Academic Program Review

The program review is a lookback since the most recent review. For most departments this is 5-7 years. 

For the reviews occurring during 22-23, you will be focusing on Academic Years 2017-2018 through 2021-2022 (for a 5 year review).

Yes! If a program has generated a self-study report for purposes of external accreditation, that report may be used as the basis for UND’s Program Review process. The Program Review Leader must enter content from accrediting reports in conjunction with or in place of a response to prompts, but may do so by appending the accreditation report and providing a reference to the relevant section of the accreditation report under each  Program Review prompt, as in “See Section One, paragraph two of Accreditation Report”. If utilizing responses from accreditation reports, be sure to specify how the response answers the question for program review.

Any APR questions/sections not addressed by the accreditation report must be answered in the submission. Programs should check with their respective Dean for guidance.

Contact Karina Knutson to get help with logging in. 

It is the responsibility of the program/ department to keep a copy of the most recent APR.  

If you cannot locate the most recent APR, reach out and we may be able to track it down for you. 

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• Program Review Leader submission steps - video
• Program Review Leader submission steps - instructions

• College Review Team training - presentation
• College Review Team question prompts
• College Review Team Submission - video
• College Review Team Submission - instructions

• Dean's Summary submission - video
• Dean's Summary submission - instructions

Steps for Program Review Leaders, Department Chairs, Deans, and APR Review Teams to view all parts of the APR Report. 

• View Report - video
• View Report Instructions

The primary goal of Academic Program Review (APR) is the continuous improvement of undergraduate and graduate programs.

It provides critical information about:

• the size and stability of a program
• its future faculty resources and student market
• its strengths and weaknesses
• its contribution to the mission of the institution.
• It helps set goals and directions for the future and ensures that overall academic planning and budget decisions are based on accurate data and agreed-upon priorities.

The information gathered in the review process, particularly the assessment of program strengths and needs, provides compelling evidence of the quality of undergraduate and graduate programs and the foundation on which future improvements should be built.

• Use prior APRs, accreditation self-studies (if applicable), and internal and external benchmarks to highlight program achievements and improvements.
• Address recommendations for change made in the previous APR and assess the extent to which the program has successfully addressed any concerns from the previous review.

Describe clearly the academic planning done by program faculty, including department/program level strategic planning, program choices, budgeting and resource allocation, decision-making processes, governance, program goals, and objectives.

• Using relevant data, clearly document the program’s assessment plan for student achievement and the process for implementing change based on assessment results.
• Demonstrate how the loop has been closed. 

Where applicable, APRs will be scheduled to coincide with accreditation activities. When determined by the Dean, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies (for graduate programs), accreditation self-study reports or portions thereof can serve as the basis for components of the APR, and accreditation team site visits can serve as an external evaluation.

The practice of regular program review, assessment of student learning, and taking action upon the findings is also a component of HLC accreditation (criterion 4).

North Dakota State Board of Higher Education Policy 403.1.2 requires each institution to review undergraduate programs at least every seven years, graduate programs at least every ten years, and new programs after five years.

The UND APR satisfies state-level review requirements and stands as a tool for programs as they engage in academic planning.

In view of changes in methods of instruction and delivery, the evolution of program requirements and outcomes as a function of a changing landscape within higher education and for employment, and the need to align program goals and outcomes with the university’s strategic mission and vision, the UND APR is expected to occur for all programs every five years, although exceptions to this timeline may be requested to the VPAA office to align APR with accreditation cycles.

In conjunction with the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Academic Deans are responsible for scheduling and monitoring the progress of APRs within their respective colleges or schools. Progress evaluation facilitates continuous improvement and alignment with strategic goals and objectives at all levels.