S.00-44
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Office of
the Vice President, Academic
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Senate ?
FROM:
J.M. Munro,
Vice President, Academic
SUBJECT:
Planning and Review Framework
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DATE: April 13, 2000
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Academic Planning gives rise to the
following motions:
Motion
1
"That Senate approve the Guidelines for Academic Plans as set forth in S.00- 44"
Motion 2
"That Senate approve the revised Guidelines for External Reviews of Academic
Units as set forth in S.00- 44"
Rationale
This is a revision of my earlier proposal to integrate the frameworks for the
external review of academic departments and the three-year academic planning process
that was referred back to SCAP from the March Senate meeting. The rationale remains
the same - both external reviews and academic planning have been important and
successful initiatives for the assessment and development of the University's academic
programs. However, the proposal to effect a close articulation between them would not
have received Senate's approval. Various alternatives suggested would have, in my
opinion, weakened the current external review system.
The current proposal has two parts.
1. A system of academic planning is set out in a document titled "Senate Guidelines for
Academic Plans". This document is based on the plans as they were prepared in
1997/98 and has been written to be consistent with the Guidelines for External Reviews
and other planning documents prepared in recent years. These guidelines also include
a reference to the "Statement of Purpose" approved by Senate and the Board of
Governors in 1998 as S. 98-51. All units will prepare plans on a three-year cycle where
the next plans will cover the years 2001 through 2003. Brief annual updates to academic
plans will be prepared at all levels. A schedule for plans and plan updates is included.
2. Revisions to the existing Senate Guidelines for Reviews of Academic Units to clarify
the preparation of responses to external reviews and their consideration by the Senate
Committee on University Priorities and by Senate. In this revision, Deans are required
to provide the unit with a response concerning the review committee's
recommendations and proposals for the allocation of resources to the unit. Various
editorial changes are also proposed. There is no change to the current seven-year
review interval. The desirability of articulation between reviews and plans is noted but
there is no specific process to accomplish this.
These two sets of guidelines were approved by the Senate Committee on Academic
Planning on 12 April, 2000.
cc. J.P. Blaney
S. Roppel
.
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SENATE GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC PLANS
1.
Each academic
unit*
shall prepare a three-year academic plan in the same year (the
next plans will be prepared in the 2000/01 academic year). Academic plans are
intended to guide the operation and development of the academic unit and will be
considered by the Dean and Vice President, Academic in making decisions on
allocation of resources. Academic unit plans are to be completed by December
1St•
2.
Each Faculty Dean will prepare a three-year academic plan on the same schedule.
These will utilize the three-year academic plans of academic units within the Faculty.
These plans are to be completed by February
1St.
3.
The Vice-President, Academic will prepare a three-year academic plan on the same
schedule as the Faculty plans. This plan, which is to be completed by March
1St,
will
utilize the three-year academic plans of the Faculties and of academic service units. It
will be submitted to SCUP for its review and forwarded to Senate for information.
4.
Academic plans should give consideration to the elements in the Statement of
Purpose for the University approved by Senate and the Board of Governors in 1998.
5.
Academic plans should include the following information. The unit will determine
the organization of the plan. The most recent unit external review should be
considered in preparing the plan.
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(a)
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A statement of objectives.
(b)
A brief overview of the undergraduate and graduate programs offered by
the unit.
(c)
An assessment of achievements during the previous plan period.
(d)
The adequacy of resources available to the unit in relation to their
situation and objectives. This will include faculty complement, other
instructional resources, operating budgets, equipment, and space.
(e)
A summary of the research activities of the unit's members.
(f)
A plan for the renewal of the unit's faculty resources.
(g)
Recruitment and support issues for undergraduate and graduate students.
(h)
Participation of the unit in other University programs including
Continuing Studies and Co-operative Education.
Departments, non-departmentalized Faculties, Schools, Programs. Parallel procedures will be used for
plans of academic service units.
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6.
Each academic year academic units, Faculty Deans, and the Vice President, Academic
will prepare a brief update to their academic plan. This will be completed during the
fall semester. The plan update of the Vice President, Academic will be submitted to
SCUP for its review.
7.
The Office of the Vice- President, Academic, will provide statistical information for
use in academic plans and plan updates. This will include an annual budget outlook.
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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 support academic planning. The review process is intended to ensure that:
(a)
The quality of the unit's programs is high and there are 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)
Department members participate 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 make their assessments taking into account the resources
currently available to the unit 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 be involved in external reviews in relation to graduate programs
and graduate student issues.
2.
The unit will engage in a period of self-study of one to two semesters, possibly
including a retreat, in which its members consider all aspects of the activities
included in its academic plan and prepare 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 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;
* Departments, non-departmentalized Faculties, Schools, Programs. Parallel procedures
will
be used for
periodic reviews of academic service units.
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(e)
Service to the community demonstrated by public service activity,
involvement in related community groups, membership on boards or
similar bodies;
(f)
Collegial environment for all members of the unit;
(g)
Appropriate orientation and training, support for employee development;
(h)
Resources for unit activities; faculty, staff, operating budget, space,
equipment, library holdings (including the process for determining
collection strategies).
(i)
Planning for the renewal of the unit's faculty resources.
3.
Undergraduate and graduate students will be encouraged to participate in the
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 the Office of the Vice- President, Academic. The unit may
supplement this if it wishes. The unit's most recent academic plan will also be
forwarded to the external review committee.
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 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. The Vice-President, Academic will also appoint an
internal member from the University community who will be a full member of
the committee. The internal member is to provide the review committee with
contextual advice about the environment and operations of Simon Fraser
University. Both genders will be represented on the committee.
6.
The Vice-President, Academic will prepare the terms of reference for the review
committee in consultation with the Dean of the Faculty, the Dean of Graduate
Studies and the unit. At the conclusion of its visit, the review committee will
submit a detailed report including a full and frank assessment of the unit's
mission, its various activities, the quality of the unit and its programs, and the
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resource allocations to and within the unit.
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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 unit.
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8. ?
The review 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 preparation of 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. Members of the
external review committee should avoid informal social events with members of
the unit during the site visit.
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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 appropriate persons within the
Department, Faculty and University shall be advised.
10. The report of the review committee will be 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.
Any individuals named will be apprised of the information and provided with
an opportunity to comment.
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11.
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The external review report will be submitted to the Vice President, Academic
and circulated to:
(a)
the unit involved (including faculty, staff and students)
(b)
the President
(c)
the Dean of the Faculty
(d)
the Dean of Graduate Studies
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12. ?
The unit will review the external review report and prepare a response. The
response and the external review report together with the comments of the Dean
and the Vice-President, Academic will be presented to SCUP for review and to
Senate for discussion and advice.
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13. ?
The Dean shall consider the advice of Senate and prepare a report for the unit
dealing with the significant issues raised in the review and the resources
required to address them. A copy of this report shall be sent to the Vice
President, Academic for information.
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2 May, 2000
