Normally conducted on a program or unit once every seven years, the academic quality assurance process is designed to be completed in one calendar year through four main phases:
- Self Study — The Self Study Committee conducts an in-depth examination of the program or unit, focusing on what the program or unit does and how it does it, and collecting a set of required data. The result of the self study is a Self Study Report.
- External Review — The Self Study Committee selects an External Review Team of two members from outside the institution who are from a similar discipline to the unit or program under review. The External Review Team gets a copy of the Self Study Report and conducts a site visit to gather information on the quality of the program or unit, and presents their findings in an External Review Report.
- Program Response — The Self Study Committee develops a written response to the issues identified in the External Review Report and the Self Study Report.
- Dean’s Response — The Dean of the Faculty/School in which the program or unit resides develops a written response to the documents produced in the review, which addresses the findings from these reports and includes implications for future academic planning.
There are a few concluding steps in the review process, including a sign-off of the review results by the Academic Quality Assurance Committee and a document that summarizes the implementation requirements. Once the process is complete, the main points from the review documents are summarized and released for general communication on this website.