Program Reviews

Iowa State University began implementing comprehensive external reviews of all of its academic programs in 1990-1991. As of today, all academic programs (except those that may have been initiated in the last few years) have undergone two reviews and some have undergone three. The institutional policy that guides reviews was established in 1990, reviewed in 1992, and reviewed again between 1998 and 2001. According to policy, each academic program undergoes a comprehensive review every seven years or less. In practice, however, reviews are sometimes delayed due to budgetary pressures, changes in departmental leadership, or institutional reorganizations. On average, approximately 10 programs undergo a review during a given academic year; the actual number can vary significantly from year to year. For example, we reported on 16 reviews in July of 2003, while in July of 2004 we reported only on four.

In the past, the review focused on the “status” of a program. It addressed questions such as the following: Did the program make efficient use of capital and human resources? Was the selection of courses offered by departmental faculty appropriate for majors at the undergraduate and graduate levels? Were faculty members engaged in research publishing work of sufficient quality and quantity? Were students obtaining a good education? Today, the emphasis is more forward thinking and strategic. That is, review teams, while still addressing important questions like the aforementioned, are asked to discuss departmental plans for the future, including departmental goals and plans to achieve those goals.

Colleges are responsible for the periodic review of departments and programs. The Office of the Provost provides oversight and guidance on various aspects of the process, and the Office of Institutional Research provides relevant data.

The first step in the external review process is to select the review team. Departments undertake this effort in consultation with their respective deans. Review teams are comprised of at least three experts from outside of Iowa State. The Office of the Provost reviews the qualifications of each member of the proposed review team, and confirms that departments and colleges have been mindful of other issues, such as diversity, when making their recommendation.

In preparation for the visit by the external review team, departments write a self-study report. In the past, the self-study consisted of an inventory and a self-evaluation of departmental governance, activities, and other attributes. Review teams were asked to comment on the effectiveness with which the department fulfilled its missions in teaching, research, and outreach. In recent years, the Office of the Provost has worked with departments to shift the focus of the reviews. Departments are encouraged to think strategically about the future and to prepare a report that clearly describes departmental aspirations and goals along with the steps that will be taken to achieve those goals. In this light, self-study documents today are the result of months of strategic thinking and planning by departmental faculty, staff and students, and provide a blueprint to guide programs into the future. External review teams are asked to discuss whether the departmental objectives are sound and achievable, whether the department has envisioned challenges and opportunities that may lie ahead, and whether the implementation plan to achieve the goals is realistic, given the department’s resources.

Review team visits average one or two days in duration, although longer visits are sometimes necessary. During the visit, team members meet with groups of faculty, staff, and students in the department, as well as with the department chair, appropriate dean and associate deans, Provost, Associate Provosts, and Vice Provosts. Team members are provided with all documentation they need to properly evaluate the department and its plans for the future.

The last day of the visit is reserved for team members to meet with the Provost and the office’s senior staff. During this meeting, the team members share preliminary observations, which will later form the basis of their report. These discussions are often quite candid and always very informative.

As soon as possible, while the team’s visit is still fresh in everyone’s minds, the Provost and the Associate Provost in charge of program reviews meet with the appropriate department chair, dean, and associate deans. The purpose of these meetings is to begin the process of responding to the external review team’s preliminary comments, discuss the team’s draft recommendations, and plan the steps that will be needed to respond to those recommendations.

Once the report by the review team is received, the department faculty are expected to review and discuss the report and to provide a written response on the team’s recommendations to both the College and the Office of the Provost. The team’s report and the departmental response form the basis of the departmental summaries that are included each year in the institutional report on program reviews submitted to the Board of Regents, State of Iowa.

In addition to external reviews, departments are subject to periodic, on-site audits initiated by the Board of Regents. The academic program review and student outcomes assessment process audit is used to assess how the institution’s policies and procedures guide its academic program review processes and to identify “best practices” for process improvement.

Comprehensive program reviews conducted by respected colleagues from academically recognized institutions are invaluable to the program and to academic administration. Some of the benefits of implementing reviews of programs and departments include the following.

• Reviews of programs by a group of colleagues from other institutions motivate faculty, staff, and students to consider their program and its future. Departments and programs are expected to think strategically about the next five to seven years, within an institutional, professional, and national context.

• Reviews are an excellent opportunity for departments and programs to receive an objective opinion on future plans from a group of external reviewers. Before, during, and after the visit, the department is in the unique position of having the undivided attention of a group of respected colleagues whose contributions are almost always very valuable. This highlights the importance of selecting review teams that are committed to the process and that are knowledgeable about the professional landscape.

• Programs that undergo periodic reviews may be less likely to turn inwards and become insular; thorough reviews challenge the sometimes comfortable “we have always done it this way” habits and encourage departments to implement new ideas and approaches.

• The program review process, in particular the campus visit by external review teams, is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the University’s outstanding students and faculty.

Above all, the purpose of periodic program review is to provide a mechanism to ensure the improvement of academic programs on a continuous basis. Program review is a process for monitoring the status, effectiveness, and progress of academic programs; recognizing and responding to program strengths and weaknesses; identifying important directions in the disciplines or professions that need to be addressed; assessing the relationships among and contributions to other academic programs and the overall mission of the university; selecting among the opportunities and options available to the programs; and recognizing the implications of the choices made. Thus, program review is a process by which the future directions, needs, and priorities of academic programs can be identified. As such, program review is inextricably linked to strategic planning, resource allocation, and decision-making at the program, department, college, and university levels.