The Office of University Planning and Analysis (OUPA) coordinates Program Review. You can find the full Program Review process and resources to help you get started on their site.
You are not required to include CIEL in your Program Review, but we are happy to help. CIEL can support your program with the self study portion of your review. We can also help you implement curricular improvements identified in your action plan. The ways we can help described on this page are not exhaustive. If your team needs support with anything not listed here, please let us know.
Self-study support
CIEL can help collect qualitative data that feeds into the self-study report. We will support Program Review Chairs in the following ways:
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review the self-study process and clarify the timeline
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attend team meetings to talk about the Teaching and Learning section of the report
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design focus group questions in collaboration with the Program Review Chair
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facilitate focus groups (if desired) with students, faculty, and community groups to collect data on program strengths and areas for improvement. We will also collate the data gathered into a report for the Program Review Chair.
Action plan support
After you complete your self study, CIEL can support your action items in a variety of ways. These might include:
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program mapping and analysis
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framing program learning outcomes
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aligning courses with program learning outcomes
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planning and implementing curricular changes
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any other teaching and learning action items your program would like assistance with
Data collection support
Department meetings
We are happy to attend a department, faculty or team meeting to talk about the self study. If you elect to work with CIEL during your program review we will assign a specialist as your main contact. We recommend the Program Review Chair meet with this specialist first to set the agenda for the meeting. This will help us make the best us of the time available.
Faculty focus groups
Focus groups can provide rich feedback in an efficient manner. In a focus group, faculty come together for a conversation. CIEL staff can facilitate this conversation if you would like us to. You can also have a member of your faculty or the Program Review Chair facilitate a focus group.
CIEL can also work with the Program Review Chair to develop questions to direct the focus group discussion. If CIEL is facilitating the focus group, your specialist will:
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frame the session
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ask the predetermined questions
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provide more information about particular topics
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suggest follow-up questions
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collate the focus group responses for the Program Review Chair to analyze
A faculty focus group will take approximately 2-3 hours. Using an existing faculty meeting (or a few shorter meetings) is often a good plan to include the greatest number of faculty.
Advantages for this method:
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time-efficient; data can be collected all at once
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dialogic and interactive with the potential to provide rich responses that might not be gained through one-on-one interviews or surveys alone
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faculty members can hear from one another about methods they are using
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promotes a more holistic understanding of the teaching and learning practices of the program
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CIEL specialist collates data for the Program Review Chair
Some faculty members may not feel comfortable sharing in a group setting. An alternate method for collecting feedback should be available for these faculty.
Student focus groups
Student focus groups can be used to delve more deeply into topics on the course experience surveys. These discussions can also allow discussion of questions not included in the survey. Student focus groups allow students to feel their voices and experiences in the program are being heard, which can be a very powerful part of the process.
Focus group questions are highly varied and are intended to focus on what your program specifically wants to know. This might include questions about elements that are very program specific. For example, you may want to ask about how to improve a field study or co-op experience, or how students feel about a new interdisciplinary course.
Faculty members in your program are responsible for recruiting students to participate in the focus groups. If you choose to have CIEL facilitate student focus groups, we will:
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collaborate with faculty members and the Program Review Chair to design questions
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act as a neutral third party in facilitating the session
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anonymize and collate the student feedback for the Program Review Chair
A student focus group should take no more than two hours.
Additional Resources
If you have additional questions, we’re here for you.
Email: learnsupport@viu.ca
Phone: 250.740.6179