Academic Program Review

Academic program reviews are required by the Board of Regents of all constituent institutions and are intended to improve the quality of the academic offerings, ensure the wise use of resources, and determine the program’s effectiveness. The Program Review process advances opportunities for academic planning and budgeting and ensures that the program satisfies state-level review requirements.

Programs undergo review every five years. The Program Review Schedule lists review years for every FSU program through 2015.

The most recent Program Review Process Guide provides updated information on the review process. Individuals representing programs undergoing review in the current academic year should review this guide often. Please review the timeline near the end of the document to stay up-to-date on the various deadlines involved in the program review process.

Procedure - Academic Program Review - Programs undergoing review in any given year are responsible for the development of three documents:

1. Program Review Self - Study - This internal document will be submitted to the Office of Planning & Assessment for archiving.
2. External Review Report - This internal document will also enter the Planning & Assessment archives.
3. Certificate - This document is submitted to the USM Board of Regents for review. The Certificate Template must be completed and submitted to the Office of Planning & Assessment by June 1st.

Program review and Student Learning Assessment - Program reviews also play a vital role in the University’s student learning assessment program. The program review schedule serves as the foundation for assessment initiatives through its identification of priorities for the coming cycle. Halfway through the cycle an updated report is submitted that reflects the status of assessment activities. The University has opted for a 2.5 year reporting cycle, reflecting the belief of the faculty designing the program that 2.5 years provides an optimum period of time to design, implement, and evaluate assessments and then use the results for continuous improvement.