Below you will find some of the most commonly asked questions regarding Cyclical Program Review. For additional support, please contact the Program Officer.
When will my program be reviewed?
Each undergraduate and graduate academic program is reviewed on a seven year basis. The schedule provides the list of programs that will be undergoing review within the next three academic years.
Are there any academic programs that are not required to undergo cyclical review?
All degree granting programs approved by Senate must undergo cyclical program review. The only programs exempt from program review are professional, cost-recovery programs and undergraduate certificates or post-baccalaureate diplomas. Programs with accreditation procedures may follow a different schedule for cyclical review and supply alternate documents.
What is the timeline for completing the cyclical review?
Cyclical Program Review is an 18-20 month process from initiation to the submission of the Final Assessment Report, Executive Summary, and Implementation Plan. The major steps and milestones in the review process can be seen in the protocol for cyclical program review in the IQAP. The Office of the Vice-Provost provides support to units throughout the review, as well as in the intervening periods with learning outcomes assessment and reporting on progress made on implementation plans.
How are students involved in program review?
Students are important stakeholders in the program review process and are involved in several ways. Each review team must include at least one undergraduate and/or graduate student (as appropriate). Students may also be involved in the development and assessment of program learning outcomes, as well as in the development of assessment tools. Student feedback on the program is also gathered through student surveys and/or focus groups which are conducted specifically for the program review. Finally, groups of students also meet with external reviewers as part of the site visit.
What are the requirements for Volumes I, II and III?
Template for each of the Volumes will be provided by the Program Officer, who will also be available to answer questions and provide support as you prepare the Volumes.
What is the period under review?
The self-study is both a historical and forwarded-looking document. The review period covers the time period since the last review; however, the focus should be on the continuous improvement of the program.
Are there any examples of completed self-studies?
For examples of completed self-studies, please contact the Program Officer. Permission to share completed self-studies will be sought by the authoring academic unit.
Who will review the self-study?
The Review Team should share the self-study with the broader group of faculty involved in the delivery of the program(s) for their feedback. The relevant Faculty Associate Dean(s) and/or Dean(s) must sign-off on the final version of the self-study before it is submitted to the Office of the Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic). The staff in the Vice-Provost’s Office are available to comment on drafts of the self-study prior to its submission and will review the final version for completeness and compliance to Carleton’s IQAP.
The self-study (Volumes I and II) will be provided to the external reviewers in advance of the site visit. It will also be provided to the internal reviewer and other members participating in the site visit.
The self-study (Volumes I-III) will then be considered by the Senate Quality Assurance and Planning Committee (SQAPC). The file will be assigned to a discussant for review, who will prepare a report to facilitate the discussion by the committee. In order to make their recommendation to Senate, SQAPC will receive the self-study, as well as all other documentation related to the review.
Following approval by SQAPC, Senate, the Board of Governors, and the Quality Council will receive only the Final Assessment Report, Executive Summary, and Implementation Plan. The self-study will be made available upon request.
The program review is complete. Now what?
Program review should not be considered an exam to be passed and then forgotten, but rather as an opportunity to critically reflect on the strengths and challenges of the program and to determine actions for continuous improvement. Near the conclusion of the formal review, academic units, in collaboration with the relevant Faculty Dean(s) will be required to prepare an implementation plan to guide the future development of the program. The implementation plan will take into consideration the recommendations made by the external reviewers and SQAPC, as well as the observations of the review team in developing the self-study. A monitoring report on the implementation plan and assessment plans is required between review cycles.