
Office of Assessment
Institutional Assessment
Seven Year Program/Department External Review
USM requires a program review for all academic
degree programs every seven years. The 7-year
program review process is extensive and consists of
an internal
self-study of each program within the context of
the discipline as a whole and the department in
which it resides. Each review must include
feedback from an external reviewer and a
comprehensive plan for improvement.
The self-study must demonstrate how the
curriculum supports student learning outcomes, how
outcomes are assessed and how assessment results are
used to improve practice. Other issues addressed
include developing a departmental strategic plan,
the quality of faculty teaching, comparison of
program quality to peer programs, enrollment trends
and program demands, and cost-effectiveness of the
program.
The program review offers an opportunity to
engage faculty in the assessment process. USM
requires that programs under review identify a
Comprehensive Plan for Improvement based on the
recommendations of the external reviewer, including
ways progress will be assessed. Program
reviews require the
signatures of the dean of the college in which
the program resides and the Provost.
Degree programs accredited by external agencies
develop assessment practices that align with
accrediting agency standards. External
accreditation has a positive effect on the success
of programs in these discipline areas. These
external accrediting agencies tend to have higher
standards that are tailored to their fields relative
to the internal standards used for all other
programs. If the site visit is within one year of
the scheduled program review, the visiting team
report can be substituted for the external
consultant review requirement associated with the
USM 7-Year Program Review process. Programs will
however, need to prepare the
Report on Periodic Review of Academic Programs
form and the Comprehensive Plan for Improvement.
These accrediting agencies include:
- Accreditation Board for
Engineering and Technology
-
Accreditation Council for
Occupational Therapy Education
-
Accreditation Review Commission on
Education for the Physician
Assistant
-
American Association for Health
Education
- American
Chemical Society
- American
Council on the Teaching of Foreign
Languages
-
American Library Association
-
American Occupational Therapy
Association
- American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association
- Association
for Childhood Education
International
-
Association of University Programs
in Health Administration
- Association
to Advance Collegiate Schools of
Business
-
Commission on Accreditation of
Athletic Training Education
-
Commission on Collegiate Nursing
Education
- Council for
Exceptional Children
- Council on
Academic Accreditation in Audiology
and Speech-Language Pathology
- Educational
Leadership Constituent Council
-
International Reading Association
- National
Association for Sport and Physical
Education
-
National Association for the
Education of Young Children
- National
Association of School Psychologists
- National
Association of Schools of Dance -
Commission on Accreditation
- National
Association of Schools of Music -
Commission on Accreditation
- National
Association of Schools of Theatre -
Commission on Accreditation
-
National Council for Accreditation
of Teacher Education
-
National Council for the Social
Studies
- National
Council of Teacher of English
- National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics
- National
Science Teachers Association
Office of Assessment
Administration
Building, Room 311-C
Phone: 410-704-2557
Fax: 410-704-6091
E-mail:
assessment@towson.edu
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