Self-Study Outline

This Self-Study outline is a template for all departments; academic support units should address all that are relevant. Insert links of the required data to support the narrative. Any supporting data that cannot be included as a link should be added in the Appendices.

Please work with the Office of Academic Strategy and Analytics to acquire the data needed for the Self-Study.

The Self-Study should be no more than 50 pages, excluding the Appendices.

Introduction

1. Describe (not to exceed one page) the departmental review process and faculty/staff participation in developing the self-study, including numbers of faculty and/or staff in the unit and composition of the self-study committee.
2. The Department Chair's or unit Director's overall summary of the department/unit (not to exceed 5 pages) that discusses program/unit strengths, any major changes that have taken place since the last review, persistent challenges and concerns, and recommendations, strategies and priorities for improvement. Include (in a link) the department's, or unit's, current strategic plan (reviewed and updated each January) and provide information on the status of the goals outlined in the plan. Please include how the department/unit's strategic plan aligns with the College's Strategic Plan.

Department/Unit History, Organization, and Mission Statement

1. Brief history of the department/unit formation and organization. Please include mission statement, goals, and objectives of the program as well as reflection of and contribution to the institution's mission.
2. Local, regional, and national, reputation, and accomplishments of the program; national or discipline ranking (if applicable).

Curriculum

1. Degrees offered, including undergraduate degree programs, majors and minors, graduate degree programs, and certificate programs (if applicable).
2. Requirements for each degree housed in the department.
3. Program structure for each degree, including recommended course plan from year one to completion.
4. Current undergraduate, graduate, and combined courses; please note frequency of course offerings.
5. Major changes in curriculum in the last five years.
6. Representative course syllabi (in the Appendices)

Emerson's Values

Describe the ways in which the program enacts Emerson's commitment to the values of Creativity, Innovation, Inclusion, Curiosity, Equity, Expression, Collaboration, as defined in Emerson's Strategic Plan. Academic programs should address all of the following areas; academic support programs should address all that are relevant.

1. Shifts in program goals based on identified opportunities, challenges or barriers to these values. Name the value and the specific opportunity, challenge or barrier that these shifts addressed.
2. Shifts in program operations, academic offerings, or launch of any special projects or initiatives to be collaborative and responsive to student feedback on the implementation of program goals reflecting the values.
3. Pedagogical innovation that promotes curiosity and greater creative and collaborative expression across backgrounds, experiences, identities, and beliefs.
4. Curricular development (creation of new courses, elimination or substantial revision of existing courses) to foster equity of representation in the curriculum.
5. Faculty development efforts to equip program faculty with knowledge and tools to advance an inclusive learning environment built from a strengths-based approach. This could be department-led efforts or efforts done in coordination with equity resources across the College.
6. Innovative efforts to promote access and accessibility. This could be to increase physical access, language access, socio-economic access, or access in terms of neurodiversity.
7. Name two emerging or urgent changes in the industries related to this program and describe how the program is preparing students to be more informed and career-ready.
8. Other areas/approaches/actions not listed above.

Faculty and/or Staff

1. Total number of faculty (full-time, affiliated, visiting, tenure/non-tenure track); please note any new faculty and retiring full-time faculty; please also include percent tenured; terminal degrees; fields of specialization represented and a demographic breakdown according to race, nationality, legal sex, and gender.
2. Faculty recruitment and retention efforts since the last program review.
3. Short faculty bios (include description of faculty research, scholarship, and creative activities; special projects; professional awards and recognition; grants awarded).
4. Role, contribution, significance, and participation of affiliated faculty in the department.
5. Faculty Development: include resources available to support faculty development in teaching, research, or creative activities; faculty involvement in development activities such as teaching seminars and training to update skills or knowledge.
6. Number and type of staff; description of how faculty and professional staff work together to meet curricular needs; evaluation of adequacy of support, information on staff responsibilities and lines of reporting; staff development activities; brief staff bios.

Faculty Workload (if applicable)

1. Describe faculty workloads, including: average course load; average class size; average advising load per faculty member; average thesis load per faculty member; faculty/student ratio (undergraduate and graduate).
2. Describe service obligations, special assignments, time spent on scholarly and creative activities as part of overall workload.

Students (or student constituents)

1. Enrollments for the last five years (undergraduate, graduate).
2. Narrative description of current enrollment breakdowns, strategies and recent trends.
3. Number and type of degrees awarded over the last five years; degree completion rates; average time to degree completion.
4. Student admissions profile and criteria; number of applicants and admitted students; part-time/full-time status; transfer credits; number of international students.
5. Department recruitment, advising, and retention efforts.
6. Financial Assistance data, including, for undergraduates, institutional funds; the percent of students on financial aid; average level of support; for graduate students, the ratio of grant-to-loan funds; number of teaching, advising, and/or administrative assistantships and selection process.
7. Student productivity: number of theses, Master's projects, and dissertations produced in the last five years; number of student publications, exhibitions, productions, and professional presentations (both undergraduate and graduate); financial resources to support student work.
8. Career Outcomes: a sampling of areas and professions where alumni are employed; any data indicating career placement 1, 5, and 10 years out.

Assessment of Student Learning

For Departments

1. Complete the "Assessment of Student Learning Overview - Departments" table.
2. Briefly describe how assessment of student learning is discussed within the department and provide two to three key examples of substantial changes made as a result of student learning outcomes assessment since the previous program review (student learning outcomes, curriculum, pedagogical changes, etc.).
3. Describe current partnerships to enhance and assess key co-curricular learning (e.g. Iwasaki Library Information Literacy Outcomes, Information Technology Group, NACE Career Development Outcomes).
4. External reviewers should be invited to observe a class and should meet with students to elicit their feedback.

For Offices & Programs

1. Complete the "Assessment of Student Learning Overview - Offices & Programs" table.
2. Briefly describe the process for collaborating with departments to assess student learning and provide two to three key examples of how assessment has been used to improve services and programming since the previous program review.
3. Describe any additional partnerships to enhance and assess key co-curricular learning (e.g. Iwasaki Library Information Literacy Outcomes, Information Technology, NACE Career Development Outcomes).

Stakeholder Satisfaction and Program Climate

Gather and summarize information on stakeholder satisfaction regarding quality of the scholarly community; teaching; academic advising; and, plurality of faculty and students as reflected in community activities. Stakeholders include students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners.

Community Outreach and Partnership

Describe any community outreach activities that the faculty and the department engage in and how they contribute to the department and college mission. Describe any partnerships with organizations and the benefits realized by the college and the organization.

Facilities

Description of number, type, and size of dedicated facilities and assigned facilities including: classrooms, computer labs, studios, and offices. Describe any inadequacies and needs.

Budget

Payroll and Operational Budget sheet annual summaries. Instructional and general expense budget; portion of budget used for undergraduate and for graduate programs(s). Identify any amount of external funding (externally funded research, gifts, contracts, special programs). Describe any major changes, shifts, trends in budget over the last five years, and the impact of those changes.

Department/Unit Policies and Practices

Department policies and procedures: admission policies, attendance policy, grading policy or practices, academic standards, teaching evaluations and evaluation practices, department handbooks, student handbooks, etc.

Appendices (provided by the department/unit)

Include data that you have not added as links in the narrative.