PRC Meeting Agenda

September 5, 2007

Prayer

Committee goals and membership –questions?

Goals for this year –review of our last meeting 15 point program

  1. Adopt a Template for departmental 5 year Program Review reports.
  2. Identify 2 or 3 departments which could have reports ready by Summer 2008. The Music Department might be able to do a minimal amount of work to produce one.
  3. Revise the Program Review schedule
  4. Complete a job description for Director of Assessment.
  5. Director of Assessment should orient new department chairs/faculty to Program Review. (consider whether they should be awarded a stipend for attending a workshop)*
  6. Harmonize the major documents: 6 Learning Standards, GE categories and What Do We Want for our Graduates.
  7. Ask departments to revisit their Assessment Plans and standardize them with the language of assessment. Some departments need to re-articulate their student learning outcomes. Some departments are missing benchmarks.
  8. Consider whether PRC Members would continue in the role of Assessment Coordinators. WASC seems to be encouraging us to continue this model. How would this work?
  9. How will we educate new members of the Program Review Committee?
  10. Would money to fund the A.C.’s be consolidated and used to fund the
    Director of Assessment position.
  11. Could some money be found for training new faculty members?*
  12. Change Faculty Handbook’s description for Program Review.
  13. How will we transition 2006/07 A.C.’s to new ones (if we continue with this model).*
  14. Consider whether 27 units of assessments could be reduced. Could we combine some such as Student Life/Campus Pastor or Academic Advising/Internships etc.
  15. Interpreting the Senior Survey. For instance, can we look at the survey results and answer the question “What is happening to Women Here?” and how is Westmont going to deal with this as an institution?

What’s happened this summer and the resulting priorities for this committee

  • The WASC commission letter:
  • Summary and comments
  • Sharing the letter with the faculty: when? Where? How to best use faculty forum?
  • There is a Director of Assessment –this makes points 10 and 13 obsolete (we now have an 11 point proposal)

Director of Assessment –Job decription

Work directly with the 27 academic departments

Serve as ambassador with WASC

Provide training for faculty

Assist in the evaluation of the GE program

Figure out the budget for the position
Faculty Handbook of the Program Review Committee

a) Membership:

1) Provost or Associate Academic Dean for Curriculum

2) Associate Provost for Assessment, Planning and Research

3) Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students (or representative)

4) Three faculty, one from each division, one elected annually to a three-year term

5) WASC Liaison Officer (ex officio)

b) Officers:

1) Co-Chairs: Faculty member in 3rd year on Committee and the Associate Provost

2) Secretary elected by committee.

c) Responsibilities:

1) To help departments in devising and implementing an ongoing process of program review that is appropriate for each department.

2) To provide resources and recommendations to departments pertaining to the means and methods of program review at appropriate intervals for the purpose of departmental and institutional development.

3) To encourage a campus conversation that establishes the value of a college-wide program review process for our own use.

4) To monitor concerns over the review process, and respond to expressed concerns as appropriate.

5) To work with and advise the Director of Institutional Research in establishing institutional goals and priorities for the collection and reporting of student data.

6) To make recommendations to the Academic Senate regarding the rationale and procedure for regular program review and to make recommendations regarding changes to program review standards.

7) To submit an annual report to the Provost’s Office that summarizes program review activity of the prior year.

Current Members

Dave Marten (for the Sciences –Fsab)

Andrew Mullen (volunteeréminence grise)

Mark Nelson (for the Humanities)

Marianne Robins (for the Social Sciences)

Warren Rogers (Provost)

Ray Rosentratter (Associate Dean)

Tim Wilson (Associate Dean of Student Life)

Bill Wright (Associate Provost, WASC liaison officer)

Revised Schedule for Program Review Reports

A Proposal for Faculty Compensation