The program review process is led by the academic dean and department chair for the
programs being reviewed, with support and oversight from Academic Affairs staff.
Visit the Program Review Team in Microsoft Teams for additional resources. Contact
Jeana McCullough mcculloughj@apsu.edu for access to the Program Review folder in Teams.
Each program is reviewed by an external peer reviewer from outside Tennessee who is
qualified in the field of study. External peer reviewers are typically active faculty
members in a department related to the field of study who have had some leadership
or administrative experience as a chair, program coordinator, etc.
APSU provides external reviewers with an honorarium plus reimbursement for approved
travel expenses (coordinated by Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment staff).
Review Rubric
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) provides institutions with a rubric
for each degree level (associates, baccalaureate, and graduate) that external reviewers
must use to score the program review.
In the fall of the review year, each program completes a written self-study in which
they reflect on the program’s performance and provide evidence related to each item
on the evaluation rubric for the appropriate degree level. The self-study typically
focuses on the time period since the last review. The external reviewer reads the
self-study carefully prior to the site visit. The self-study is one of two primary
sources of evidence that the external reviewer uses when scoring the program and writing
the narrative report (the other is the site visit).
A template guide for the self-study and examples of prior program reviews (posted
with program permission) are available in Microsoft Teams. Contact Jeana McCullough
mcculloughj@apsu.edu for access to the Program Review folder in Teams.
Site Visit
In the spring of the review year (typically March-April), the external reviewer visits
APSU to learn more about the program in sessions with the dean, chair, program faculty,
program students, alumni and other stakeholders, and university administrators. Site
visits are typically one full day, with external reviewers arriving the day before
the visit day.
Chairs, deans and program faculty identify and invite participants for each site visit
session, book rooms for each session, and order lunch (typically a lunch for the external
reviewer and students).
Programs have the option to select 1-2 “internal reviewers.” Internal reviewers are
APSU faculty members from outside of the reviewed program that serve as an additional
resource for the external reviewer during the site visit.
Internal reviewers CANNOT score the review rubric or write the narrative report. However,
they can participate in site visit sessions and answer any questions about APSU’s
context that the external reviewer may have.
Internal reviewers must be approved by the chair and dean. The program is responsible
for communicating with the internal reviewers about expectations and requirements
for the review.
IEA will schedule a brief meeting with both external reviewers and internal reviewers
about a week prior to the site visit to confirm roles and final logistics for the
visit.
Reviewer’s narrative report
In addition to the scored rubric, the external reviewer writes a narrative report
summarizing their findings from the review. External reviewers follow the *narrative report instructions* when completing their report.
The external reviewer submits an initial draft of the narrative report to IEA about
2 weeks following the site visit. IEA and the program then have a chance to review
the report and submit any corrections or questions for the reviewer to consider. Those
comments must be submitted to the reviewer only via IEA.
The reviewer then submits the final rubric and narrative report to IEA within about
30 days from the site visit.
IEA shares the final rubric and report with the dean, chair and team leads and they
use the feedback for continuous improvement.
Link to download pdf version
April 2024
Orientation for upcoming program reviews with deans, chairs (led by IEA)
May 2024
Programs identify review lead(s) and self-study writer(s) with input and approval
from chair and dean
IEA provides deans and chairs with prior program reviews
IEA provides deans and chairs with data on programs being reviewed
June-July 2024
Deans and chairs review reports from previous program reviews
Deans and chairs review data on programs being reviewed
August 2024
Program Review Q&A Session for faculty, chairs, and deans during Faculty Conference
(led by IEA)
Dean and chair communicate with programs re internal processes, deadlines, and expectations
for drafting the self-study
September 2024
Programs search for external reviewer candidates with input from chair and dean
Programs are drafting self-study with input from chair and dean
October 2024
Programs identify their top candidate for external reviewer and receive approval from
chair and dean to submit candidate to IEA
Programs are drafting self-study with input from chair and dean
November 2024
IEA meets with top external reviewer candidates to communicate expectations and guidelines
for reviewers
IEA works with colleges and departments to schedule spring site visit date with external
reviewer
Programs are finalizing self-study with input from chair and dean and assembling appendices.
December 2024
Final self-study and appendices submitted to IEA as one combined PDF file for final
review and submission to external reviewer (by commencement)
IEA works with external reviewer to finalize travel and complete APSU contract for
honorarium and travel reimbursement
January 2025
Program works with chair and dean to finalize site-visit itinerary (session times,
locations, participants)
Program submits finalized site visit itinerary to IEA for final review and submission
to external reviewer
February 2025
IEA submits self-study and site visit itinerary to external reviewer
Programs order lunch and parking passes for site visit
March-April 2025
Site visits led by department and college with support from IEA
Reviewer reports and rubrics are submitted to IEA and shared with departments and
deans
Program Review Process
External Reviewer
Each program is reviewed by an external peer reviewer from outside Tennessee who is
qualified in the field of study. External peer reviewers are typically active faculty
members in a department related to the field of study who have had some leadership
or administrative experience as a chair, program coordinator, etc.
APSU provides external reviewers with an honorarium plus reimbursement for approved
travel expenses (coordinated by Institutional Effectiveness and Assessment staff).
Review Rubric
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) provides institutions with a rubric
for each degree level (associates, baccalaureate, and graduate) that external reviewers
must use to score the program review.
In the fall of the review year, each program completes a written self-study in which
they reflect on the program’s performance and provide evidence related to each item
on the evaluation rubric for the appropriate degree level. The self-study typically
focuses on the time period since the last review. The external reviewer reads the
self-study carefully prior to the site visit. The self-study is one of two primary
sources of evidence that the external reviewer uses when scoring the program and writing
the narrative report (the other is the site visit).
A template guide for the self-study and examples of prior program reviews (posted
with program permission) are available in Microsoft Teams. Contact Jeana McCullough
mcculloughj@apsu.edu for access to the Program Review folder in Teams.
Site Visit
In the spring of the review year (typically March-April), the external reviewer visits
APSU to learn more about the program in sessions with the dean, chair, program faculty,
program students, alumni and other stakeholders, and university administrators. Site
visits are typically one full day, with external reviewers arriving the day before
the visit day.
Chairs, deans and program faculty identify and invite participants for each site visit
session, book rooms for each session, and order lunch (typically a lunch for the external
reviewer and students).
Programs have the option to select 1-2 “internal reviewers.” Internal reviewers are
APSU faculty members from outside of the reviewed program that serve as an additional
resource for the external reviewer during the site visit.
Internal reviewers CANNOT score the review rubric or write the narrative report. However,
they can participate in site visit sessions and answer any questions about APSU’s
context that the external reviewer may have.
Internal reviewers must be approved by the chair and dean. The program is responsible
for communicating with the internal reviewers about expectations and requirements
for the review.
IEA will schedule a brief meeting with both external reviewers and internal reviewers
about a week prior to the site visit to confirm roles and final logistics for the
visit.
Reviewer’s narrative report
In addition to the scored rubric, the external reviewer writes a narrative report
summarizing their findings from the review. External reviewers follow the *narrative report instructions* when completing their report.
The external reviewer submits an initial draft of the narrative report to IEA about
2 weeks following the site visit. IEA and the program then have a chance to review
the report and submit any corrections or questions for the reviewer to consider. Those
comments must be submitted to the reviewer only via IEA.
The reviewer then submits the final rubric and narrative report to IEA within about
30 days from the site visit.
IEA shares the final rubric and report with the dean, chair and team leads and they
use the feedback for continuous improvement.
Expectations for external reviewers
Attend brief initial virtual meeting with IEA to discuss requirements for reviewers
Work with IEA to schedule spring site visit.
Prepare travel estimate worksheet and return to IEA.
Read the self-study and review the rubric prior to visit and prepare questions for
site visit
Attend orientation with IEA about one week prior to site visit
Visit APSU for the site visit (typically a one-day site visit plus travel). Attend
all site visit sessions and ask questions of participants to gather more information
to evaluate program (using rubric).
Submit draft narrative report to IEA within 2 weeks of site visit
Receive and consider comments from program on draft narrative report
Submit completed, signed rubric and final narrative report to IEA within 4 weeks of
visit
Submit invoice as directed by IEA for payment of honorarium and travel reimbursement