Self-Study Process Guidelines

Helpful Documents

Academic Programs invites departments to participate in a spring semester program review workshop prior to the fall in which they begin their self-study.

Fall Semester

Read the program review self-study guide and consult with your department faculty to clarify the goals of your program review self-study.
Review the previous program review, paying particular attention to the goals/action plan as a starting point. Have goals been achieved? Has the action plan been implemented? What parts of the plan remain to be implemented?
Meet with your school dean to receive input regarding school goals/outcomes.
Review the program learning outcomes and assessment data. What data is still needed to complete the self-study?
Identify program data you will need, including student enrollment and success trends, FTES, and relevant instructional data. Contact Institutional Effectiveness with your request.
Use the self-study to address concerns and issues that your program and your school have identified as needing attention.
Begin selection process of external reviewer.

Late Fall Semester into Early Spring Semester

Conduct any additional assessments/surveys/focus groups, etc. necessary for the self-study.
Select external reviewer and establish dates for the visit. Academic Programs can assist in this process.
Write the draft of the program review self-study, following the guide provided above. The assessment of student achievement in the PLOs and program revisions as a result of assessment are fundamental to the self-study process.

Spring Semester and Summer

Finalize the draft of the self-study with department faculty input.
Send the self-study to the external reviewer at least two weeks prior to visit.
Develop external review itinerary and host the visit.
Receive external review (2-3 weeks after the visit) and incorporate as necessary any adjustments to the self-study.
Complete the self-study by the end of spring semester or in the summer.

Fall Semester (of the following year)

Send the self-study and external review to your school's curriculum committee and dean.
Receive curriculum committee and dean responses and incorporate into the self-study.
Schedule review with the University Program Review Subcommittee (UPRS) and Graduate Studies Subcommittee (GSS) for graduate programs.

Cost of Self-Study

School deans provide compensation to the faculty member assigned as the primary researcher/writer of the self-study. Generally, this compensation is either $5000 or a one-course release.
Academic Programs pays $1500 to your external reviewer. This is inclusive of travel and per diem costs.