Timeline

The timeline for the review process is outlined below:

12 months before review

A staff member from Assessment, Improvement, and Research (AIR) will meet with the departmental director to determine dates for the review, confirm the program review coordinator, and set a date for the orientation meeting. The departmental assessment coordinator will serve as the program review coordinator at the discretion of the departmental director (other suggestions for the program review coordinator can be discussed with the AIR staff member). This individual will:

1. Serve as the main contact for the program review committee.
2. Coordinate the self-study process
3. Coordinate the site visit including a detailed itinerary.
4. Work with the Office of the Vice President for Student Life administrative services professional or departmental administrative services professional to coordinate travel logistics, room reservations, and material preparation for the program review committee.

6 months before review

During the orientation meeting the department director, the program review coordinator, and the AIR staff member will review the guidelines, roles and responsibilities, and the self-study protocol. The departmental director will select the appropriate self-study protocol. Options include:

1. Mandatory or pre-existing professional accreditation process: If a department is required to participate in an accreditation process, they may use some or all of the professional accreditation process to fulfill the program review expectations. If the department selects this protocol, an internal reviewer will not be used during the review process.
2. DSL Self-Study Guide: This guide incorporates Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) general standards and focuses on twelve key areas crucial to the success of every department. Departments can replace the CAS standards with professional or national standards as requested.

The department will complete a charge that outlines any focus areas for the review, the standards selected, the proposed site visit dates, and the recommended review team.

Departmental program review committee

The charge of the program review committee is to evaluate and provide recommendations to improve the quality of a department’s programs and services. Recommendations will be used to inform short and long-term departmental decision-making. The program review committee will include national or regional experts in the field of the department under review and University of Iowa staff/faculty members who are stakeholders of the department. The program review committee will:

1. Respond to the departmental program review charge, the departmental self-study, and on-campus (or online) interviews and observations. If members of the campus community are unable to participate in the on campus review during the scheduled time, the review team will set aside additional time to visit via phone, skype, or face to face.
2. Write a report of their findings within 30 days of the site visit.

The department will suggest up to three external reviewers and one internal reviewer to serve on the program review committee. External reviewers should be experts in the field of the department under review and should be from aspirational institutions i.e. from departments at other institutions the department aspires to emulate. The internal reviewer should be a key stakeholder of the department, but should not be current or past departmental employees. The internal reviewer will provide context on the University of Iowa and the department under review for the external reviewers.

The departmental director and program review coordinator will submit a list of potential reviewers to the AIR staff member for review, including reviewer names, current position/employer, and rationale for their inclusion. Upon final confirmation of reviewers, the departmental director will formally invite the reviewers to participate in the review process.