NSCC Example Program - Program Review Report

a. Please give a general overview of your plans for the next 5 years. Consider this a summary of the many plans you have made. The details of those plans will be entered separately as explained below\n [[Section 4 a.]]

a. In Comparing our Evidence (section 2) to our Goals (section 1), in what areas is your program falling short and how do you know? \n [[Section 3 a.]]\nb. In Comparing our Evidence (section 2) to our Goals (section 1), in what areas is your program doing well and how do you know? \n [[Section 3 b.]]

a. What does your evidence say about what your program actually offers and what those in your program do?\n [[Section 2 a.]]\nb. What does your evidence say about who the students are who actually participate in the courses and activities that you offer?\n [[Section 2 b.]]\nc. What does your evidence say about what the students are learning as a result of their participation in you program’s offerings?\n [[Section 2 c.]]\nd. What does your evidence say about your Service to the Community or Profession?\n [[Section 2 d.]]\ne. What do you wish you knew about your program but don’t have evidence to look at? What kind of evidence do you wish were available to help you better understand your program?\n [[Section 2 e.]]

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[[Program Review Writing Guidelines]]\n[[Section 1 Guidelines]]\n[[Section 2 Guidelines]]\nGuidelinesSection3\nGuidelinesSection4\nGuidelinesSection5

What Should You Do?\n\nGather Information: \nBefore beginning, gather any of the following information that pertains to your Program/Department/Area. \n• Your answers to Section 1.\n• Your answers to Section 2.\n\nMeet With Faculty:\nIt is expected that all program faculty will meet to discuss items for Section-3 of the program review. The coordinator/lead faculty should gather all FT faculty (and willing PT faculty) together to discuss the following. The above resources should be available at this meeting. As you discuss these items, you should be able to point to evidence to support your observations.\n\nDiscuss how your answers to section 2 (evidence/what you know) matches your goals and outcomes from section 1. You will need to prepare answers to the following questions. \n• In Comparing our Evidence (section 2) to our Goals (section 1), in what areas is your program falling short and how do you know? \n\n• In Comparing our Evidence (section 2) to our Goals (section 1), in what areas is your program doing well and how do you know? \n

What is Section 4 About?\n\nThis section is meant to inform the college community about\n• What you plan to do to improve on your weaknesses\n• What you plan to do to strengthen your program\n• How you are going to continue with your strengths\n\nWhen writing Section 4, please consider:\n\n• Opportunities at Hand: Describe current opportunities that could be seized to increase program effectiveness and enhance student learning. Include ways specific resources could support this work. \n• Opportunities in the Near Future: Identify the questions faculty will be directly addressing in next two years as derived from the above discussion. Describe how the unknowns will be investigated and list the specific steps that will be taken.\n\n \nSection 4: Action Plan\nWhat Should You Do?\n\nGather Information: \nBefore beginning, gather any of the following information that pertains to your Program/Department/Area. \n• Your responses to section 1-3\n\nMeet With Faculty:\nIt is expected that all program faculty will meet to discuss items for Section-2 of the program review. The coordinator/lead faculty should gather all FT faculty (and willing PT faculty) together to discuss the following. The above resources should be available at this meeting. As you discuss these items, you should be able to point to evidence to support your observations.\n\nYou will be discussing that the program faculty plan to do in the next 4-5 years based on your work on sections 1-3. Prepare answers to the following questions.\nAs a result of our analysis we would like to:\n• Carry out these activities in order to improve on our weaknesses\n• Carry out these activities in order to strengthen our program\n• Carry out these activities in order to celebrate/continue with our strengths\n

At the end of your Program Review report, briefly (300 to 400 words) highlight the work you are doing in your program in a way that is accessible to the college community. If you were to write about your program for the Inside North, what would you say? How could you enable others to see inside your work? The Office of Instruction would like to publish a summary of the current work in all the programs of the college. Electronically compiled together, all the Highlights sections of the Program Review Reports can showcase for the community the good work going on across our college. The committee is especially interested in how information gathered about student performance has been used to make changes in the program. The college community would like to know of success stories, innovations and developments of which the program is particularly proud.

[[Review Report]]\n[[Program Description]]\n[[Evidence]]\n[[Analysis & Reflection]]\n[[Action Plan]]\n[[Highlights]]\n[[Guide lines]]

a. Give a general description of your program in 1-2 paragraphs\n [[Section 1 a.]]\nb. Describe what your program offers in terms of certificates, degrees, requirements for transfer or other programs, etc.\n [[Section 1 b.]]\nc. Describe the individuals your program seeks to serve in terms of pertinent demographics or education career goals.\n [[Section 1 c.]]\nd. In this section describe how your program seeks to serve students in terms of their learning. What are your program learning outcomes or what general types of skills and knowledge goals do you have for your students? Another way to describe your program in this section is to describe the types of learning opportunities your program provides.\n [[Section 1 d.]]

''What’s a “Program”?''\nFor the purposes of Program Review, a “program” is:\n* A named program offering a degree or certificate, often in professional/technical areas.\n* A unit that exists for helping students achieve certain outcomes in their lives.\n* A group of courses with common goals, methods or scope.\n* A specific course of study often leading to entry into a department at a 4-year institution.\n\n''What is a Program Review?''\nA Program Review documents a process of reflection by program faculty. It provides a snapshot of the program for review by faculty and other interested parties. The Program Review Committee, which oversees the Program Review process, is looking for evidence of a meaningful dialog among faculty addressing the integration of courses and the generation of ways to improve student learning. Program Review provides the opportunity for a collaborative reflection by the faculty examining current knowledge about outcomes, generating questions to be answered, and determining actions to be taken in collaboration with each other. The possibility exists for faculty to confidently ensure they are doing everything possible to help students succeed.\n\n''What’s the goal of a Program Review?''\nThe goal of program review is to provide a regular opportunity for self-reflection among the faculty at a program level to act in concert to enhance student learning.\n\n''What is a Program Review used for?''\nProgram review is not intended to provide data for budgetary allocations or program termination; it is understood that the college will make every reasonable effort to provide resources to support the activities related to the action plan and program assessment.\n\n''How do my colleagues and I go about writing our Program Review?''\nIn the following pages you’ll find instructions about what to include in your Program Review Report. The Program Review Committee requests that you write as if you were addressing the entire college community. Most people know little of your program and, as readers, would like to be drawn into an open discussion of the opportunities and challenges your program faces.\n\n''What is Faculty Responsibility with regard to Program Review?''\nAccording to the contract, it is the responsibility of all full-time faculty to participate in program review.\n

''Name of Program:''\n''Division:''\n''Division Dean:''\n''Year/Quarter:''\n''Faculty Coordinator/Lead(s):''\n''Faculty Participants:''\n''Submitted:'' Date\n''Approved:'' Date\n[[Committee Comments]] (Remove at approval)\n[[Dean Response]]\n[[VP Response]]\n

''What is Section 1 About?''\n\nThis section is meant to inform the college community about:\n* What your program does (describe it!)\n* What your program’s goals are (what are you trying to accomplish?)\n* What your program’s outcomes are (What are the desired outcomes from this sequence of study?)\n\n''When thinking about your program’s outcomes, consider:''\n* __Outcomes, Beyond the Program__: This is a statement about what the faculty agrees students need to be able to do in “the rest of their life,” that the faculty is responsible for in the courses and experiences of the program. These are the work roles or life possibilities beyond the experiences here that the faculty intend to see enabled.\n* __Outcomes, Essential Understandings__: Describe the key understandings students derive in the program. Courses have themes, concepts, or issues the students come to understand by exploring ideas and talking together. Themes are the central two or three deep, fundamental understandings that students explore in a course. Concepts are content components addressed in courses, usually constructed over time through multiple experiences. Issues are the problems or necessities to be resolved. When the themes, concepts or issues are shared for all courses in a program, certain program core themes, concepts or issues emerge from an integrated program view, beyond what is acquired in a single course.\n* __Outcomes, Essential Skills__: Describe the skill sets that students also derive in the program. Skills are the practiced proficiencies essential to the program outcomes. Some are listed in the General Education Outcomes; others are skills developed within the program itself. These are listed in fairly general terms, more broadly phrased as skill sets than the specific skills developed in one particular course.\n \n''What Should You Do?''\n\n''Gather Information:'' \nBefore beginning, gather any of the following information that pertains to your Program/Department/Area:\n* __Prof/Tech Program Descriptions__: Program descriptions are generally required to be on file with the program information when it is approved by the state or CAS. Check paperwork in your division office.\n* __Names of any Certificates and/or Degrees that are awarded__: Again, this should be with program paperwork in your division office. It is also required on the MCOs for all courses in the program.\n* __Description of Target Population__: Places to look include program advertisements, any survey or market analysis results, and surveys of other college program/sequences requiring your courses as prerequisites or entry requirements. In addition, professional/technical programs are often required to have a market survey as part of the justification for setting up a new program. If these surveys are recent, they might also be helpful.\n* __List of Needs met by students taking courses in this area other than learning outcomes__: Some examples of things to consider include: Whether courses satisfy transfer requirements or prerequisites for other courses/programs etc. Again, you can find this information on Master Course Outlines, degree/certificate requirements, and as always ask your faculty and faculty of other programs requiring your courses as prerequisites.\n* __Common Course outcomes from multiple courses in the area/group__: You might start with the outcomes listed in the Master Course Outlines on record in division office for courses in your area. You should also have a discussion with faculty about which outcomes would be considered most common. There may also be general outcomes that are considered too broad for specific courses and yet reflect the nature of your field of study in general.\n* __Common goals for student learning__: This may seem to be the same as the bullet above but it might provide more insight to thinks about the skills, knowledge, or other specifics that are important for students to learn as they take courses in your area. These may be listed in the topical outlines of the Master Course Outlines or syllabi. And, as always, faculty discussion about this will provide the most relevant information.\n\n''Meet With Faculty:''\nIt is expected that all program faculty will meet to discuss items for Section-1 of the program review. The coordinator/lead faculty should gather all FT faculty (and willing PT faculty) together to discuss the following. The above resources should be available at this meeting.\n\nDiscuss the following items and prepare to write responses to be submitted online:\n# Give a general description of your program in 1-2 paragraphs. One way to approach the discussion is to brainstorm how the following sentence might be completed:\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses can be described as…\n# Describe what your program offers in terms of certificates, degrees, requirements for transfer or other programs etc. One way to approach the discussion is to brainstorm how the following sentences might be completed:\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses offers these degrees/certificates…\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses offers these training opportunities…\n# Describe the individuals your program seeks to serve in terms of pertinent demographics or education career goals. One way to approach the discussion is to brainstorm how the following sentences might be completed:\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses seeks to serve individuals who fall into these populations …\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses seeks to serve individuals who need these certificates/courses/prerequisites …\n# In this section describe how your program seeks to serve students in terms of their learning. What are your program learning outcomes or what general types of skills and knowledge goals do you have for your students? Another way to describe your program in this section is to describe the types of learning opportunities your program provides. One way to approach the discussion is to brainstorm how the following sentences might be completed:\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses seeks to serve individuals by meeting these needs…\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses seeks to serve individuals by helping students achieve…\n** Our Program/Area/Group of Courses seeks to serve individuals by providing opportunities for students to learn …\n

''What is Section 2 About?''\n\nThis section is meant to inform the college community about the data you have concerning:\n• Your program and courses\n• Your students\n• Your students’ learning\n• Your service to the community or profession\n\nWhen thinking about your program’s present situation, consider the following:\n\n* __A Summary of Information Available about your Program__: You will receive a set of data from the databases records from the NSCC Office of Planning. You may also have records gathered from your division, individual faculty, state reports, student surveys, community partners and local businesses. Note that information may be quantitative, qualitative, structured, unstructured, factual, and anecdotal.\n* __Issues to be addressed__: In summarizing the information you will be asked to consider enrollment, diversity, retention, and student success as well as any other items you consider important.\n* __Past, Current, Future__: In summarizing the information, consider not only existing conditions. Look also for information about changes and potential future trends.\n* __Evidence of Student Learning__: A program is best represented by the students who have benefited from the learning opportunities available in that program. What evidence do you have of what your students have learned? How can that be summarized to give a snapshot (or snapshots) of what the majority of students are learning as a result of your program? \n* __What We Know__: Faculty members are expected to gather to review the outcomes described above. List what the faculty knows about the actual attainment of what is described in paragraph d of section 1. This is a listing of what the faculty knows about how program experiences relate to the real world beyond the program and the actual attainment of desired understandings and skills by students over the course of their enrollment. \n \n''What Should You Do?''\n\n''Gather Information:'' \nBefore beginning, gather any of the following information that pertains to your Program/Department/Area:\n\n* __Data and material from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness__: You will be provided with a packet of data that has been designed to cover a limited set of information most common to all programs across campus. This is data that is generally collected from such sources as registration and records. You will have some limited opportunities to ask for additional information. Please plan to attend all scheduled sessions so that you will have every opportunity to request the material that you need.\n* __State reports__: Some programs have information available in state or advisory board reports. This information is generally only available through your division or advisory board contact.\n* __Division or faculty gathered information whether qualitative or quantitative__: Many faculty have results of information gathered during special projects, student forums, SGIDs, or other similar activities. Remember that qualitative data is often very useful and should not be ignored.\n* __Community and/or workplace surveys__: Some divisions have access to community surveys and feedback from those who have hired students from our programs. Ask your Dean, Division Staff, or past Coordinators.\n* __Standardized test scores__: Some programs have certification exams or other standardized exams whether required or optional. The program coordinators are generally the ones knowledgeable about how these results might be accessed.\n* __Classroom generated information__: Individual faculty may have gathered useful information about student learning during as a part of classroom activity. This can be in the form of projects, exams, surveys, performances, etc. If you find that you do not have what you wish you had, then now is the time to begin collecting it for the next time.\n\n''Meet With Faculty:''\nIt is expected that all program faculty will meet to discuss items for Section-2 of the program review. The coordinator/lead faculty should gather all FT faculty (and willing PT faculty) together to discuss the following. The above resources should be available at this meeting. As you discuss these items, you should be able to point to evidence to support your observations.\n\nDiscuss the following items and prepare to write responses to be submitted online. In each case, you will need to be able to state: \n* What it is that you know about your program. \n* How you know it (give evidence).\n## What does your evidence say about what your program actually offers and what those in your program do? Discuss what kinds of activities those in your program regularly participate in. These might include program sponsored events, training, meetings, projects, or tutoring. Talk about the breadth and depth of your course offerings. Discuss how often courses are offered, whether there is a yearly schedule, how many sections are offered, different course modalities, what is offered in terms of special courses (topics, IS, links, online, FTEs, staffing etc.).\n## What does your evidence say about who the students are who actually participate in the courses and activities that you offer? In part, we are asking about the student demographics. You students also come here with a purpose, goal, dream. How would you describe these goals/dreams/purposes. Do they come for general learning, to increase skills, to earn credits to transfer? What doe\n## What does your evidence say about what the students are learning as a result of their participation in you program’s offerings? You will have grade information from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness data packet. What does (or doesn’t) this indicate about whether students are learning what you say (section 1) that they will have the opportunity to learn. Of course grades don’t tell us everything about student learning. Discuss other information that you have that demonstrates students’ learning and achievements. Look for evidence of learning related to the learning outcomes and goals from section 1d.\n## What does your evidence say about your Service to the Community or Profession? As a public institution we pride ourselves in contributing to the community in ways beyond the classroom. In what ways do program faculty contribute to the larger community and participate in professional life beyond the college?\n## What do you wish you knew about your program but don’t have evidence to look at? What kind of evidence do you wish were available to help you better understand your program?\n

Program Review Report

NSCC Example Program\n