Program Review Handbook : A Course-based Approach to Conducting Program Review

Abstract

The authors propose that a professional learning community is a novel and meaningful perspective from which to approach program review, particularly when the community is embedded within a reliable infrastructure such as a course.

The Program Review Course described in this Handbook follows an interdisciplinary cohort- and team-based model that is faculty-led. The course offers a reliable institutional framework for learning through formalized structures and nested support services. The course is housed in the office of quality assurance and coordinated and maintained by a quality assurance practitioner. All aspects of the course are available through a learning management system, such as Moodle. Program review teams are automatically enrolled in the course where they have access to timelines, templates, a discussion forum, and a program review handbook. During the 14-month course, faculty engage in a comprehensive review of their program and/or department. The course includes eight modules: 1) orientation, 2) curriculum mapping, 3) SOAR analysis activity, 4) surveys, 5) self-study report, 6) external review, 7) action planning, and 8) reporting results to the university community.

This team-based course is designed to evaluate program performance in relation to student success, curriculum content, program viability and impact, and the program’s contribution to the university’s mission and vision. Program performance is measured through a combination of self- and external peer- evaluation. Through evidence-based inquiry and analyses, findings are documented in a comprehensive report leading to an action plan and goals for program improvement over the next five to seven years.