Academic Program Review

Program Review seeks to bring about the improvement of the academic programs offered by Southeastern (SE). The concepts of quality, value, outcomes, and effective use of resources are fundamental issues to be addressed by the process of program review. Program review is defined as the systematic, periodic, and comprehensive evaluation of the academic programs offered by SE. A program is defined as a sequence of courses that lead to a degree or certificate; general education also will be subject to the program review process. 

The general purposes of program review are to provide: 

• a process to verify that each program is achieving its stated goals, and to reaffirm that those goals are appropriate, 

• an opportunity to identify needed improvements in programs, and to develop strategies to accomplish these improvements, 

• a framework for institutional planning that facilitates improvements in courses, curricula, and instructional methodology, and 

• a means to assess those programs that are no longer serving an identifiable societal need and develop a recommendation regarding the expenditure of limited tax dollars. 

The overarching functions of program review at SE are to: 

• engage faculty/departments in the assessment of their current goals, objectives, and activities in relation to institution-wide goals, 

• provide a basis for recommendations regarding: (1) internal allocations in the preparation of annual operating budgets, and (2) reallocations (in the form of budget adjustments) during the operating year, and 

• provide a basis for the formulation of both immediate and long-range plans, designed to enhance the viability of the programs in each unit. 

The Program Review process includes six steps:

1. A Self-Study Report by the program/department using the template provided in the Academic Program Review Guide and submitted to Academic Affairs.
2. An External Consultant Report based on the Self-Study Report, the website, and (optional) interviews with faculty, students, and alumni submitted to Academic Affairs.
3. A program/department/chair written response to the External Consultant’s recommendations submitted to Academic Affairs.
4. A review of the three documents above by the Organized Research and Program Review Committee (ORPRC) with attention to discrepancies between departmental and external consultant recommendations.
5. An ORPRC Recommendation Report submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs.
6. A concluding conference between the Department Chair/Program Coordinator and the VPAA.