Policies and Procedures
Off-Campus and Online Program Review Process and Procedures Graduate College Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees (CEEED)
Updated August 2002
The following is an overview of the CEEED program evaluation process. Exact dates are not included because they vary. The program review is conducted during the academic year with survey instruments sent during fall, administrative interview and data analysis during spring, and an opportunity for discussion and recommendations by May, if at all possible.
Off-campus degree programs are typically reviewed by the Graduate College on a five-year cycle. The CEEED administers the review. CEEED is committed to a process that is fair and meaningful.
Main steps include:
- A courtesy letter is sent to the official (Dean/Department Head) of the unit in which the program is housed informing him/her of the pending review.
- There are two instruments used for the review, one for faculty and one for students. The department or departmental representative is invited to review the instruments prior to their distribution and is encouraged to include additional questions of particular interest to the department.
- Academic Outreach sends to the academic coordinator of the program a list of names of faculty who have taught in the program during the review period. The coordinator is asked to review the list and confirm that those listed are available to be contacted. The coordinator is asked to provide recent contact information in the case of faculty who relocated.
- Lists of degree-seeking students during the review period are solicited from the academic unit or generated by Academic Outreach.
- Evaluation instruments are sent to the faculty and to the students with due dates for return. For online programs the instruments will be sent and completed online. For site-based programs instruments will be sent to students via postal mail unless e-mail addresses are available; faculty will be sent the instrument via e-mail. The evaluation instruments are sent out by November.
- The CEEED invites a representative from the academic unit to meet with the committee to discuss the program. Items for discussion are shared with the unit representatives prior to the meeting. This interview typically occurs during February or March.
- All the data collected are analyzed, summarized and reported by the CEEED to the academic unit (in the case of the departments, the review is also sent to the dean of the college).
- CEEED provides a recommendation with rationale to the college/school on renewal of the program for another five years or another action based on the review process. Recommendations for ways to strengthen the program are often included with the recommendation letter.
