Self-Study Outline

This Self-Study outline is the template that all departments should complete as they are going through their External Program Review. Academic support units (i.e. not departments) should address the categories below that are relevant.

The Office of Academic Strategy and Analytics will provide or help you to acquire the data needed for the Self-Study. Please meet with them before you begin work on your APR Self- Study.

The Self-Study should be 25-50 pages, excluding the Appendices.

Introduction

1. Describe the departmental review process and faculty/staff participation in developing the Self-Study.
2. The Department Chair’s, or unit Director’s, overall summary of the department/unit. Discuss 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 a link of the department’s, or unit’s, current strategic plan and provide information on the status of the goals outlined in the plan. Address how the department/unit’s strategic plan aligns with the College’s Strategic Plan.
3. 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. Examples may include: pedagogical innovation that promotes these values, shifts in program operations and/or academic offerings that reflect them, faculty and/or staff development that represents them, and innovative efforts to promote access to them.

Department/Unit History, Organization, and Mission Statement

1. Brief history of the department/unit formation and organization. Include mission statement, goals, and objectives of the program. 
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; note frequency of course offerings.
5. Major changes in curriculum in the last five years. 
6. Representative course syllabi (in the Appendices).

Faculty and/or Staff

1. Total number of faculty (full-time, affiliated, visiting, tenure/non-tenure track); note any new faculty and retiring full-time faculty; percent tenured; percent with terminal degrees; and, fields of specialization. 
2. Describe faculty workloads, including: average course load; average class size; average mentoring activities per faculty member; average thesis load per faculty member; faculty/student ratio (undergraduate and graduate).
3. Describe typical service obligations and special assignments.
4. Describe average time spent on research, scholarly, and creative activities as part of overall workload.
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. Role, contribution, significance, and participation of affiliated faculty in the department.
7. 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; provide brief staff bios.

Students (or student constituents)

1. Enrollments for the last five years (undergraduate, graduate).
2. Describe 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; number of international students.
5. Department recruitment, mentoring, and retention efforts.
6. Financial Assistance data, including, for undergraduates, institutional funds, the percent of students on financial aid, and average level of support; for graduate students, the % of institutional aid and the number of teaching, advising, and/or administrative assistantships and selection process.
7. Student productivity: number of theses and Master’s projects 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; 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). 

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

Provide information on stakeholder satisfaction regarding quality of the scholarly community; teaching; academic advising; and other issues of importance to the department. 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, school, and college missions. Describe any partnerships with organizations and the benefits realized by the college and the organization.

Facilities

Describe the 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, academic standards, teaching evaluations and evaluation practices, department handbooks, student handbooks, etc.

Appendices (provided by the department/unit)

Include data or supplementary information that you have not added in the narrative.