Administrative number: 3-26
Responsible office: Academic Affairs
Responsible officer: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Academic Program Review Policy (Draft)

Tags:
UPC Initial Review

Purpose:

This policy ensures that all undergraduate and graduate academic programs at Winona State University (WSU) are reviewed on a regular basis.

Rationale for Revision and Major Changes:

(This is for stakeholder review, not for publishing)

This policy draft is a proposed update for

The content of this updated policy is identical to the previous version. The only changes are grammatical and stylistic.

The updated procedure combines the previous sections A and B (“Program Review Schedule” and “Program Review Timeline”) into one. It clarifies the timelines in section A, setting clear dates (rather than, e.g., “within 30 days of receipt”) and clarifying expectations for the last steps of the process. (Note that none of the previous specified dates have changed.)

The suggested components of the self-study report are expanded in a separate document. This procedure would provide more guidance to academic departments as they construct their self-study reports for academic program reviews. The phrase “Strategic plan for improvement” has been replaced by “Strategic plan for adaptation.”

Suggested Stakeholder feedback deadline:

Feedback should be provided using this WSU form by ??/??/202?.

Policy:

Winona State University’s program review process is a cyclical and collaborative process for evaluating and enhancing the quality and currency of academic programs. The review is conducted through a combination of internal and external evaluations with the goal of identifying pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of programs for our students, our accrediting agencies, and the various communities that we serve.

A. Objectives of Program Review

The program review addresses three categories of objectives.

1. Internal to the program:

To maintain high quality academic programs
To promote excellence in teaching, research and scholarship, and service
To promote professional growth and development
To promote excellence in the support of student growth
To improve the quality of the learning experience
To assist the program in decision making and planning

2. Internal to the university:

To monitor and enhance the quality of the learning experience
To assist university decision making and planning
To inform students about program quality

3. External to the university:

To benchmark performance measures and standards in all areas of academic activity against appropriate external bodies
To provide external evidence to accrediting bodies, the Minnesota State College & Universities system, and the State of Minnesota

B. Guiding Principles of Program Review

1. All academic programs are reviewed on a five-year cycle or coordinated with accreditation timelines.

2. The program review has the following five components:

Evidence Portfolio
Self-Study Report
External Review
Program Response to External Review
Administrative Response

3. Program reviews are completed on a pre-defined schedule.

4. The complete records of program reviews are archived in the college dean’s office.

5. The costs of program reviews are paid by the Office of Academic Affairs.

Related definitions:

[3-26] Academic Program:

A course of study leading to an undergraduate or graduate degree, major, minor, or certificate.

Subsequent Procedure:

History:

Adoption date:
Implementation date: