Improving Academic Programs

Improving Academic Programs

1. During each course, Mid-course and End-of-Course Feedback forms are given to students and reviewed by the course instructor.
2. At the conclusion of each course, the instructor prepares a Closing-the-Loop report that documents the strengths and concerns of the course and makes recommendations for future changes. This report is consulted before the course is taught again. This report includes data from the End-of-Course Feedback form. Closing the Loop reports are read by the director of the degree program in which the course is taught and by the department chair.
3. Annual Program Assessment Reports are written by program directors and that are reviewed by department chairs, the Dean of Faculty, and the Academic Committee of the Board of Trustees.
4. Periodically, students fill out a Student Satisfaction Inventory, a comprehensive assessment provided by Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL). The faculty and administration carefully review the results of this survey and implement changes to address areas of concern.
5. Student Government regularly schedules open forum meetings where students can give feedback and suggestions on any aspect of the academic program, in addition to all other areas of the student experience. Issues are sent to the appropriate faculty committees for action.
6. All new faculty members attend a two-week Faculty Training Course and all faculty attend a yearly four-day Faculty Development Seminar. The Faculty Training Course introduces new faculty to effective teaching strategies and the Faculty DevelopmentSeminar provides advanced training in teaching and student support.
7. Curriculum Committee, Teaching and Learning Committee, Academic Council, and Academic Planning Council regularly review suggestions for new academic programs, changes for existing programs, and other proposals related to the academic programs at the University.
8. Feedback from students on how their courses relate to their jobs is reviewed for all of the students in the Compro MSCS track when they are enrolled in Practicum courses and working full time in a professional computer science position. The students’ faculty advisers review all of these reports, of which there are about 300 each semester.