Overview
Program review at Indiana University Kokomo is an opportunity to integrate and reflect on the interrelated elements that constitute a high-quality program. All academic programs on this campus are reviewed on a five-year cycle (Program Reviews: Indiana University Kokomo), and reviews will usually be based on five years of data and never less than three years for newer programs or programs that have undergone substantial change.
Academic program reviews will use the self-study template provided below, which is consistent with the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) assurance argument model, and allows for more meaningful, holistic appraisal of program quality. This model is distinguished by an evidence-based approach, so all claims in the self-study about a program’s strengths, weaknesses, and proposed improvements should be supported by relevant qualitative and/or quantitative evidence.
Working in collaboration with faculty, program administrators will prepare a program self-study using evidence from sources including, but not limited to:
- IU-wide and IU Kokomo strategic plans
- Departmental assessment plans and reports
- Departmental strategic plans and reports
- Institutional effectiveness and student success data (enrollment, retention, graduation rates, etc.)
- Budgetary and financial data
- FAR content (faculty CVs, teaching evaluations, etc.)
- Course information (syllabi, examples of student work, curricular flow charts or maps, etc.)
- KEY program data
- Alumni and student satisfaction survey data
- Benchmark data from other institutions
- Labor market data (e.g., Occupational Outlook Handbook, Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Bureau of Labor Statistics, UIRR labor market reports)
In addition to the self-study, academic programs should identify an external evaluator who will both review the program’s self-study and participate in an on-site visit culminating in an external review report.
Programs which undergo external accreditation (e.g., Education, Nursing, Business and Radiography) do not need to conduct an additional self-study to satisfy the IU Kokomo five-year program review requirement.
Academic Program Review Template
1. Program Relevance
Assurance of alignment between program offered and institution’s mission
The program is aligned to the institution’s mission, vision, and values.
The program supports the institution’s strategic goals and priorities.
Assurance of program’s internal relevance
The unit has sufficient demand to support the program, including credit hours produced through program enrollment, general education courses, online collaborative programs, and service to other majors.
The unit participates in recruitment efforts to attract high school and transfer students to the program.
The unit participates in enrollment efforts to retain current students and attract exploratory students for the program.
Assurance of program’s external relevance
The skills and knowledge conveyed by the program responds to regional needs.
The unit monitors the context of the discipline, local community, and/or society generally to identify and anticipate future needs of the program.
2. Program Quality
Assurance of relevant and rigorous curriculum
The program under review has a curriculum aligned to commonly accepted standards within the discipline or profession. If no such standards exist, peer institutions are reviewed to benchmark the curriculum.
The unit develops and implements experiential learning opportunities and high-impact practices to improve student learning in the program.
The unit offers opportunities that prepare students in the program for post-graduate success, including advanced study and career placement.
Assurance of faculty quality and development
Faculty members’ background, expertise, research, creative work, and other professional work contribute to the quality of the program.
The unit assumes appropriate responsibility for the promotion and tenure of faculty in the program.
The unit develops program faculty to improve quality of instruction, including pedagogy and instructional methods, to ensure faculty are current in their disciplines and adept in their teaching roles.
The unit provides adequate support for research, creative work, and other professional work for faculty in the program.
The unit ensures faculty service meets program needs and contributes to the mission of the institution.
Assurance of program-specific operating resources
The unit has access to appropriate facilities, information, and technology resources to deliver a high-quality program.
The unit has access to appropriate staff and faculty, as well as resources to support them.
The unit has access to appropriate resources to support students and their learning.
3. Student Learning and Promoting Student Success
Assurance of student learning assessment
The program has clearly stated outcomes for student learning.
The unit assesses key metrics annually and reports every other year in accord with institutional guidelines and processes.
The methodology used in assessment aligns with disciplinary best practice.
The unit uses information gained from assessment to improve student learning in reviewed programs.
Assurance of promoting student success
The unit reviews the demographic characteristics of students in the program and provides support to be inclusive of all students.
The unit analyzes information on student success metrics (specifically DFW, student retention, and completion rates) to make program improvements as warranted by the data.
The unit evaluates the post-graduate success of students from the program, including career placement and admission to advanced degree programs.
4. Planning and Continuous Improvement
Assurance of planning and continuous improvement
The unit has established program goals and priorities for the next five to ten years, with evidence-based rationale for proposed changes.
The unit addressed any weaknesses and implemented recommendations identified in the previous program self-study.
The unit identifies and builds upon existing strengths of, and resources for, the program.
The unit determines additional resources needed to implement proposed changes to the program, with evidence-based rationale for resources.
Academic Program Review Process
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness: Indiana University Kokomo is a resource for assisting academic administrators with the program review process, and includes a platform (PROGRAM REVIEW: Report Cover - Tableau Server) that provides a suite of reports offering a consolidated view of key program-specific metrics such as:
Program demand and productivity data
- Student demographic data
- Enrollment by plan
- Credit hour production – majors
- Credit hour production – nonmajors
- Course enrollments and capacity fill rates by semester (all courses)
- Course enrollments and capacity fill rates by semester (online courses)
- Cancelled courses
- Number of new admits to program
- Number of exploratory students to program
Program outcomes data
- Fall-to-fall retention
- 4- and 6-year grad rates: in-program, other program, other campus
- DFW counts and rates (all courses)
- Number of degrees conferred by plan, subplan, and fiscal year
- Number of minors conferred by fiscal year
- Time to degree averages
- Alumni survey data
Upon completion of the self-study, the program administrator should send a copy of the study to the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and schedule a meeting for initial review.
Following the program administrator meeting with the EVCAA, an in-person visit with an external program reviewer should be scheduled. The external reviewer should be a qualified and objective scholar/teacher/practitioner with experience and understanding in assessing student learning outcomes, student success efforts, and departmental performance. Typically, to enable the most valuable feedback possible, the program reviewer will have expertise in the department’s curricular strengths and will be affiliated with a campus similar to IU Kokomo. The on-campus visit should include a meeting with the EVCAA.
The program administrator and EVCAA should schedule a final meeting upon receipt of the external evaluator report, and final copies of the self-study and the external report should be sent to the Office of Academic Affairs (koacadem@iu.edu).
The Office of Academic Affairs will provide a $1,500 stipend to external reviewers and will cover additional costs associated with the reviewer’s travel to campus.
Office of Academic Affairs Spring 2025