Policies and Procedures Related to Program Review

The Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs and the Center for Institutional Effectiveness, in conjunction with the Graduate Council and the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, will be developing policies and procedures related to academic program review. At present, the proposed guidelines and procedures for academic program reviews are as follows:

• Academic program reviews are intended to assess the state and the effectiveness of academic programs. Academic program reviews also are used to recommend actions to improve programs and the institution.
• Academic program reviews will consider all programs in an academic unit and will include the following elements:
  • self-study
  • assessment of student learning outcomes
  • objective measures of departmental inputs, processes and outputs
  • external review
  • action plans
• The process for academic program reviews will be based on regular, scheduled reviews conducted on cycles consistent with program and institutional accreditation (e.g., SACS) and planning activities.
• Possible review cycles should be between five and 10 years.
• Student learning outcomes should be a key part of the departmental self-study.
• Objective measures of departmental inputs, processes and outputs should be at the core of every program review and should support institutional decision making.
• Measures of faculty productivity in instruction, scholarship and sponsored research should be evaluated relative to disciplinary norms and institutional expectations.
• Academic program reviews should tie objectives, measures and external reviewers’ recommendations to action plans.
• VCU should establish common guidelines for conducting program reviews that will be used for all departments.
• Academic program reviews will result in a list of actionable items for improving all programs in an academic department.
• The appropriate vice president will approve these action plans.
• That vice president, in conjunction with CIE, will conduct regular assessments of progress on these action plans.