Graduate Program Review

1
Graduate Program Review

• Prof. Emad Ali

2
Major Review Steps

• Self-study Report
• External evaluation
• Apply actions for improvement

3
External Review

• The program faculty can select their reviewer
  team
• a minimum of tow consultants from outside the
  institution.
• The two outside consultants must be recognized
  authorities in the areas of the graduate program
  under review and/or should be from organizational
  affiliates that are appropriate to the program

4
Self Study Report

• Department mission and goals
• Student recruitment and admission
• Student enrollment and graduation
• Program curriculum
• Faculty
• Resources and infrastructure
• Administration

5
Department information

• Title of program, title of degree
• History and mission
• Program groups or tracks
• Program objectives and outcomes
• Program quality, emphasis, national rank

6
Students

• Admission and enrollment history
• Quality of incoming students
• Quality of ongoing students
• Graduation trends
• Employer demand for degree
• Funding, sponsorship

7
Faculty

• Faculty CV
• Faculty distribution, competency
• Visiting, part-time
• Quality research-active
• Advising
• Qualification and load
• Professional development

8
Curriculum

• Full description of the courses
• Graduation requirement, tracks
• Interrelation with other programs
• Curricula changes, reasons
• Student professional development teaching,
  attending conferences, training, seminars

9
Resources and Facilities

• Describe supporting facilities libraries, labs,
  computer labs, etc
• Department funds, offices,
• Info on external rewards, grants, sponsorships

10
Administration

• Describe the administrative structure of the dept
  and graduate program.

11
Performance metrics

• Admission and enrollment trends for the past five
  years
• Retention/attrition rate for the past five years
• Time to degree trend for the past five years
• Trends in degree awarded for the past five years
• Student publication, awards and recognition
  during study
• Surveys (Exit students, alumni, faculty)
• Employment trends after graduation, Alumni Career
  satisfaction

12
Useful information

• Program contribution to academic, industrial,
  governmental, nonprofit organizations, etc
• Admission requirements such TOFEL and GRE scores
  (quality of students)
• Orientation and advisor assignment procedure
• Types of financial support and its effect on
  student
• Expectation and opportunities to participate in
  professional development
• Undergraduate teaching responsibilities to
  improve the teaching skills
• Appointment of postdoctoral students
• Visiting and adjunct professors/scholars
• Significant outreach and/or public service
  activities related to graduate education
• Special seminars or symposia offered by the
  program

13
Benchmarking

• Identify one peer graduate program at another
  institution that you consider similar to your own
  in terms of quality, size and scope. Also
  identify one graduate program that you consider a
  model program, which your program may strive to
  emulate, at least with respect to some aspect of
  that program.

14
(No Transcript)
15
Personal Observations

• Thesis/dissertation Quality
• Student involvement
• Faculty (commitment, advising)

16
Ideas

• Teaching as a degree requirement
• Seminar course
• Department presentation
• Faculty advising analysis
• External evaluation of passed thesis
• Best thesis award
• Advisory board for thesis topics

17
Time Table