Program reviews, conducted once every five years, provide information that helps to enhance academic excellence as well as to improve the quality of the student learning experience. Ideally, the program review process is linked to the department's annual plans, annual reports, assessment of student learning outcomes, and other evaluations that take place on a continuous basis and are reviewed as an integral part of regional accreditation.
The program review is an iterative opportunity for the department to self-evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of the program under review and, as a result improve its operations and outcomes. This includes adherence to the program mission and the centrality to the school and Siena missions, stakeholder feedback, performance in relation to efficiency of delivery and instructional cost goals, and identification of resources- actual and necessitated as determined in the review. The process also enables department members, internal reviewers, and external reviewers to monitor program quality, to identify problems that may need corrective action, and to modify departmental offerings accordingly. The program reviews should be conducted within the context of Siena's academic values, the College's history, Siena's internal strengths and weaknesses, and the institutional need to respond to internal and external challenges and opportunities.
The program reviews scheduled within an academic year, are submitted to the Office of Academic Affairs by June 30th each year. Following this submission, a meeting will be held between the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs: Institutional Effectiveness, Department Chair and the Dean of the School. During this meeting follow up and action steps to be taken for the program within the next two years will be discussed.