SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
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S.94-6
OFFICE OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT,
ACADEMIC ?
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Senate
From: ?
J.M. Munro, Chair, Senate Committee on Academic Planning
Subject:
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Revision of External Review Guidelines
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Date: ?
15 December 1993
In 1990 Senate approved new guidelines for conducting external reviews which
specified the external review process consisting of a self-study, external committee
site visit, report and departmental response. The guidelines have been followed for
the reviews in the past three years. We have sought feedback on the review process
from the chairs of units reviewed and from the internal and external members of
the review committees. The experience with the external reviews of the past three
years has prompted the development of revised guidelines which include these
changes:
a)
inclusion of a statement outlining the purpose of external reviews;
b)
more detail about what should be contained in the self-study
prepared by the unit;
c)
acknowledgement that the departmental environment should be
one of the elements considered in the review;
d)
clarification of the role of the internal committee member;
e)
specification of a common data set to be included in the self-study;
f)
addition of a requirement that the reviewers take into consideration
the existing resources of the unit;
g)
reorganization of the post-review actions; the department would
develop an implementation plan to be attached to its
response on the external review;
h)
clarification that Senate would receive a summary of the external
review report and the implementation plan prepared by the
department, and that the full report would be available to
Senators.
The existing guidelines S 90-33 are attached for information.
MOTION
That Senate
approve the revised
guidelines for external reviews, as
outlined
in S 94-6
Attachments: 2
0
Proposed Guidelines
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SENATE GUIDELINES FOR
EXTERNAL REVIEWS OF ACADEMIC UNITS
All academic units are reviewed on a periodic basis, normally once every seven
years. The purposes of such reviews are to enable units to conduct their own
assessments of their strengths and weaknesses, to. obtain the views of external
experts in the field, and to engage in planning for their own future. The review
process is intended to ensure that:
a)
The quality of the program is high and the unit has measures in place
to ensure the evaluation and revision of the teaching programs.
b)
The quality of faculty research is high and faculty collaboration and
interaction provides a stimulating academic environment.
c)
Pe
p ar tm
ent members partic i
pate in the administration of the unit and
take an active role in the dissemination of knowledge
d)
The departmental environment is conducive to the attainment of the
objectives of the department
Review committees should' mál their assessments taking into accOunt the
resources currently available to the department and the University.
Review Process
1.
The review will be initiated by the Vice-President, Academic, after
consultation with the Dean of the Faculty, and the unit involved. The Dean
of Graduate Studies shall also be consulted about the initiation of an external
review and shall be involved in external reviews in relation to graduate
programs and graduate student issues.
2.
The Department will engage in a period of
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self-study of one to two 'semesters,
possibly including a retreat, in which the members of the unit assess all
aspects of the activities falling within its mandate and prepàré a report
covering the following areas:
a) Institutional role, unit role and activities, goals and aspirations;
b) Quality of teaching demonstrated by student achievement, scholarships
and awards, degrees completed, post-graduate employment;
c)
Quality of the programs indicated by student demand, access to courses,
student opinion on programs, educational experience including
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aDepartments, Faculties, Schools, Programs. Parallel procedures will be used for periodic reviews of
cademic service units.
December 9, 1993
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co-op and exchange opportunities, experience and satisfaction of
students after graduation;
d) Quality of scholarship demonstrated through grants, graduate student
achievements; knowledge distribution and utilization, awards,
citations, honours, appointments;
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e) Service• to the community demonstrated by public service activity,
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involvement in related community groups, membership. on
boards or similar bodies;
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f)
Collegial environment for all members of the unit,
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g)
Appropriate orientation and training, support for employee
development;
h)
Resources for unit activities; faculty, staff, operating budget, space,
equipment (program for renewal), library holdings (process for
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determining collections directions).
3.
Undergraduate and graduate students will be encouraged to participate in the
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preparation of material for the departmental self-study and student input will
be sought throughout the process. The Chair/Director should contact the
student union and student representatives on departmental committees, as
well as publicizing the. review in classes and within the department..: Student
contributions will be included or reflected in the self-study and students will
have meetings with the external review committee.
4.
The self-study report prepared by the unit shall be made available to all
members of the unit (faculty, staff and students) prior to being forwarded to
the external review committee. The self-study shall include a standard set of
data provided by Analytical Studies, the Office of the Dean of Graduate
Studies.and the unit. The unit will supplement this if it wishes.
.5. The external review committee will normally consist of three persons
external to the university who are senior members of the discipline, some of
whom have had administrative experience. The Vice-President, Academic
will normally appoint an internal member from the University community
who. will be a full member of the committee. The internal member can
provide the review committee with contextual advice about the
environment and operations of Simon. Fraser University. The unit will be
asked to provide the Vice-President, Academic with a list of reviewers who
represent a broad cross section of the discipline and who are considered to be
outstanding scholars and objective reviewers. The Vice-President, Academic
shall appoint the members of the external, review committee after consulting
with the Dean of the Faculty, the .Dean of Graduate Studies and the unit
involved. The external review committee will primarily be composed of
faculty members from Canadian universities outside British Columbia. Both
genders should be represented on the committee.
6.. The terms of reference for the review committee will be prepared by the Vice-
President, Academic in consultation with the Dean of the Faculty, the Dean of
Graduate Studies and the unit. At the conclusion of its visit, the review group
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9, 1993 ?
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is expected to submit a detailed report including a full and frank assessment
of the mission, the various activities, the quality of the unit and its programs,,
and the resource allocation to and within the unit being reviewed.
7.
The dates of the visit of the external review committee and the detailed
schedule for the visit will be arranged by the Office of the Vice-President,
Academic in consultation with the Deans and the Chair of the unit. Members
of the external review committee should avoid informal social events with
members of the unit during the site visit.
8.
The committee will meet with the Vice-President, Academic and the Deans at
the start and at the end of the review to discuss guidelines for the review and
the report. The committee will also meet with the unit's faculty and staff
members, and graduate and undergraduate students, as well as with others
with responsibilities affecting the unit.
9.
If the review committee receives information or allegations regarding specific
individuals, these will be transmitted to the appropriate persons within the
University and handled in accordance with established University
procedures. These persons might include the Chair, and Dean and/or the
Harassment Policy Coordinator. If the review committee receives general
comments or complaints that the environment in the unit is not conducive
to a high quality of teaching, learning, research and working, the committee
may comment and make recommendations on this in its report, and the
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appropriate persons within the Department, Faculty and University shall be
advised.
10.
The review committee shall prepare a report which will become a public
document. Any supplementary reports concerning confidential matters will
not form part of the public record, but will be made available to the
appropriate University officers, and any individuals named will be apprised
of the information and provided with an opportunity to comment.
11.
The unit being reviewed will consider the external review report, comment
on it and within six months prepare a plan for implementing the
recommendations accepted by the unit. The Dean of the Faculty and the Dean
of Graduate Studies will provide comment on the external review and the
unit's implementation plan.
12.
The external review report may, at the discretion of the Vice-President,
Academic, be forwarded to other appropriate Senate Committees for their
consideration and/or recommendations.
13.
The external review report, the response of the Department and the
Department's implementation plan, and the comments of the Deans and
other Senate committees will be tabled for discussion at SCAP.
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14.- Once SCAP has received these reports and commented on them, they will
constitute a framework for planning and future developments by the unit
involved. SCAP will use the review documents as a basis for assessing
proposals for new programs or courses or making any other recommendation
to Senate it deems appropriate.
15. Senate will be provided with a summary of the external review report and
the implementation plan prepared by the unit. Copies Of the self-study,
external review report and the unit's response received by SCAP will be
available toi . all members of Senate for review.
16.
Two years after SCAP has received the review, : a progress report by the unit
shall bebr6ughtto SCAP for information.
December 9, 1993 ?
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EXISTING GUIDELINES
.S90-33
GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF
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EXTERNAL REVIEWS
All units -- academic and administrative -- are reviewed on a periodic
basis, normally once every seven years. The purpose of such reviews is to
encourage units to conduct their own assessments of their strengths and
weaknesses and to engage in planning for their own future.
The stages of the review of academic departments are as follows:
1.
Initiation by the Vice-President, Academic, acting as Chair of SCAP, of
the review, after consultation with the Dean of the Faculty and of
Graduate Studies and with the unit involved.
2.
Period of self-study, possibly including a retreat, in which the members
of the unit assess all aspects of the activities falling within its mandate.
A report by the unit is produced at the end of a self-study period which
normally does not exceed two semesters in length.
3.
Identification of the external review group, in consultation with the
Deans and the unit involved. Normally the unit will provide a 'list of
• suitable reviewers for the assistance of the Vice-President, Academic,
who shall make 'the decision
• on the membership and composition of
the external review group in consultation with the unit.
4.
.The external review' group will consist of at least three persons external
to the university who are senior in the discipline or field involved.
The Vice-President, Academic, may include an additional member of
another unit at Simon .
Traser, to act as a resource: person for the'
external reviewers.
5.
After consultation, a visit is scheduled of the external review group.
The group will meèt .
with the Vice-President, Academic, before
commencing the review, in order to discuss guidelines for the review
and the report.
6.
' The reviewers will be informed that their reports will be made
available in their entirety to the unit under review, Senate Committees
and Senate, and that the assessment of individual personnel may raise
questions of fairness and due process. Normally such reports will
include discussion of individual personnel matters only where such
matters are closely allied to the recommendations being made In such
cases, where an assessment of an individual is included in the report,
the individual will be given the opportunity to respond.
7.
At the conclusion of its visit, the review group is expected to submit a
• detailed report including a full and frank assessment of the mission,
the various activities, the quality of the program as a whole and of the
various specializations within it, and the resource allocation within
the unit being reviewed.
8.
The unit being reviewed will respond in a timely fashion to the report
of the external reviewers, and
to any Other
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matter related to its self-
study report. The Dean of the Faculty and the Dean of Graduate
Studies will then prepare assessments of the situation.
9.
The report of the review committee may, at the discretion of the Vice-
President, Academic, be forwarded to other appropriate Senate
Committees for their consideiàtion and/or recommendations. Such
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committees might include the Senate Committee an Graduate Studies
and the Senate Committee on Continuing Studies, for example.
10.
The responses of the Department, the Deans and other Senate
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committees, together with the original self-study reportand the report
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of the external review group will be tabled for discussion at SCAP.
11.
Once SCAP has accepted these reports, they will constitute a framework
for planning and future developments by the unit involved. The unit
will prepare a plan of implementation, and SCAP, in turn, will use the
review documents as a basis for assessing proposals for new programs
or courses.
12.
The review documents, along with the decisions taken by SCAP, are
tabled in Senate for information.
13.
One year after Senate has received the review, a progres'report by the
unit that was reviewed is to be brought to SCAP for acceptance and to
Senate for information.
14.
All documents related to the reviews are to be kept on file in the office
of the Vice-President, Academic, and are to be available to members of
Senate. ?
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