UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR) committee has released the first half of the workstream four report, titled “Background Research: University Program Review Process,” to the Penn State community. This report from Hanover Research addresses an ongoing process for portfolio and program review at Penn State.
As part of the APPR project, Hanover was asked to assist with developing an ongoing process to regularly review Penn State’s portfolio of programs. This report presents findings from a literature review and outlines best practices used by four public institutions with broad academic portfolios. The report includes common elements of a program review, criteria used by other institutions, and best practices, which includes self-study, external evaluation, and recommendation elements.
This report is being used by the APPR process development and systemic analysis tool development teams to assist in crafting recommendations for a university-wide set of guidelines for program review. It is publicly shared for purposes of transparency and to be consistent with the stated APPR process in which incoming reports from Hanover will be reviewed by the deans and chancellors who will provide comments about what additional information may be required. As part of this review, the report has been shared with Penn State senior leadership, the Academic Leadership Council and the APPR Steering Committee. It provides a high-level overview and is intended to be used in conjunction with other data and information, primarily as a prompt for further discussion.
APPR reports released to date
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Workstream 1: Academic Portfolio Optimization: Undergraduate Degree Programs (released February 28)
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Workstream 2: Pennsylvania Workforce Development Assessment (released March 6)
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Workstream 4, Part 1: Background Research: University Program Review Process (released March 25)
Upcoming reports
Each APPR workstream group will develop and share reports of their data and findings. Upcoming reports will focus on:
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Workstream 3: University Programming and Employment Alignment Dashboard — a dashboard featuring Penn State programs at the campus and regional levels, incorporating data from other reports.
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Workstream 4, Part 2 — an in-depth analysis of the program review process at other institutions of comparable size. In-depth interviews will be conducted with relevant higher education administrators to learn more about their structural models to conduct program reviews, and their uses of program review outcomes, including identification of opportunities for continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.
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Workstream 5: Academic Portfolio Optimization: National Alignment — a report that examines national undergraduate degree conferral rates of various programs compared to Penn State.
Visit the APPR website to view the report and supplemental materials. To share feedback about the report, complete this form or email appr@psu.edu
To learn more about the APPR process and ask questions, faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the next virtual APPR Insight Session hosted by the APPR leadership team on March 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Teams.