Program Planning

Program review and planning assures integrity and accountability of our programs, and promotes continuous institutional improvement. It is an important requirement of all institutions accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The relevant criterion addressing program planning in the WASC Handbook is quoted below:

The institution employs a deliberate set of quality-assurance processes in both academic and non-academic areas, including new curriculum and program approval processes, pe­riodic program review, assessment of student learning, and other forms of ongoing evaluation. These processes include: collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data; tracking learning results over time; us­ing comparative data from external sources; and improving structures, services, processes, curricula, pedagogy, and learning results.

-2013 Handbook of Accreditation, WASC (CFR 4.11)

For more information on WASC activities as SJSU, please visit the SJSU WASC webpage.

At SJSU, program planning is a future-oriented process based on program assessment. Programs use this information to develop five-year action plans guiding decisions in a variety of areas such as curriculum revision and development, scholarship, resource management, faculty and staff hiring, student recruitment and retention, and interaction with the community.

PROCESS

Program planning is required for all SJSU programs every five years, or the semester after external accreditation reviews if the cycle is seven years or fewer (Senate Policy F03-4). It is typically done at the department level, but is occasionally done on a program, school, or college level depending on unique circumstances. All programs in the unit must be included in the program plan, including baccalaureate degrees, undergraduate minors, graduate programs, self-support, off-campus, and certificate programs. The current schedule of program planning due dates can be found here: Program Planning Calendar.

Step One:

Program planning starts with program assessment. Program assessment evaluates how effectively a program meets its learning objectives and outcomes, and examines other metrics and evidence of program success. Guidelines and resources for program assessment can be found on the UGS Program Assessment webpage. 

The Required Data Elements (RDEs) can be downloaded from the IEA website. Exhibits 1 through 10 are required, and all other data is optional. Further information can be found in the RDE guide.

The  Program Planning Interim Guidelines (pdf) (2010) and the Program Plan Template (DRAFT doc) are resources for writing the program plan itself. If the program is externally accredited, the accreditation report can be attached as an appendix and referred to as appropriate to minimize duplication of work. If the program has any GE courses, a Program Review of GE is also required according to Senate Policy S09-2 (click here for specific GE guidelines for Program Review). If an undergraduate program has more than 120 units, an application for the 120 unit exception is required (Senate Policy S01-5). The completed program plan must be submitted to and approved by the dean of the host college.

Step Two:

The next step is the external review. This step is not required for programs that are externally accredited and have already undergone external review. A list of three qualified external reviewers is submitted to UGS, and the visit is scheduled and coordinated. Further details are found on the UGS External Reviewer webpage. Any responses and rebuttals to the external reviewer’s report are due to UGS at this time.

Step Three:

The documentation up until this point undergoes review by the Program Planning Committee (PPC). The PPC prepares the Letter to the Provost summarizing key points of the documentation, as well as the committee review and recommendations. The Letter to the Provost is a public document posted on the UGS website.

Step Four:

The last step in the process is to schedule a meeting with the department, dean, GS&R, UGS, and the Provost to discuss results of the program planning process and the Action Plan for the department. The program planning process concludes when the Action Plan, follow-up milestones, and timeline are agreed upon by all parties.

The Program Planning Checklist can help departments manage what steps to work through during the Program Planning Process.

Responsibility

The responsibility for the program plan belongs to the department chair. The chair may delegate the responsibility as he/she sees fit. Assigned time of 0.2 from UGS is available for one faculty member in the department/unit during the semester the program plan is being written. Chairs can request the departments 0.2 release by completing the Program Planning Release Time Request Form. PLEASE NOTE: You must be signed into SJSU email in order to access request form.

Submission and Communications

The submission of the program plan to the dean and all resulting feedback and communication from the dean, external reviewer, and the department are to be sent via email with the appropriate attachments and links. Nicole Loeser in UGS (nicole.loeser@sjsu.edu) and the current chair of the PPC (jinny.rhee@sjsu.edu) are to be cc’d on all emails pertaining to submission of program planning documents.

Extension Requests

Program Planning Extension Requests on program plans for one semester are automatically granted by the PPC if approved by the dean. Extension dates are adjusted on the program planning calendar once request form has been received by the UGS office.