Academic program review

Purpose and guiding principles

The Arizona Board of Regents (2-225) requires academic program reviews at least once every seven years. Periodic program reviews provide a mechanism for faculty to evaluate the effectiveness, progress and status of their academic programs on a continuous basis. The UPRA Office coordinates the APR process, which is intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current status of an academic unit based on its programs, activities and achievements since its last program review, while also providing the unit the opportunity to think strategically regarding its curricular offerings and its future direction. In doing so, the unit:

• Provides comparisons with its peers, identifying strengths and weaknesses in its curricula and pedagogy.
• Assesses student quality and learning outcomes.
• Provides an account of faculty contributions in teaching, research/creative activities and service.
• Assesses resource availability and needs.
• Summarizes special features or services provided by the unit. 

An APR enables the unit to build on existing strengths, maximize opportunities for growth and problem solve using innovation.

Those directly responsible for the APR process should familiarize themselves with all parts of the manual along with the related checklists and appendices.