CHAPTER 2: CONDUCTING THE SELF-STUDY

Initial Planning Meeting
Procedures for Conducting the Self-Study
Printing and Distribution of the Self-Study Report

The self-study is a time for reflection, analysis, evaluation, and assessment. Perhaps most importantly, it is a time for renewing existing programmatic goals and establishing new ones. It is a time to seek the perspectives of students, graduates, colleagues, and community. It is a time for reconnection and recommitment. The self-study provides an opportunity to grapple with issues that confront the program and its delivery. It is a time to use intellectual curiosity to look at the program critically and respond meaningfully.

Initial Planning Meeting

At the beginning of the review process, the college dean schedules a meeting with the heads of the programs being reviewed, the faculty coordinator, the AVP for Academic Program Development, and the chair of APRC to discuss the review process as a whole. Faculty from the programs being reviewed are also invited to participate. Those attending should indicate any specific areas or issues needing to be addressed, so that these may be given special attention in the review process. The meeting normally includes the following:

• The AVP for Academic Program Development chairs this meeting, introduces the faculty coordinator and APRC chair, and provides an overview of the review process.

• The faculty coordinator explains his/her facilitator role in working with the program heads to clarify requirements of the self-study, to coordinate selection of the external reviewers, to review the final draft of the self-study report, and to create the schedule for the site visit.

• The APRC chair presents information regarding the review process following receipt of the self-study document, report by external reviewers, and responses from the college dean and program head.

• Data from central administration are discussed, including how to access various data sources such as:

(1) The SFSU website (www.sfsu.edu/~ubp/) for (a) ethnicity and gender of students who have declared this major and (b) number of degrees granted in undergraduate and graduate programs;

(2) The CSU website (http://as.calstatela.edu/as/co/adr.htm) for (c) student/faculty ratios and (d) course enrollments by lower, upper, and graduate divisions; and

(3) Reports from undergraduate and graduate exit surveys and alumni surveys.

At this meeting it is appropriate to discuss any questions concerning data and to talk about other data that would be useful in analyzing a program's quality. The Office of Academic Affairs will attempt to provide other data that programs identify at this initial meeting based on records that are normally collected by the Office of Planning and Analytic Studies or the Office of Academic Resources. Requests for data that are identified after this meeting should be made directly by the program head to the appropriate office.

Procedures for Conducting the Self-Study

The procedures followed by a program in conducting its self-study include the following:

• The program organizes the self-study by defining tasks, setting timelines, assigning tasks and any resources needed to accomplish them, and establishing coordination and communication mechanisms. All of the program faculty, including faculty in interdisciplinary programs, are to be involved in the self-study and given the opportunity to provide meaningful input to the self-study report.

• The program gathers information relevant to its self-study from such sources as surveys of its students, faculty, and alumni; the last program review report; and the most recent WASC accreditation report. If a student survey has not been conducted since the last program review cycle, steps are to be taken to conduct one now.

• The program works with the faculty coordinator, the college office, and other units of the University in compiling and analyzing data relevant to its self-study. Data not otherwise available may require the generation of new survey instruments.

• The program faculty meet to reflect on the data, present and past goals, and decide any new directions, goals and recommendations for their program.

• The program prepares its self-study report in accordance with the format and guidelines specified below. A list of all faculty members involved in the degree program is included in the self-study document. This is particularly important when the program is an inter-departmental or inter-college one.

• A draft report is made available to all of the program faculty and is to be reviewed and discussed with them at a meeting of the entire faculty. Copies of the draft report are provided to the college dean(s) to enable him/her/(them) to review and comment on the draft report.

• Revisions to the draft are incorporated into a final draft report.

• The final draft of the self-study report is signed by the program head (see Example 3-1). The final draft is then reviewed by the faculty coordinator, college dean, and AVP for Academic Program Development. Any further revisions needed are made, and the cover sheet is signed by the college dean and AVP for Academic Program Development indicating that the self-study report is deemed ready for external review. Note: Signatures on the cover sheet do not necessarily indicate agreement with the recommendations in the self-study report.

Printing and Distribution of the Self-Study Report

Once the self-study report is ready for external review, it is the responsibility of the program head to duplicate the signed report and distribute copies to the program faculty and the college dean, and to provide additional copies for the external reviewers, University administrators involved in the review process, and members of APRC. This process includes the following steps:

• The program head duplicates and distributes copies of the self-study report to the college dean and to the program faculty.

• The program head duplicates and provides to Academic Affairs, via the faculty coordinator, an additional eighteen (18) to twenty-two (22) copies as follows:

Seven (7) to nine (9) copies with all appendices. These will be distributed by the Office of Academic Affairs as follows:

2 External reviewers

1 AVP for Academic Program Development

1 Vice President for Academic Affairs

1-2 Dean of Undergraduate Studies and/or Dean of the Graduate Division

1 Faculty Coordinator

1 Chair of APRC

1 Chair of the University Interdisciplinary Council (if appropriate)

Eleven (11) to thirteen (13) copies without the appendices. These will be distributed by the Office of Academic Affairs as follows:

1 AVP for Academic Resources

10 APRC members

2 Chair of the University Interdisciplinary Council (if appropriate)