Proposed Revisions to 303.3 - Program Review

 

Board policy:

            1.  Existing programs shall be reviewed on a regular basis by each unit. The Commissioner of Higher Education shall initiate and coordinate such reviews of existing programs as he deems appropriate and necessary.  The Commissioner shall report his findings to the Board.

            2.  An initial lateral review of all programs will be conducted.

Procedures:

            1.  Each unit will review its own programs on a regular basis.  An annual report of review activities in progress or completed during the past few years will be submitted.  An important issue here is to identify the incentives for each campus to be candid and honest in its reviews.  Institutions should not be penalized for doing a thorough job and should not be put in a position of preparing a defensive document.

            2.  Regional and professional accreditation provides reviews for some programs.  Section 320.2 of the Policy and Procedures Manual provides for participation by the Commissioner's Office and also that copies of all accreditation reports are sent to the Commissioner's Office.

            3.  Selected lateral (interinstitutional) reviews will be carried out.  Requests for programs to be reviewed will be submitted to the chief academic officers for selection, prioritization and scheduling.  The specific issues to be addressed in each lateral review should be identified prior to the start of the review.  This type of review will not be started until institutional role and scope statements are approved by the Regents.  The review of proposals for new programs will also frequently result in the review of similar programs in other units.

            4.  Each unit will update the program inventory started in 1972.  This inventory lists graduates by degree and major for the past five years and also the current enrollment in each program.

Definitions:

            "Lateral review" means interinstitutional review.

History:

                Item 2-001-R0973 (Revised), October 19, 1973; Board of Regents of Higher Education, Minutes October 24, 1975, as amended October 28, 1977; Memo from I. E. Dayton to Curriculum Committee, October 18, 1977, entitled "Academic Program Review".

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