When model Plans written under the Interim Guidelines become available, they will be posted on the Program Planning Website.
The Provost very much intends to make the Action Memorandum a part of both short and long term resource allocation procedures within the Academic Affairs division. Requests for faculty hires, for new curricula, and/or for special resource consideration, that have not been documented in Program Planning, are much less likely to be honored.
Beginning spring 2011 all Program Planning documents are submitted digitally. Please make all appendices as separate files with appropriate names (e.g. Appen A - RDE, Appen X - GE certification) and submit as a zip file.
The Dean of the college must signify that the Program Plan is ready to be viewed off-campus. The Chair of the department submits the Plan to the Dean, first. Please notify the office of Undergraduate Studies when the Plan is submitted to the Dean.
When the Dean approves the Plan to go forward he/she will sign the title page and forward the Plan to UGS.
The essential word is "planning," for literally every component of the process. The Plan, culminating in an Action Memorandum from the Provost, must give a clear picture of where the program stands and what it realistically expects to accomplish over the next five years - curricular and pedagogical revisions - based on assessment of student learning, faculty hiring, space alterations, change in student mix, enhanced off-campus delivery, changing use of technology, more community ties, develop or use more effectively an advisory board, more alumni contact, etc.
Effectiveness means are students learning what program faculty have established as program learning objectives. Senate policy (S94-2 amended by S96-10) requires an element related to evidence of program effectiveness. Because such measures are an increasingly important part of University accreditation (WASC), it is necessary to show how departments are collecting -- and using for the purposes of program improvement -- evidence of their effectiveness. The Plan should summarize evidence and activities reported in assessment annual reports over the previous five years and outline a plan for future activities related to improving student learning.
The following is intended to be a general overview. Be sure to see the Program Planning Interim Guidelines for more information.
Fall semester:
Spring semester:
Fall semester of following AY:
The following may begin earlier than fall, if the external reviewer's report is received early enough.
The Program Planning Interim Guidelines give more detailed instructions on format and sections required for the Plan.
The Office of Institutional Research (OIR) will provide one snapshot of Required Data Elements (RDE) in pdf format. If the snapshot is not used by the department in a timely manner the department will be required to prepare a snapshot of Required Data Elements upon which the Plan is based.At any point in time, the OIR website has the most recent five years of required data. Should the department wish additional data, the Office of Institutional Research may be able either to provide requested data or to aid the department in finding sources.
Only one. Resources are typically shared across programs within a department, so that, for instance, most faculty teach in multiple programs. For that reason, departments with multiple programs should integrate planning discussions across programs.
The Chair, who may delegate this in whole or part, but who nonetheless remains responsible.
Yes. the Chair or Program Plan Coordinator prepares a table of contents that follows the Interim Guidelines but which refers to pages in the accreditation self-study, where appropriate. Only sections required in the program plan that are not addressed in the self-study need to be written specifically for the University Program Plan.
Members of the Program Planning Committee play a logistical support role. They will help departments negotiate changes to procedures as necessary, and in general will report to the Committee whether things are progressing smoothly. The liaison should not be regarded as a working member of the department planning process, but as an informational link to the Committee and as support.
It can be difficult to see what is unclear to a reader outside of your discipline. The liaison may give the department an outsider's view of drafts of the Program Plan, if the department desires. The liaison does not take responsibiity for the plan.
The Program Planning Committee is being asked by the Curriculum & Research Committee to oversee the long-term commitments made during Priorities, and to see to it that during the Planning processes appropriate degree condensations, evaluations, etc., are carried out.
This page last updated 9-14-2011
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