Assessment - Five-Year Program Review

Five-Year Program Review

Purpose, Requirements, & Procedures

A 5-year program review is an opportunity to reflect on a program's effectiveness, its curricular offerings, faculty expertise, student learning and program outcomes, and the strengths and challenges facing the program. Further, it demonstrates the extent to which the program is fulfilling the mission and strategic goals of the institution. 

Academic programs are required to complete a self-study as part of the 5-year program review process. The outline of required content for the self-study specifies what must be included in the report. 

Departments scheduled for 5-year reviews should have the self-study completed by November 1 of the academic year when it is due. The report should be submitted to the respective school dean and the Senior Associate Provost for review by the Academic Assessment Committee.  The process concludes when the departmental faculty meets with the Provost to discuss the self-study's findings and develop goals or the next cycle.  

Program Review Procedures

• The Senior Associate Provost notifies the department in advance to discuss requirements and expectations related to the program review.
• The department submits the self-study report to the respective school dean and the Senior Associate Provost on or before November 1 of the review year.
• Following the report's submission, the department meets with the Academic Assessment Committee to discuss the contents of the self-study.
• The committee writes a response to the report which is shared with the department.
• The department reviews the committee's response and informs the Academic Assessment Committee of any errors of fact.
• If warranted, the committee corrects any factual errors and submits its response and the department's self-study to the Provost. 
• The department meets with the Provost to review the self-study report, discuss assessment findings and trends, identify resource needs, and establish goals and action plans. The school dean also attends this meeting. 
• The Provost provides a written follow-up to the department summarizing the discussion, identifying goals for the next cycle, and indicating documented resource needs.
• The department submits an action plan to the Provost outlining how the goals will be achieved. 

A comprehensive description of the policies and procedures for the program-review may be found in the Academic Assessment Committee Handbook. The handbook also includes the program review schedule. 

For programs that have specialized accreditors, the accreditation report typically replaces the self-study. However, the University may require the program to engage in additional analyses of data, particularly with respect to enrollment trends and economic forecasts.