Guidelines for the Fifth Cycle of Academic Program Review (formerly S89-161)
GUIDELINES FOR THE FIFTH CYCLE OF ACADEMIC PROGRAM REVIEW
Academic Senate Policy #S99-161
(Formerly Academic Senate Policy #S89-161)
At its meeting of February 23, 1999, the Academic Senate approved the following
policy for guidelines for the fifth cycle of Academic Program Review:
The purpose of academic program review at San Francisco State University is
to assess the University's academic degree programs in order to assure that
they are of the highest possible quality. Its goals include identifying and
articulating the values, competencies, and learning outcomes expected for each
program, assessing the currency of learning objectives, and describing how those
learning objectives have been revised in response to changing needs and new
knowledge. Additionally, its purpose includes assessing how well the articulated
values, competencies, and learning outcomes have been achieved and describing
methods being employed to increase their achievement. The review
should provide information, analysis, and evaluation that will help all elements
of the University plan and make decisions about the maintenance, enhancement,
reduction, consolidation, or discontinuance of baccalaureate, master's, and
joint-doctoral degree programs.
Academic program review in the fifth cycle will include the following three
components:
1. Instructional Unit Self-Study and Recommendation
2. External Review and Recommendation
3. University Review and Decision-Making
1. Instructional Unit Self-Study and Recommendation
At the start of the process for a given College, representatives from the instructional
units, the College, the Office of Academic Affairs, and the Academic Program
Review Committee (APRC) will meet to discuss substantive and procedural questions.
Those attending should indicate any specific areas or issues needing to be addressed,
so that these may be given special attention in the review process.
Every instructional unit which offers academic programs leading to baccalaureate,
master's, or joint doctoral degrees (other than those subject to periodic accreditation
review) shall prepare a self-study that will serve as a basis for all subsequent
reviews and recommendations. In this self-study, the unit should describe and
assess each degree program it offers, following the guidelines that appear in
the Handbook for the Fifth Cycle of Academic Program Review. Department
chairs and program heads should assure that there is widespread faculty participation
in the self-studies and that the faculty are made aware of all findings and
recommendations.
The unit shall forward its completed self-study to the Office of Academic Affairs
and to the College Dean for their respective review and signatures indicating
that the self study is complete and ready for external review.
2. External Review and Recommendation
The purpose of external review is to help each instructional unit improve the
quality of its degree programs and to add an additional perspective to the recommendations
made in the self-study. It is anticipated that the external reviewers will provide
evaluative assistance and support for program goals.
Typically, the review will be conducted by a team of two members, representing
both a CSU and a non-CSU perspective.
The unit faculty and the College Dean, working together, shall choose the potential
reviewers. The College Dean shall forward their names and addresses to the Vice
President for Academic Affairs for his/her concurrence. Reviewers will receive
a copy of the unit's self-study and supporting documents and are expected to
spend two days on the campus interviewing students, faculty, and administrators
and to prepare a report of findings and recommendations. Copies of this report
shall be sent to the program head and to the College Dean, both of whom will
be invited to respond in writing, commenting on recommendations made
and adding recommendations as needed. The report and responses will become
part of the unit's program review file evaluated by the Academic Program Review
Committee and the Office of Academic Affairs. Upon receipt of the report, the
University will pay the reviewers an honorarium (in addition to travel costs
and other expenses).
3. University Review and Decision-Making
In order to provide a University-wide faculty perspective and assist in University-wide
planning, the Academic Program Review Committee will carefully review each unit's
self-study, external review report, and responses to the external review. APRC
will meet with the College Dean and program faculty to ensure that APRC fully
understands all recommendations made. APRC will accept additional data and recommendations
from the units at this time. It will then proceed to evaluate all recommendations
and send its report to the Chair of the Academic Senate and the Vice President
for Academic Affairs for transmission to all interested parties. APRC should
review all recommendations in a timely fashion and submit its findings to
appropriate units as expeditiously as possible. APRC will also
send any policy recommendations and its annual report to the Academic Senate.
After the faculty of the instructional unit, the College Dean, and the Office
of Academic Affairs have had an opportunity to study all reports and recommendations,
representatives of these three areas will meet to discuss recommendations and
agree on actions to be taken. This agreement will be embodied in a memorandum
of understanding which will be in effect until the completion of the next review
cycle. This memorandum of understanding will be kept on file in the Offices
of Academic Affairs and the Academic Senate.
Accredited Programs
For programs that are nationally accredited and undergo periodic accreditation
review involving a campus visit by an accrediting team (see attachment), the
accreditation review will normally substitute for academic program review with
the following exceptions:
(a) Following receipt of notification from the accrediting body that a program
has been re-accredited, representatives of the instructional unit, College administration,
and Office of Academic Affairs will develop a memorandum of understanding embodying
agreements reached in the accreditation review. This memorandum of understanding
will be in effect until completion of the next accreditation review and will
be kept on file in the Offices of Academic Affairs and the Academic Senate.
(b) Upon special request of the instructional unit, College Dean, and/or Vice
President for Academic Affairs, an accredited program shall undergo academic
program review in addition to accreditation review. In this event, the self-study
prepared for accreditation may be adapted or substituted, as appropriate, for
the purpose of program review, and the campus visit by the accrediting team
may be substituted for the external review.
Program Review Schedule
As nearly as feasible, programs shall be reviewed on a six year cycle by College,
in alphabetical order of College, beginning in Fall, 1999. College Deans should
assure that their Colleges' programs are reviewed in a timely fashion and that
there is appropriate dissemination of information and recommendations.
The Liberal Studies and General Education programs shall also undergo review
during the fifth cycle.
Handbook for the Fifth Cycle of Academic Program Review
A handbook will be prepared based on the Handbook for the Fourth
Cycle of Academic Program Review, with the following modifications:
- In preparing the fifth cycle handbook, the content of the fourth cycle handbook
will be reviewed and edited for accuracy and for inclusion of the principles
delineated in the following documents (currently included as appendices to
the fourth cycle handbook):
- The self-study guidelines which appear as Attachment A of Academic Senate
Policy S89-161, "Guidelines for the Fourth Cycle of Academic Program Review."
- "The APRC Perspective in Academic Program Review."
(b) The fifth cycle handbook will include changes made to program review as
approved by the
Academic Senate in the "Guidelines for the Fifth Cycle of Academic Program
Review."
(c) The fifth cycle handbook will incorporate the following additional self-study
guidelines:
- To help maintain the currency of academic programs, academic programs
will be asked to describe the use of community advisory boards or appropriate
alternatives where such bodies exist.
- Academic programs will be asked to describe the use of introductory
courses/experiences which expose students to discipline-specific demands and
ways of knowing, set standards of study in the discipline, provide feedback
on the quality of student work, and identify opportunities to meet expected
standards.
- Academic programs will be asked to describe how the curriculum integrates
and enhances students’ basic skills, including critical thinking, written
and oral communication, quantitative reasoning, and information access competence.
Academic programs will also be asked to describe how this basic skill
development is promoted and reviewed within the major program.
- Academic programs will be asked to identify to what extent their programs
are interdisciplinary, to articulate the interdisciplinary philosophy of their
programs and how the curriculum reflects it, and to describe any plans they
may have for cross-department and/or cross-college collaborations.
- Graduate programs will be asked to address the level of preparation of admitted
students, the investment of faculty and other resources in the graduate program
compared with the undergraduate program(s), student research/scholarship (publications,
exhibitions, public presentations, etc.), completion rates of the culminating
experience, and average time to degree.
**APPROVED BY PRESIDENT CORRIGAN ON MARCH 2, 1999**
_______________________________________________________________________
SFSU PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO PERIODIC REVIEW FOR NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
Spring 1999
COLLEGE |
PROGRAM |
DEGREE(S) |
ACCREDITING ORGANIZATION |
Business |
Business Admin. |
BS/MS/MBA |
American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business |
Hospitality Mgmt |
BS |
American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business |
|
Taxation |
MS |
American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business |
|
Creative Arts |
Art |
BA/MA/MFA |
National Association of Art and Design |
Drama |
BA/MA |
National Association of Schools of Theatre |
|
Music |
BA/MA/BM/MM |
National Association of Schools of Music |
|
Education |
Communicative Disorders |
BA/MS |
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association |
Education |
MA/EdD/PhD |
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
|
Special Education |
MA |
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education |
|
HHS |
Counseling |
MS |
Council for Accred. Of Counseling & Related Ed. Programs |
Dietetics |
BS |
American Dietetic Association |
|
Family & Consumer Sci. |
BA/MA |
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences |
|
Nursing |
BS/MS |
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education |
|
Physical Therapy |
MS |
American Physical Therapy Association |
|
Recreation |
BA/MS |
National Recreation and Park Association |
|
Rehabilitation Counseling |
MS |
Council on Rehabilitation Education |
|
Social Work |
BA/MSW |
Council on Social Work Education |
|
Humanities |
Journalism |
BA |
Accred. Council on Ed. In Journalism & Mass Commun. |
Science & Engineering |
Biomedical Lab. Science |
BS/MS |
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Lab. Sciences |
Computer Science |
BS/MS |
Computing Sciences Accreditation Board |
|
Engineering |
BS |
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology |