Academic Program Review

Academic Program Review (APR) is a function of the Office of the Provost in conjunction with the University Faculty Senate and is coordinated by the Vice Provost for Academic and International Programs. It is designed to evaluate the quality, productivity, and the role of each academic unit and program in the fulfillment of the University's mission and strategic goals. (The term "unit" herein refers to an academic department, a college, or a program.) APR serves to encourage self-study and planning within units, to ensure comparability among review reports, and to strengthen the linkages connecting the planning agendas and practices of individual units with those of their colleges and of the University as a whole. Reviews inform budgetary planning decisions at every level of administration.

The Provost and Deans select units for review. Academic units will normally be reviewed at ten year intervals, but this schedule may be accelerated in individual cases at the discretion of the Provost. Whereever possible, APR reviews will be combined with accrediatation or other mandated reviews. The Senate Academic Priorities Review Committee will have the opportunity to suggest programs or programmatic areas for review. The Vice Provost for Academic and International Programs coordinates all reviews, working with the unit under review and with the review panel to ensure that the process will be fair, efficient, and effective.

Each review is conducted by a review panel, composed of five members, all from disciplines related to that of the unit under reivew. The Review Panel members will be selected as follows:

one University of Delaware member or external member chosen by the Dean of the college whose unit is under review or, in the case of the review of a college, by the Provost
one University of Delaware member chosen by the Faculty Senate Committee on Committees and Nominations
one University of Delaware member from the faculty of another unit or external member chosen by the unit under review
two external members representing the discipline of the unit under review chosen by the Vice Provost for Academic and International Programs in consultation with the head of the unit and the Dean of the unit's college.

Further information on the Academic Program Review process may be obtained online or from the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic and Interntional Programs.