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.