Resources

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.
- 2020-2025 Program Review Schedule for Quality Assurance Funding Cycle
- 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.
    - Rubrics
    - Self-study
      - 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).
      - Sample itinerary
    - Optional: Internal Reviewers
      - 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 Research and Effectiveness 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.
  - Rubrics
  - Self-study
    - 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).
    - Sample itinerary
  - Optional: Internal Reviewers
    - 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
  - External Reviewer’s Narrative Report Instructions

External Reviewer Rubric Instructions