Departmental Review Discussion Summary

Positive impacts of departmental reviews:

• added a faculty line
• filled four lines
• 21 new petrologic microscopes/classroom renovations/computer lab
• new wing on science building that allowed consolidation of dept space
• building renovation
• new college (not clear that it was the review that got this)
• empowered junior faculty regarding vision and direction
• change in curriculum led to increase in majors
• saved department
• wake up call, benchmark that led to one more chance to improve with cash infusion and follow up review

Negative impacts of departmental review:

• department eliminated
• graduate program downsized

Wisdom regarding departmental reviews

Picking reviewers

• choose reviewers who are respected by high administration - this may be people respected in discipline
• may be worthwhile to align specialty of the reviewers with the focus of the department
• picking people who can comment on the particular areas needing comment
• alums (not necessarily academics)
• may be helpful to have a high level adminstrator (provost, dean)
• important to have reviewers who understand or can learn about institutional contexts

Opportunity to strengthen department

• self-study is an opportunity to get faculty talking to each other
• learn what your peers (people who are like you in some respect) are doing and how you compare to them (this can also lead to good discussion among faculty).
• opportunity to normalize to community-wide expectations

Taking a Proactive Stance

• a stance of working with the institution on review/accreditation leads to positive results
• poor effort in preparing review leads to bad consequences
• strengthen the request from the administration to lead to a positive experience and a valuable review
• recognizing opportunities to be a leader/example for the institution
• need to know administration and their priorities/needs/objectives – these may not be the goals/mission/vision. Brief reviewers before they meet with the upper administration

Develop case for institution about the value added by department

• Students choosing the major after they start college is a clear indicator of value added
• Use CLA (pre-in-post) to identify learning trajectory on things like writing, critical thinking and relationship of majors to whole population
• Use portfolios to capture samples of trajectory and analyze for pre-major, introductory courses, post-major changes.
• Reviewers show with whom you can/should associate yourself

Other issues/outstanding questions:

• Many of us are finding that departmental reviews are not having the impact they could/have in the past.
• How can we bring value of departmental reviews into consciousness of accreditors?