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» Closing the Loop: Guidelines for Program Review Action Plans

An important final stage in the program review process is the development of action plans by academic units based on the final response of the Provost. The Provost's response will outline how resources and budgetary decisions will be allocated in light of the recommendations that have emerged from their program review. The Provost's response will call for an action plan on the part of the academic unit in which the unit will describe the specific actions and time frame it will employ as a result of the Provost's response, and serves as the basis for subsequent academic planning and periodic review by the academic unit, the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the school/college, and the Academic Council Assessment Committee.

The program review process enables faculty members of the academic unit, the Office of the Dean, the Office of the Provost, and the Academic Council Assessment Committee to assess the educational quality of the program and to address basic questions regarding educational goals, the effectiveness of the program's strategies to achieve those goals, the allocation of resources, and changes that should be made in relation to review findings.

Upon receipt of the Provost's response, the unit submits a final action plan and timeline to the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the school/college, and the Faculty Academic Council's Assessment Committee. In this action plan, the academic unit must specify how and when it will act upon each of the recommendations presented in the Office of the Provost Report. For each of the recommendations, the academic unit should briefly specify what action(s) it will take and when it will take the action(s). If the unit does not propose to take an action, it should explain the reasons why it is not doing so. The unit should also briefly summarize any additional actions it plans to take as a result of the program review that are not responses to specific recommendations.

The action plan should be presented using the organizational framework and headings of the unit's Program Review Self-Study Report and the Office of the Provost Report on the program review. The action plan should present each recommendation verbatim followed by a brief description of the unit's proposed action in response to that recommendation. The academic unit may provide a brief introduction or overview for the action plan.

The academic unit should consult as necessary with the Office of the Dean of the school/college and with the Office of the Provost in preparing its action plan. The academic unit may request a meeting with the Office of the Provost and the Academic Council, Assessment Committee or the Long Range Planning Council to discuss its action plan while preparing the plan or following submission of the plan. Allocations proposed by the academic unit which entail resource allocations must be reviewed and approved by the Office of the Dean of the school/college and the Office of the Provost.

The action plan for the program review should be submitted electronically to the Office of the Provost, with copies to the Office of the Dean of the school/college and the Chairs of the Undergraduate/Graduate Academic Council, Assessment Committee and Long Range Planning Council.

Depending on the nature of the program review results and recommendations, the academic unit may be required to submit a brief follow-up report at specified intervals (1-3 years) to the Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of the school/college, and the Undergraduate/Graduate Academic Council, Assessment Committee, or Long Range Planning Council, detailing its activities and progress in responding to the Provost's Report.  The unit's progress in completing its proposed action plan based on the submitted timeline will be used in subsequent planning and budgetary decisions. The unit's progress will be evaluated in light of available resources, and whether any requests for additional resources were granted.