibility of the review coordinator will be working with the dean and the chair of the unit to shape the additional guiding questions of the self-study. As noted, there will be overarching questions from the provost. The dean will contribute questions, and faculty and staff may contribute questions, since they will be active contributors in the program review process. Sources for the guiding questions are the four themes in VCU s Quest for Distinction and other university priorities, department/unit priorities and goals, higher education and disciplinary trends, disciplinary accreditation standards, and stakeholder needs. The vice provost for academic and faculty affairs will be available to consult with the dean and review coordinator on the questions following the academic program review workshop, if needed. The questions must be finalized at the beginning of the program review process. The self-study also provides evidence that VCU is meeting the SACS core requirement 2.5: The institution engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that incorporate a systematic review of programs and services that (a) results in continuing improvement and (b) demonstrates that the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission. Where appropriate, units will create cross-walk documents that align their disciplinary accreditation standards with VCU s self-study guiding questions and framework. Program/Degree Alignment The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs will provide the dean of the school or college with the official list of approved (or pending approval) degree programs. Early in the process, each academic program and degree must be aligned singly with the responsible department/unit; this oversight responsibility lies with the dean. (Dual and combined degree programs will be aligned under each academic department/unit through which they are offered.) Deans and self-study chairs must ensure that this linkage is consistent with VCU s Bulletins, which are the official sources that correspond with the university s notifications to and approvals from SCHEV and SACS. VCU websites and printed materials as well as the self-studies must be aligned with the official listings of approved degree programs (as found in the bulletins). Certificates of completion are not officially recognized VCU degree programs. Units should not list these certificates as part of the departmental/school offerings unless such certificates have been approved by an accreditation body. 7

8 Resource Identification The review coordinator and the self-study chair will determine the faculty and staff resources necessary to support the self-study effort. Resource considerations include: support of the self-study chair (e.g., course release and/or stipend) coordination of the requirements of the self-study with the other assessment activities development and/or analysis of locally-created/collected data in consultation with OPDS integration of the data and/or results of the other assessment activities into the VCU self-study compensation of an external review panel (discussed below) elements of writing the report The provost and vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for health sciences will determine, in consultation with respective deans, whether additional allocation of resources for program review are necessary and will set guiding principles to assure fairness of their allocation. Adherence to Evidence Based Practices The self-study will complement and provide needed evidence for other processes of accountability and decision making including university annual reporting, SACS accreditation, and disciplinary accreditation requirements and time frames. Typically, there will be five years of successive annual report data to provide the needed foundation for a self-study. Further, the self-study data and analysis requirements will work in concert with (and complement) unit level data collection systems and processes. This is facilitated by clear priorities for centralized, university-level data and metrics. The self-study will include retrospective data from the past 5 years, if available, for all semesters. Data for teaching, research and service are available on the university s central systems; these data will provide a consistent foundation for the self-study. The OPDS will provide summaries of student, course enrollment, faculty, degree awards, and research expenditures (see Self-Study Template, Section III). Requests to the OPDS for specialized reports must be coordinated through the dean s office. Data and information created at the local level will complement the centralized university data to tell the unit s full story. Sources of unit level information and data include planning performance agreements and assessments, disciplinary accreditation reports and self-studies, dean s score cards, student learning outcomes assessments and action plans, assessment quality reviews, program reviews from previous years, annual reports, performance evaluation systems, and other departmental/unit plans and reports. In addition to the data from VCU central and local systems, units are encouraged to utilize national and/or peer comparison data and disciplinary or professional standards and benchmarks. All data sources must be identified in the self-study narrative and supporting materials. 8

9 Expected Outcomes of the Review The results are intended as a management tool to inform decision making about (a) distribution of resources, (b) continuation (growth and decline) of activities, and (c) improvement strategies and actions. The results and recommendations will be reported up through levels to the appropriate vice president. Vice presidents will report in summary form the outcomes of program review as part of the annual reporting process. Analysis Based on the unit s mission, the self-study must include an assessment of the teaching, research/scholarship/creative works, service, and patient care aspects of the unit. The self-study analysis, based on the evidence presented, will address these key questions: What is the alignment between VCU s mission and vision and the unit mission? How successfully is the unit contributing to the achievement of Quest for Distinction? What are your areas of distinctiveness areas of significant, high quality contributions? Where is there potential growth or opportunity in academic programming, new or intensified research or scholarship efforts, student learning and engagement, service to the community, or diversity of the faculty, staff, or students? What areas need some improvement? What areas are mission critical and essential? What areas are not doing well and merit significant re-structuring, re-organization or discontinuation? What is the rationale? What are the resource implications? Action Plan A critical component of the self-study is the action plan. The action plan should be grounded in the evidence and analysis, and specify the steps, responsible individuals, timelines, and resources. The action plans will be monitored by the deans once they are approved by the provost and vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for health sciences (for health sciences units). III. External Review A panel, composed of individuals external to the unit engaged in review, will be appointed early in the process for the purpose of providing an external perspective and means for review. The external review panel will consider the quality of the unit s self-study the linkage between the guiding questions, the evidence, the analysis, and the action plan and provide feedback. The review panel will consider the quality of indicators and metrics used in the analysis, help identify areas of distinction either realized or possible, and provide another perspective on the potential of the programs within the unit. A review panel can consider how the unit could operate with a 10 percent increase in funding and a 10 percent decrease in funding, for example. Specific questions 1 for the external review are: 1 These questions were drawn primarily from Academic Program Review Handbook, Institutional Research Office, Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science (August 2009). 9

10 Do the degree programs meet the goals expressed in the undergraduate and/or graduate bulletin? Do the placement courses (e.g., clinical practicum, service learning, and internship) convey the discipline to the students in a meaningful way? How could these types of courses be improved? How well does the program assess outcomes and take action to improve based upon student assessment data? Are current relationships with local business, government, education, and other institutions adequate for placements, practicums, articulation agreements with other academic institutions, etc.? Are sufficient resources (workload, operating expenses, equipment, library resources, research space and equipment, and staff support) provided to the program to: 1) meet its teaching, research, and service missions, 2) sustain an academic program of high quality, and 3) provide encouragement and support for research activity of both faculty and students? Is the effort by the program realistic in terms of faculty (persons and workload distribution), budget, physical facilities (laboratories, equipment, teaching aids), institutional commitment, students, and the employment market? How does the major program compare to others in the discipline, in terms of students, faculty, curriculum, staff support, and resources? How do you rate this program in comparison with others of similar size? Does the self-study report accurately reflect the program? Do you see any aspects of the program that were not addressed in the document? What issue(s) do you perceive to be central to the success of the program but not sufficiently addressed by the unit in its self-study? Are there other ways in which the program could contribute to the university s strategic plan in the future that are not addressed in the self-study? How can the program contribute to the institution becoming a premier urban, public research university? The unit s self-study report addresses areas where plans for improvement are going to be undertaken. Are these action plans appropriate? Are there other improvements that should be implemented? What priority would you suggest for these plans? What improvements could the program undertake through a reallocation of existing resources? What could be done, within the limits of existing resources, to improve the program s effectiveness? What improvements could the program undertake with a substantial infusion of additional resources? If substantial additional support from the university were available, what goal(s) should the program seek to achieve over the next five years that would be most beneficial? The dean and/or department chair may have additional questions or areas of concern to be addressed by the external reviewers. The external review team will be comprised of three individuals, two high ranking individuals from outside the university and one from within the university but outside of the school/college of the program unit that is under review. The individuals from outside the university will have knowledge of the academic discipline of the program under review plus administrative experience at the office of the dean and department chair level. The external reviewer from within the university can be from within the discipline of the program under review but must be from outside the department; the internal reviewer cannot have a primary 10

11 appointment with the department. Membership on the panel may include a representative from an outside accrediting body. All external reviewers will be screened for conflicts of interest. The dean, review coordinator, and department chair will nominate individuals to serve as external reviewers. The dean and review coordinator may recommend two individuals and the department chair may recommend two individuals for a pool of four from which to engage three for the panel. For graduate programs, the dean of the Graduate School may be a resource in the nomination process. This nomination process should begin in the fall semester prior to the start of the formal self-study period. The dean of the unit under study will bring forward the final list of individuals under consideration for the external review panel. The member composition of the panel and the additional review questions (if applicable) for the panel will be decided in collaboration with the unit s administration, the Dean of the Graduate School for graduate programs, and the provost and vice president for academic affairs and vice president for health sciences. For accredited programs, it is assumed that program quality was confirmed through an external review process. Therefore, the dean has the choice of requiring or not requiring an external reviewer for VCU s academic program review. If the dean chooses to require an external review, then the dean may consider a modified approach in which one external reviewer, rather than a panel, considers the unit s self-study from a different perspective. Specific questions can be selected from among the list provided previously in this document, or the dean may have a separate set of questions about the accredited program. Once selected, the review panel will report to the dean. The dean and review coordinator will identify the panel s resource needs. The dean pays for external review panel members travel, expenses, and stipend. All members of the external review panel, including the member from within VCU, will receive a stipend for their service. The review coordinator, in collaboration with the dean and the department chair, will set-up a schedule for the external review panel (see sample itinerary, below). The work of the review panel will begin after the panel members receive a copy of the relevant materials. Some materials to be transmitted to the external reviewers two to four weeks before the site visit are: 1) executive summary of the VCU strategic plan; 2) unit s completed draft self-study; 3) copy of the questions to be answered by the review panel; 4) unit s accreditation report if external reviewer is providing supplemental information for an accredited program; 5) any other documents; and 6) site visit itinerary. A typical site visit itinerary will be tightly scheduled and include the following types of events for the external reviewers: Dinner with the internal reviewer the evening before the on-campus visit for understanding the institutional culture and program context; Breakfast meeting with the review coordinator; Early morning meeting with the dean; Meeting with the department chair and faculty; Meeting with the dean of the Graduate School if there are advanced degree programs; Meetings with faculty; Meetings with students; Working session to review materials and identify follow-up questions; Exit conversation with dean to discuss preliminary findings and recommendations; Formal final report, two to four weeks after the site visit. 11

12 The external reviewers report will include a recap of their itinerary, experience, findings, analysis, and recommendations. The external review questions, listed on page ten of this document, and the additional questions posed by the dean and department chair can serve as the template for the external review report. The report will be sent to the dean and shared with the review coordinator, department chair, and self-study chair. The final self-study, action plan, and full external review report are transmitted as a packet to the dean for review. The external review report and the unit s action plan are sent to the provost and vice president for academic affairs and, for programs on the MCV campus, the vice president for health sciences. A packet is sent to the dean of the Graduate School and the vice provost for academic and faculty affairs. IV. Conclusion Academic program review is an initiative of the provost and vice president for academic affairs through which the deans have the ultimate responsibility/accountability for program review in their units. Program review serves a dual purpose: 1) it provides an opportunity for intensive review of an academic program in a unit to inform decision making about (a) distribution of resources, (b) continuation (growth and decline) of activities, and (c) improvement strategies and actions, and 2) it serves as a benchmarking tool to measure elements of success advanced in Quest for Distinction. These review guidelines were co-created from the recommendations of the Program Review Task Force and discussions among the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs, the Office of Planning and Decision Support, the academic deans, associate deans, and assistant deans. The academic program review process will evolve as experience is gained with this most recent strategy, and this document and the workshop materials will be updated accordingly. Approved: April 3,

13 Virginia Commonwealth University Academic Program Review Timeline* Fall 2011 September October November Program Review Rotation plan is approved by the Provost and, for health sciences programs, the Vice President for Health Sciences Deans identify review coordinators Deans share program review rotation plans with chairs, directors, and faculty Deans, review coordinators, and department chairs nominate external reviewers Spring 2012 January Self-study teams are assembled, chairs are appointed February Teams read the Academic Program Review Procedures and Guidelines Program Review workshop is conducted Requests made to CIE for standard institutional data (by Review Coordinator) April* Review coordinators and self-study chairs determine resource needs Guiding questions are developed and approved Assessment quality review orientation workshop Summer 2012 May May - June June - August External review panel is identified Historical data are received from OPDS Self-study begins Special data requests are made to OPDS by review coordinator External review panel is confirmed Unit level data are collected by self-study chairs or review coordinators Fall 2012 September Assessment quality review workshops on evidence collection and curriculum mapping October - November November October - December Fall Census data are obtained from OPDS Assessment quality review self- and peer-reviews submitted to director of assessment Self-study data are analyzed Spring 2013 January Assessment quality review self- and peer-review feedback from director of assessment January February March April May May June June June Draft self-study due to deans (date determined by the deans) External review panel receives self-study and data External review is conducted Results of external review are integrated into program review document Action plans discussed with deans; approved by deans Program review documents finalized Deans meet with provost and vice president for academic affairs and vice president for health sciences (for health sciences units) to discuss external review panel report and unit action plans and to evaluate/approve action plans Program review document with approved action plan due to the vice provost of academic and faculty affairs Vice provost gives final action reports to the provost and vice president for academic affairs Summer 2014 July Department chair initiates implementation and monitoring of action plan * This timeline is a recommended guideline for the first cohort ( ) under the revised Academic Program Review Procedures and Guidelines, and some adjustments to the schedule will be necessary to accommodate the April workshop. For future cohorts, the program review workshop will be held in March. 13

14 Virginia Commonwealth University Academic Program Review Self-Study Template Descriptive Presentation of the Unit I. Describing Your Context: Unit/Program Mission, Priorities and Characteristics A. Describe unit vision, mission, values, and how those align with university priorities (Quest for Distinction) and needs of the Commonwealth [see VCU APRP&G, pp. 1, 4, 7] B. List unit level goals and priorities for the next five years as aligned with Quest [see VCU APRP&G, pp. 1, 4-6] C. Describe the profile of the unit s programs, students, faculty, and resources over the past five years [see Part III below and VCU APRP&G, pp. 3, 4, 7] Part I Describing Your Context will be included for all units and programs, including those programs that go through an accreditation process. II. Academic Degree Programs (official list from Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs) A. List program coordinators for each academic program. Include credentials that support being in this position [see VCU APRP&G, p. 7 and attached template provided for self-study submission] B. List the modality of instruction for each program [see VCU APRP&G, p. 7 and attached template provided for self-study submission] C. Indicate programs that offer 50% or more of the curriculum off-campus and list locations [see VCU APRP&G, p. 7 and attached template provided for self-study submission] Part II Academic Degree Programs will be included for all units and programs, including those programs that go through an accreditation process. III. Unit Level Profile (high level, brief, five years where possible) A. Student Enrollment (Headcount and FTE by UG, Grad--Doctoral/Masters, Professional) (VCU APRP&G, p. 8) B. Degree Production [see VCU APRP&G, p. 3, 7] C. Assessment [see VCU APRP&G, p. 3] a. Student learning outcomes b. Quality reviews of assessment practices 14

15 D. Faculty (Focus on FES/FARES) a. Teaching b. Scholarship/Research/Creative Works i. Publications ii. Awards and recognitions iii. Research iv. Other creative works c. Service d. Patient Care E. Graduate Assistants/Teaching Assistants F. Administrative Support G. Library Holding (5 years) H. Space I. Budget J. Fundraising and Development Part III is high level and brief, but includes a narrative and 5 years of historical data for all programs (assuming data availability based upon when the program was approved). [See VCU APRP&G, p. 8 and additional notes below for accredited programs.] Note: Some of these data that are stored centrally will be supplied directly by OPDS (e.g., student enrollment, degree production). Other centralized data (e.g., library holdings, space, budget) on the above list will be coordinated through OPDS by OPDS working with other administrative units (e.g., VCU Libraries, Office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration, Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Finance and Administration). Accredited Programs For units in which there are accredited programs: Units can use discretion in determining the extent to which the Part III subsections were adequately addressed in recent accreditation reviews. In the narrative portion of Part III, units should indicate for which programs accreditation reviews are being relied upon and for which subsections. A copy of the accreditation letter must be attached to the Program Review document. Professional program accreditation reviews typically cover 8 of the 10 subsections: A. Student Enrollment B. Degree Production C. Assessment E. Graduate Assistants/Teaching Assistants F. Administrative Support G. Library Holding (5 years) H. Space I. Budget 15

16 Professional program accreditation reviews typically do not sufficiently address subsection D or cover subsection J, so the following subsections must be included in the self-study: D. Faculty a. Teaching b. Scholarship/Research/Creative Works i. Publications ii. Awards and recognitions iii. Research iv. Other creative works c. Service d. Patient Care J. Fundraising and Development IV. Diversity Describe the diversity of your student body, faculty, administration, and staff, all intentional efforts to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse population, and any other initiatives or strategies undertaken to promote diversity. Include descriptions of how programs/departments contribute to the school/college efforts. OPDS will provide student and faculty data for the school/college level as reported on the deans scorecards. Finer granularity into the department or program level will need to be discussed with OPDS. V. Community Engagement Describe how the unit contributes to university-community partnerships through teaching, research, and service initiatives. Please think in terms of faculty, staff, and student involvement in areas such as service learning, clinical engagements, business/industry/government partnerships, and outreach activities with community partners in which mutual goals are articulated. [Cathy Howard to review; metrics are under development by Council for Community Engagement. Need further refinement for other types of partnerships (e.g., industry).] Accredited Programs Professional program accreditation reviews always cover the quality and sufficiency of clinical placement sites. This, in combination with the listings of the clinical sites, will be sufficient for the self-study. 16

17 Analysis of the Unit VI. Using the information provided above, describe the strengths and weaknesses of the unit. Include in this analysis any key findings or outcomes of the most recent accreditation study if applicable. [See VCU APRP&G, p. 9.] Contributions to QUEST VII. Consider the Provost s and Dean s questions and overall how can you align your work to better fit with the strategic plan Quest for Distinction. [See VCU APRP&G, pp. 1, 4-6, 7, 9.] Action Plan Contributions to QUEST will be included for all units and programs, including those programs that go through an accreditation process. VIII. Provide an action plan based on the analysis presented above. This section will include a narrative and summary table (see example below). [See VCU APRP&G, pp. 4, 9, 10.] Action Step Responsible Person Timeline Resource Needs Resource Sources The Action Plan will be included for all units and programs. Accredited Programs Feedback from accreditation review site visits, such as notations or deficiencies, should be included in the Action Plan section. 17

18 Virginia Commonwealth University [Name of Unit] Academic Program Review Self-Study Degree Program Coordinators Template Program Name Degree(s) Awarded 2 Coordinator Name Highest Academic Degree Other Qualifications Supporting Coordinator Position Aging Studies CERTPG Ayn Welleford Clinical Laboratory Sciences BS, MS Teresa Nadder PHD Developmental Psychology Virginia Commonwealth University PHD Human Genetics Virginia Commonwealth University MS Gerontology BS and MS degrees in Medical Technology 2 For SCHEV approved certificate programs: CERTUG = baccalaureate certificate; CERTPU = post-baccalaureate undergraduate certificate; CERTPG = post-baccalaureate graduate certificate; CERTPM = post-master s certificate. 18

19 Virginia Commonwealth University [Name of Unit] Academic Program Review Self-Study Modality of Instruction for Degree Programs Template Program Name Degree Awarded 1 Traditional Classroom Online 100% Online + Classroom Synchronous Online + Classroom Asynchronous Video-conference Online@VCU definitions to be adapted to program level Online: Apart from a face-to-face orientation or initial class meeting, for formal instruction, the instructor and students use electronic means to interact 100% of the time. The instructor and students interact mostly at the different times e.g. recorded lectures or discussion boards. Online + Classroom (Synchronous): The instructor and students meet in class less than 50% of the time. Online instruction is used rest of the time. Online instruction occurs at scheduled times when both instructor and students are online at the same time e.g. video conference, teleconference, or Elluminate live session. Online + Classroom (Asynchronous): The instructor and students meet in class less than 50% of the time. Online instruction is used rest of the time. Online interaction between the students and instructor occurs mostly at different times e.g. recorded lectures or discussion boards. Videoconference: For formal instruction, the instructor and students use electronic means to interact 100% of the time. The instructor and students interact mostly at the same time e.g. video conference, teleconference, or Elluminate live session. 1 For SCHEV approved certificate programs: CERTUG = baccalaureate certificate; CERTPU = post-baccalaureate undergraduate certificate; CERTPG = post-baccalaureate graduate certificate; CERTPM = post-master s certificate. 19

20 Virginia Commonwealth University [Name of Unit] Academic Program Review Self-Study Off-Campus Program Locations Template 50% Or More Degree Program Coursework Can Be Obtained Off-Campus Program Name Degree(s) Awarded 1 Street Address City, State, and Zip 1 For SCHEV approved certificate programs: CERTUG = baccalaureate certificate; CERTPU = post-baccalaureate undergraduate certificate; CERTPG = post-baccalaureate graduate certificate; CERTPM = post-master s certificate. 20