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Program Review

Enhancing the Quality of Our Academic Programs

Program reviews are a vital process that allow us to continually enhance the quality of academic programs at PPSC and ensure our students receive an exceptional educational experience.

These comprehensive evaluations provide a structured opportunity for faculty, instructors, chairs, staff, and administrators to reflect on Pikes Peak State College’s strengths, identify areas for improvement, and implement data-driven strategies to foster student success. By embracing program reviews with an open and collaborative mindset, we demonstrate our commitment to academic excellence, accountability, and our shared mission of empowering learners to achieve their full potential. This landing page aims to shed light on the importance of program reviews and how they contribute to the ongoing growth and innovation of our institution.

 

welding student in class

What is a Program Review?

Program Review is a quality assurance and improvement process. The Program Review process is a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of a college program. It is a continuous process involving faculty and college leadership which ascertains instructional goals, and the mission of the college. This process also ensures programs continue to meet certification and accreditation requirements.

Program review should provide the information needed to make informed decisions regarding program maintenance, enhancement, or restructuring, as well as the allocation of resources. This procedure applies to the Colorado Community Colleges System (CCCS) of which PPSC is a member.

How to Complete a Program Review

The department/program review is a wonderful opportunity to analyze past/current data, processes and curriculum for your department while also planning with intention for the future as you reflect on changes made because of the previous 5-year review.

  1. The department will receive a self-study report with most of the data tables populated by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness (IE).

  2. As a department/program, the data is reviewed, and question prompts are completed as a team. This effort is led by the department chair (or a department/division-designated member).

  3. The department will report findings, specifically a future 5-year action plan, from this program review to their dean team, vice president for instructional services and president. The 5-year action plan will be revisited annually to report progress.

  4. The report is shared with the Program Review Team intentionally assembled to meet and discuss areas to further develop, recommendations for future resources, employment forecast, new course ideas, and to implement the future 5-year goals. This meeting is also discussion-based and facilitated by the Dean Team or a Program Review Coordinator who collates responses to share with the department.

  5. The report gathers final signatures and is submitted to the Assistant Director of Instructional Support for Perkins who updates the college tracking, reports annually to HLC and uploads the VPIS SharePoint with finalized reports.

The review process is designed as a tool for continuous improvement and evaluation of programs at the college. Prepared with adequate data, program review can be instrumental in identifying inequities, including racial equity gaps, and can serve as a process to engage departments in purposefully advancing equity. Program review should be aligned and integrated with other continuous quality improvement processes such as annual assessments and Perkins requests.

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Program Review Expectations

In general, college program review processes should: 

  • Involve faculty and appropriate administrators who are directly responsible for the areas being reviewed as well as faculty, academic support professionals, and administrators from across the campus as appropriate;
  • Employ relevant information such as noteworthy instructional innovations based on assessment results, as well as comparative data on enrollments, completions, and degrees awarded;
  • Be responsive to identified areas of weakness by developing and implementing feasible and measurable action steps in a future set of goals;
  • Assure that the process is well documented and use the results to make quality improvement efforts and budget allocation decisions;
  • Report results and actions resulting from reviews to college leadership and in a peer review;
  • Adhere to a minimum review cycle of once every five years (or earlier) for all programs listed in the Program Review Schedule.
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students smiling during lecture class

How does program review work at PPSC?

  • Coordination and report production is facilitated by each division.
  • At the department level, department chairs (or designated department/division leader) are responsible for coordinating and leading reviews within their departments in collaboration with fellow faculty and instructors.
  • Program reviews are conducted under oversight of the Vice President of Instructional Services each year and submitted no later than the final day of the Spring term.

  • A library of documents and other electronic resources is maintained in the VPIS SharePoint (accessible via the PPSC Employee portal, Employees Quick Links card). Work completed by faculty is reviewed and signed off on by the division dean and executive leaders.
  • Significant data resources and support are provided by Institutional Effectiveness, particularly with data on enrollment, course success, and degree/certificate completion. Where applicable, programs will also report on licensure, certification and/or employment metrics.

  • The work of self-study is conducted during the academic year of the review, fall and spring. Tasks are separated into small sections for completed with suggested staggered due dates throughout the year.
  • Report drafting and editing is done in the fall semester and early spring semester.
    • Report template is provided to the programs by institutional effectiveness in early fall semester.
    • Presentation to executive leadership with dean team in Spring term.
    • Review team conducted Chapter drafts are shared back with programs for a final review and edit, and then shared internally with both the Assistant Vice President and Vice President of Teaching, Learning and Student Development.
    • The full report is packaged for submission to the ICCB as well as the President’s Cabinet and the ECC Board of Trustees.
    • Reports are published on the VPIS Sharepoint Program Review folder in the Division Files. Each division has a folder that houses every department’s reports (previous and current).
Screenshot of VPIS sharepoint site with an arrow pointing to a folder called "Review and Snapshot templates"

Where Can I Find Program Review Reports and Resources?

The signed EP 200 series is located on the PPSC Educational Procedures landing page (via the search feature). The Review and Snapshot templates are also available in the PPSC - VPIS SharePoint site.

 

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Annual Program Review Snapshot

The purpose of an annual program review is to systematically analyze data on a recurring basis to identify trends and inform intentional decision-making as necessary. This review serves as a critical platform for departments to submit resource requests, to include budgetary allocations, equipment needs, and personnel requirements as needed. Furthermore, the annual review functions as a reporting mechanism for the progress of departmental or programmatic goals, allowing for documentation of achievements, modifications, and ongoing initiatives.

The annual program review snapshot also serves as a comprehensive portfolio for each department/program in the reporting of progress on annual departmental goals, allowing for transparent communication and accountability as well as a data review and resource requests. By consolidating these elements, the program review snapshot enhances strategic planning and fosters continuous improvement across all departments. Together, these snapshots will also serve as a valuable reference for the next five-year program review, ensuring that departments can track their progress and align their goals with institutional priorities.

The Process

  • Every Spring term Institutional Effectiveness emails an excel spreadsheet with a 5-year “snapshot” of data to each division. The excel spreadsheet contains tabs with each department/program in their division

  • Divisions will send out to their teams with the data and a series of questions prompts to answer (ex: explanation of data trends, reporting data informed decisions, sharing equity highlights, resource requests, annual goal reporting and professional development as it relates to instructional innovation.) Each division will include instructions on completion and submission.

  • Each division will compile the responses and submit one report to the following individuals by the last day of the spring semester on the instructional calendar.

    • Vice President of Instruction Services

    • Associate Vice President for Instructional Services and Credit for Prior Learning    

    • Assistant Director of Instructional Support for Perkins