Guidelines for APR Subcommittees Reviewing Program Self-Studies

[Revised by Academic Program Review Committee on October 5, 2006.]

The Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) of the University Senate’s Committee on Academic Programs (CAP) assists CAP in carrying out its mission of advising the Provost on graduate and undergraduate matters, including the promotion, development, and coordination of graduate and undergraduate education.  The APRC’s central goal is to provide CAP with program assessments by university peers that allow CAP to make a positive contribution to the overall Academic Program Review (APR) effort of the University.  In order to achieve this goal, the APRC establishes subcommittees to review all materials prepared during APR and prepares brief reports to CAP on documents related to programs and service centers undergoing Academic Program Review.  Subcommittee chairs will consult with the Associate Provost for Institutional Effectiveness in December to review self-studies in order to assure that they are complete and conform to the required Self-Study Template.  Self Studies prepared by Research Centers are reviewed by the University Senate’s Research Committee, which then forwards its review to the APRC.  The reports of the Research Committee and the APRC subcommittee must be approved by the APRC as a whole for consideration and action by CAP. 

Goals and Objectives of the APRC Subcommittees: 

• Acting for CAP and the APRC to review the program Self-Study, comments by external reviewers, and other documents provided for overall conformance in form and substance to the APRC Self-Study Template requirements;
• To identify substantive strengths, accomplishments,  challenges, and resource needs faced by the program as  documented in the Self-Study document and related materials;
• To provide useful and constructive comments and recommendations from university peers regarding the strengths and weaknesses, issues, and needs identified by the program.    
• To prepare a brief (approximately five pages) draft report following the APRC Template for Subcommittee Reports and to bring this report to the APRC for comment and recommendations (subcommittee chair responsibility).  With APRC authorization, the APRC Chair will share the draft report with the unit head as a check on the accuracy of subcommittee interpretations of factual statements and data presented in the subcommittee report;
• To use APRC and unit head feedback to prepare a final subcommittee report for consideration and approval by the APRC; and
• All of the above takes place in conformance with APRC schedules and calendars as set forth each year of the current APR cycle.

Subcommittee Membership Criteria:

• All subcommittees will have three members, one of whom will be the chair;
• The subcommittee chair is named by the chair of APRC and they collaboratively identify the other two members of the subcommittee;
• The subcommittee chair will be a current member of the APRC;
• As appropriate, one non-chair member will be drawn from a program that will be undergoing program review the coming year;
• One member will be from CAP and/or the GSU Senate;
• If it is feasible, one member of the subcommittee should have some familiarity with the program in question; and
• Subcommittee members are to be selected in a manner designed to avoid the reality or appearance of conflicts of interest.