All programs will be reviewed every five to seven years.
All program reviews will be coordinated through the Office of Academic Affairs.
Academic program reviews will include an internal self-study by the department or unit under review.
Academic program reviews will also include external review by a team of evaluators from outside of Emerson.
The self-study report is a narrative discussion of the topics specified in the "Self-Study Outline" (below), to be used by both the external reviewers and internal audiences to better understand the academic unit. The report will be organized according to a prescribed and approved outline. Recognizing that each department and unit is different, the self-study outline should be customized to address the specific and unique topics and issues relevant to that program or unit.
A department Chair or unit Director will assign a faculty or staff member to serve as coordinator for the self-study report. (Note: Normally, the department Chair should not serve as the author of the self-study report).
The external review team will be comprised of two to four evaluators from outside of Emerson who are acknowledged experts in the academic discipline or disciplines, or professional areas, represented by the department/unit under review. The School Dean and Department Chair or unit Director will select the external evaluators. When possible, external reviewers will be at the department chair, dean, or director level to ensure broad experience in the discipline and some understanding of higher education procedures and processes.
The role of the external team is two-fold. First, it will evaluate the department/unit based on the self-study; meet with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, administrators, and the Department Chair or unit Director; and review department/unit documents such as student files, student theses and projects, syllabi, faculty curricula vitae, and department/unit policies, practices and programs.
Second, it will provide recommendations for strengthening the department/unit. The external evaluators will be provided with a copy of the self-study in advance of their site visit. They will conduct a two- or three-day campus visit to meet with key constituencies. The external review team will discuss its initial findings with the Dean and Chair or Administrative Director, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, and the Provost and then submit to the Provost, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, and Dean or Director a draft program review for commentary, fact-checking and clarification.
The external evaluator's final report will be shared with the department/unit. The department faculty or unit staff will be asked to respond to the report and its recommendations. Based on this discussion, the Chair or unit Director will write a departmental response to the recommendations that details the department/unit goals and the responsibilities of the department/unit and the methods for addressing the recommendations.
The Provost, Associate Provost for Academic Programs, Graduate Dean (if appropriate), School Dean, Department Chair or unit Director, and one faculty member from the department or staff member from the unit will meet to discuss the self-study, the report, and the department/unit response. The agreed-upon final recommendations will be disseminated to and discussed with the department's faculty or unit staff, and should be integrated into the department/unit long-range planning and budgeting.