Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services


Book Description

Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services REVISED AND UPDATED Increasing economic concerns make the new edition of this best-selling classic an invaluable resource for those who want and need to implement a proven step-by-step approach to reallocating resources in tough times. Thoroughly revised and updated, Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services includes new recommendations from the field, communication strategies for more successful campus implementation, a new section on the sources of hidden costs, and a Prioritization Process and Implementation workbook designed to help administrators avoid costly mistakes. This book includes access to additional content online, including models for prioritization from a variety of campuses. Based on the author's extensive consulting experience, this necessary and timely resource offers the best advice for addressing the current economic concerns affecting most colleges and universities. Praise for Prioritizing Academic Programs and Services "For more than a decade, higher education leaders have turned to Dickeson's practical guide to academic program assessment. These newly expanded approaches are just in time for today's competitive environment." SUZANNE SHIPLEY, president, Shepherd University "Dickeson provides a compelling rationale for program prioritization as well as a practical planning structure that promotes alignment between programs, resources, and university mission. Presidents and provosts can use his approach to frame campus discussions around the future of the institution and away from legacy programs whose time has passed." KYLE R. CARTER, provost and senior vice chancellor, Western Carolina University "Dickeson's approach ensures that critical decisions regarding academic programs and resource allocation are aligned with strategic goals and institutional mission. As one of the early adopters of the process that he proposes, I am convinced that it is a powerful and practical tool for any college or university committed to remaining focused, resilient, vital, and relevant in a dynamic and increasingly challenging environment." DAVID MAXWELL, president, Drake University




Outcomes-based Academic and Co-curricular Program Review


Book Description

This book offers far more than an introduction to the principles of assessment of student learning outcomes in the context of program review. Within a clearly structured framework, it systematically shares the good practices of some forty institutions recognized by independent scholars for their improvements in teaching/learning, research, and service, to offer examples and ideas for others to learn from and adapt. While the book focuses on assessment of the teaching mission, these same practices apply equally to student affairs, service and research activities. This book is intended for faculty, administrators and staff responsible for implementing and sustaining outcomes-based assessment program review. It aims to help them understand the "what", "why" and "how" of outcomes-based assessment program review. Rather than adopting a prescriptive approach, it provides a rich array of case studies and ideas as a basis for reflection and discussion to help institutions develop solutions that are appropriate to their own missions and cultures. This book answers such questions as what does good outcomes-based assessment program review practice look like from an institutional perspective? How have others initiated and conducted the process? Why did they choose their particular approaches; and who is doing replicable work? It links effective assessment practices with cyclical program review so that the single process of outcomes-based assessment informs many purposes: program review, strategic planning, professional accreditation, institutional accreditation, and possibly even the assessment of general education. This book illustrates the components of outcomes-based assessment program review, presents the criteria for identifying good practices and suggests steps for implementing a sustainable outcomes-based assessment program--and does so in a way that will engage readers in critical inquiry about what works well and what needs to be improved.




Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education


Book Description

Higher education professionals have moved from teaching- to learning-centered models for designing and assessing courses and curricula. Faculty work collaboratively to identify learning objectives and assessment strategies, set standards, design effective curricula and courses, assess the impact of their efforts on student learning, reflect on results, and implement appropriate changes to increase student learning. Assessment is an integral component of this learner-centered approach, and it involves the use of empirical data to refine programs and improve student learning. Based on the author's extensive experience conducting assessment training workshops, this book is an expansion of a workshop/consultation guide that has been used to provide assessment training to thousands of busy professionals. Assessing Academic Programs in Higher Education provides a comprehensive introduction to planning and implementing the assessment of college and university academic programs. Written for college and university administrators, assessment officers, department chairs, and faculty who are involved in developing and implementing assessment programs, this book is a realistic, pragmatic guide for developing and implementing meaningful, manageable, and sustainable assessment programs that focus faculty attention on student learning. This book will: * Guide readers through all steps in the assessment process * Provide a balanced review of the full array of assessment strategies * Explain how assessment is a crucial component of the teaching and learning process * Provide examples of successful studies that can be easily adapted * Summarize key assessment terms in an end-of-book glossary




Academic Program Reviews


Book Description




Successful Program Review


Book Description

Successful Program Review outlines the key purposes and scope of program review, details the initial stages of developing a program review plan, and describes the nuts and bolts of conducting a review, the use of consultants, and a variety of methods for collecting and analyzing data.







Using Academic Program Review


Book Description

Much has been written about proper implementation of program review. Extensive advise is available to help those implementing or revitalizing program review processes to avoid common pitfalls and build strengths into the processes. A factor for gauging the effectiveness of program review is the extent to which results of program reveiws are used for other meaningful purposes. Literature on the use of review results is less prevalent. Institutional researchers and others need to know more about program review's role in program improvement and institutional decision-making. Questions that need to be answered include the following: Are the program review reports and recommendations an integral part of the institution's budget process? What is the role of academic program review in strategic planning? Can the program review process be linked to the institution's outcomes assessment process? The purpose of this volume is to provide planners and institutional researchers with information on the uses of program review results in colleges and universities. This is the 86th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Institutional Research. For more information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals page.







The Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education is dedicated to providing comprehensive coverage of teaching, pedagogy, and professional issues in psychology. The Handbook is designed to help psychology educators at each stage of their careers, from teaching their first courses and developing their careers to serving as department or program administrators. The goal of the Handbook is to provide teachers, educators, researchers, scholars, and administrators in psychology with current, practical advice on course creation, best practices in psychology pedagogy, course content recommendations, teaching methods and classroom management strategies, advice on student advising, and administrative and professional issues, such as managing one's career, chairing the department, organizing the curriculum, and conducting assessment, among other topics. The primary audience for this Handbook is college and university-level psychology teachers (at both two and four-year institutions) at the assistant, associate, and full professor levels, as well as department chairs and other psychology program administrators, who want to improve teaching and learning within their departments. Faculty members in other social science disciplines (e.g., sociology, education, political science) will find material in the Handbook to be applicable or adaptable to their own programs and courses.




Academic Program Review


Book Description