Program reviews ensure that all programs at Saint Louis University undergo periodic review to ensure continuous quality improvement (i.e., enhancement of classroom and program-level practices), including those reviewed through an external accreditation process.
Thorough, systematic reviews of academic programs demonstrate that they align with the SLU mission and strategic initiatives and identify program strengths and appropriate resource allocation. The program-review process should be congruent with established academic unit and university assessment efforts and should support long-term academic unit planning and strategic initiatives.
Academic program review is a process through which faculty, staff, and administrators collaborate to promote academic excellence, viability and accountability through:
- Identifying and prioritizing specific recommendations/actions needed for program improvement
- Identifying opportunities and rationales for program growth
- Identify interdisciplinary collaborative opportunities
- Identifying needs for investment and resource re-allocation (at multiple institutional levels) to support program improvement and/or growth
- Assessment of program strengths and weaknesses in the context of program-defined, discipline or professional standards of quality, as well as alignment with goals and outcomes as defined by the respective academic unit and the University
The outcomes of program reviews should greatly inform strategic planning — and, therefore, resource allocation and re-allocation — at the program, academic unit and University levels.