Who, What, & Why of Academic Program Review (APR)

These are common questions the Academic Program Review Workgroup receives. Although this process is always evolving, here are some answers that may help clarify who we are, what we do, and our general process.

What is Academic Program Review and why are we doing it?

  • Academic Program Review (APR) is a systematic process of review of student learning.
  • This process is created by faculty for faculty and is a continuous process.
  • A large group of faculty began building the APR process in 2021 and it continues to be managed and revised by the APR Workgroup.
  • A systematic process of review of student learning using program learning outcomes (PLO) and institutional learning outcomes (ILO) is an accreditation requirement. Our college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Links to an external site.. Colleges must be accredited to receive Federal Financial Aid.  

How can I learn more about Academic Program Review (APR)?

  • The Academic Program Review Workgroup continues to organize and communicate APR. You can learn more about it by:
    • Completing online Workshops that are located in your Assessment Task Canvas Course 
    • Reading the Academic Program Review Handbook
    • Exploring this APR Canvas Shell
    • Serving on the Academic Program Review Workgroup. If interested, please contact your Dean.
    • Actively participating in Convocation and Assessment Day activities
    • Meeting with an APR Faculty Coordinator:

What are we supposed to do with the data dashboards?

  • The data is compiled by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE). The dashboards provided are to "get the conversation started" around equity gaps in student learning. Faculty will collaborate within their program or discipline on Assessment Day to identify what area(s) stand out to them. If nothing stands out, that is perfectly okay. Faculty may already have a focus they want to dig into that does not need any further data from the OIE in order to facilitate the next step of the process which is to create a project and action plan. However, if you would like to request additional data from OIE, please use this Data Request Form Links to an external site.. 

What if the data seems inaccurate?

  • There are multiple approaches to pulling data and presenting data. The APR Workgroup continues to revise and refine how the data is presented with OIE based on feedback from faculty. If there is data that seems inaccurate and is in an area that your program/discipline would like to explore, you can request assistance from OIE to pull data in a different way and/or confirm its accuracy. 

Are there examples of Academic Program Review reports?

  • Yes, there is a module in your Assessment Canvas Course, "Academic Program Review Reports". Each year the report will be adjusted based on feedback from faculty. The reports in this module are the "first stab" at developing the process and the reports and we expect them to change as we move through and improve this process.

I'm ready to track Learning Outcomes, where can I get a template for my Canvas course?

  • please contact your faculty coordinators or email assessment@yvcc.edu for a tracking template and/or to request a meeting to discuss or learn more, we'd be happy to accommodate.