Guide for an Expedited Program Review Report

Expedited Review Triggers and Analysis

• What information gave rise to the need for expedited review?
  • Long-term or dramatic enrollment declines
  • Inability to retain good faculty
  • Lack of resources to replace vacant positions over an extended period of time
  • Student complaints about curriculum, faculty, advising
  • Inability of students to get jobs in their field
  • Inadequate facilities, equipment to stay current
  • Inadequate number of core faculty
  • Evidence of program being out of touch with current field

Mission and General Program Information

• Brief History of program
• Program resources (FTE faculty, FTE staff, Space, Equipment, other)
• Uniqueness of program (comparison to other programs in area)
• Typical employment or advanced education opportunities followed by graduates
• Alignment with University mission and strategic plan

Program Statistics

• Enrollment trends over last 5 years
• Student retention and graduation rates
• Student/faculty ratios over last 5 years
• Contribution margin over last 5 years
• Student profiles (HS, GPA, SAT)
• Performance on any standardized tests, licensure, etc.
• Budget over 3-5 year period

Program Curriculum and Student Learning Outcomes

• Structure of the curriculum
• Course syllabi well written with clear guidance to students
• Content of courses is current and captures student interest
• Faculty qualified to teach at all levels
• Curriculum has appropriate depth, especially at upper levels
• Faculty have expertise across the specializations
• Faculty actively engaged in assessment of student learning

Proposed strategies for addressing identified problems

• Explore the ways in which other institutions have addressed this issue
• Seek new leadership
• Employ an external consultant to provide guidance
• The unit should take advantage of other resources on campus
• Hiring X number of new faculty would greatly strengthen the program
• Faculty need to be more creative in recruiting, teaching, and engaging students
• The institution needs to reassess the resource support for this unit