Skip to main content

ADHE Program Review Requirements

Academic Program Review at Arkansas State University is conducted in alignment with Arkansas Code §6-61-214, which mandates that the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board (AHECB) regularly review existing academic programs offered by public institutions in the state. These reviews are administered by the Arkansas Division of Higher Education (ADHE) to ensure program quality, viability, and alignment with statewide educational goals.

Overview of State Requirements

? Review Cycle and Applicability

  • All academic programs—active and inactive—must undergo external review every 7 to 10 years.
  • Programs that are not program-specific accredited are reviewed by external consultants selected by the institution.
  • Accredited/licensed/state-certified programs follow the review schedule of their accrediting body but must still submit their self-study, evaluation, and institutional response to ADHE.

? Purpose of Program Review

  • Evaluate program effectiveness and alignment with institutional goals.
  • Identify areas for improvement and strategic development.
  • Inform decisions related to program continuation, modification, or closure.

? Required Documentation

  • A comprehensive self-study report prepared by the institution.
  • A written evaluation from two external reviewers.
  • An institutional response to the reviewers’ findings.
  • All documents must be submitted to ADHE within six weeks of receiving the evaluation.

? Reviewer Expectations

  • Institutions must select two out-of-state reviewers with disciplinary expertise.
  • At least one reviewer must conduct a site visit and meet with faculty, students, and administrators.
  • For Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs:
    • One reviewer must be a local industry expert.
    • One must be an out-of-state faculty consultant.

? Institutional Response and Follow-Up

  • Institutions may respond to ADHE recommendations in writing or request a meeting.
  • ADHE may require progress reports one, three, or five years after the initial review, depending on the nature of the recommendations.

? GuideConsultant toSelection, WritingRemuneration, theand Self-StudyReimbursement ReportProcedures

TheTo AHECBensure Existinga Programsmooth Reviewand Policycompliant adoptedreview inprocess, Octoberdepartments 2008must follow these procedures when selecting and compensating external consultants:

  • Consultant Requirements:

    • ADHE requires thetwo review of all academic programs every 7-10 years. A major component of the policy is an internal review (self-study) by institutions and an external review byout-of-state consultants of programs that do not have program-specific accreditation/ licensure/certification. The institution’s self-study, consultants’ written evaluation, and the institution’s response to the consultants’ findings will be submitted to ADHE.

      Submission Logistics 
      The self-study report should be a PDF document with appendices, delivered via email or Dropbox to the external reviewers. It should include both quantitative and qualitative evidence, and reference existing documents such as strategic plans, assessment reports, and curriculum materials.

      ? Required Sections

      The program’s self-study to be reviewed by external consultants should contain the following information:

      Introduction

      1. Program history and mission
      2. Summary of last program review
      3. Progress on previous recommendations

      Goals, Objectives, and Activities

      1. Describe specific educational goals, objectives, learning outcomes, and activities of theper program.
      2. ExplainOnly howone theis programrequired servesto theconduct generalan educationon-campus programsite visit.
      3. The Office of Academic Affairs will work with departments to select appropriate consultants and otherto disciplinary programs on the campus,decide if applicable.
        4. more
      4. Documentthan marketone demand and/or state/industry need for careers stemming from the program.
      5. Document student demand for the program.

      Data Presentation/Analysis

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • Program goals/objectives
      • Learning outcomes
      • Co-curricular activities (high-impact activities)
      • Enrollment trends: number of majors, percent changes
      • Employment and graduate school opportunities
      • Program goals/objectives
      • Learning outcomes
      • Co-curricular activities (high-impact activities)
      • Enrollment trends: number of majors, percent changes
      • Enrollment trends: pipeline of applications, program acceptances, program enrollment
      • Employment and graduate school opportunities

      Curriculum

      1. Describe how program content parallels current thinking/trends in the field/trade (best practices, advisory committee recommendations, etc.).
      2. Provide an outline for each program curriculum, including the sequence of courses.
      3. State the degree requirements, including general education requirements, institutional, college or school requirements, and major requirements.
      4. Indicate the semester/year the major/program courses were last offered. Exclude general education courses.
      5. Provide syllabi for discipline-specific courses and departmental objectives for each course.
      6. Outline the process for the introduction of new courses, including all internal curriculum review processes and the findings.
      7. List courses in the proposed degree program currently offered by distance delivery.
      8. Describe the instructor-to-student and student-to-student interaction for distance courses (prerequisite courses, lab requirements, examination procedures-online/proctored, instructor response to student assignments).

      Data Presentation/Analysis (Detailed data/documents such as syllabi could be assimilated into an appendix)

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • Course rotations/schedule
      • Identify courses not offered in the last three years
      • Course prerequisites
      • Additional graduation requirements
      • Possible presentations: Bulletin pages; 8-semester degree plans
      • Course rotations
      • Identify courses not offered in the last three years
      • Course prerequisites
      • Additional graduation requirements
      • Possible presentations: Bulletin pages; degree plans

      Program Faculty (full-time/adjunct/part-time)

      1. Provide curriculum vitae or program faculty information form for all full-time program faculty. The vita or formconsultant should include the following: all degrees and institutions granting the degrees; field or specialty of degrees; number of years employed as program faculty at the institution; current academic rank, if applicable; professional certifications/licenses; evidence of quality and quantity of creative and scholarly/research activity; evidence of quality and quantity of service activities; evidence of professional activities and non-teaching work experiences related to courses taught; list of course numbers/course titles of credit courses taught over the past two academic years; and other evidence of quality teaching.
      2. Indicate the academic credentials required for adjunct/part-time faculty teaching major/program courses.
      3. Describe the orientation and evaluation processes for faculty, including adjunct and part-time faculty.
      4. Provide average number of courses and number of credit hours taught for full-time program faculty for current academic year.

      Data Presentation/Analysis (Detailed data/documents such as faculty CVs could be assimilated into an appendix)

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • Faculty 180 CVs
      • SSCH per faculty over time period of analysis
      • Number of courses taught per faculty per semester and year
      • Accounting of scholarly/research activities
      • Other productivity as appropriate and involves students: grant production
      • Faculty 180 CVs
      • SSCH per faculty over time period of analysis
      • Number of courses taught per faculty per semester and year
      • Accounting of scholarly/research activities
      • Other productivity as appropriate and involves students: grant production

      Faculty 180 holds grant productivity and can generateconduct a report

      site

      Program Resources

      1. Describe the institutional support available for faculty development in teaching, research, and service.
      2. Describe the professional development of full-time program faculty over the past two years including the institutional financial support provided to faculty for the activities.
      3. Provide the annual library budget for the program or describe how library resources are provided for the program.
      4. Describe the availability, adequacy, and accessibility of campus resources (research, library, instructional support, instructional technology, etc.).
      5. Provide a list of program equipment purchases for the past three years.

      Suggested Data Presentation/Analysis

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • Faculty Center services
      • Research and Technology Transfer
      • Assessment Office services
      • Graduate and teaching assistants
      • Faculty Center services
      • Research and Technology Transfer
      • Assessment Office services
      • Graduate and teaching assistants

      Instruction via Distance Technology (if applicable)

      This section should be completed if at least 50% of any program/major course is delivered
      electronically.

      1. Summarize institutional policies on the establishment, organization, funding, and management of distance courses/degrees.
      2. Summarize the policies and procedures to keep the technology infrastructure current.
      3. Summarize the procedures that assure the security of personal information.
      4. Describe the support services that will be provided to students enrolled in distance technology courses/programs by the institution and/or other entities:
        • Advising
        • Course registration
        • Financial aid
        • Course withdrawal
        • E-mail account
        • Access to library resources
        • Help Deskvisit.
      5. Describe technology

        Payment supportProcess:

        services
          that
        • Consultants willmust besubmit provideda tocompleted studentsProcurement enrolledVendor inPacket distance(including technologyIRS courses/programsW-9) and a signed contract.
        • Payment is processed via requisition after the ADHE External Reviewers Report (with CVs for each consultant) is received.

      6. Stipends:

        • Negotiated by the institutionOffice and/orof otherAcademic entities.Affairs.
        • DescribeLead theconsultants orientation(who fortravel) studentsreceive enrolledhigher instipends distancethan technologyreader courses/programs.consultants.
        • SummarizeStipends themay institutionalvary policybased for faculty course load and number of credit hours taught, compensation, and ownership of intellectual property.

      Majors/Declared Students

      1. Stateon the number of undergraduate/graduate majors/declared students in each degree program under review for the past three years.
      2. Describe strategies to recruit, retain, and graduate students.
      3. Provide the number of program graduates over the past three years.

      Data Presentation/Analysis

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • Enrollment trends: number of majors, percent changes
      • Program retention from year-to-year
      • Graduation trends, number graduates, percent changes
      • Enrollment trends: pipeline of applications, program acceptances, program enrollment
      • Program retention from year-to-year
      • Graduation trends, number graduates, percent changes
      • Time to degree

      Program Assessment

      1. Describe the program assessment process and provide outcomes data (standardized entrance/placement test results, exit test results, etc.).
      2. Describe program/major exit or capstone requirements.
      3. Provide information on how teaching is evaluated, the use of student evaluations, and how the results have affected the curriculum.
      4. Provide transfer information for major/declared students including the receiving institutions for transfer and programs of study.
      5. Provide information for program graduates continuing their education by entering graduate school or by performing volunteer service.
      6. Provide aggregate results of student/alumni/employer satisfaction surveys.
      7. Describe how the program is aligned with the current job market needs of the state or local communities.
      8. Provide job placement information for program graduates including the number of graduates placed in jobs related to the field of study.

        For undergraduate career and technical education programs only, provide the following:
        • Names and location of companies hiring program graduates.
        • Average hourly rate for program graduates.
        • Names of companies requiring the certificate/degree for initial or continued employment.reviewed.

    • Data Presentation/Analysis (Detailed data/documents such as survey resultsTravel and Nuventive annual assessment reports could be assimilated into an appendix)Lodging:

      Undergraduate ProgramsGraduate Programs
      • OverviewUse ofHilton threeGarden or more years of assessment dataInn for alllodging; learningreservations outcomesshould be direct-billed to the department.
      • DFWConsultants ratespay for coursestravel over the last three years
      • Faculty 180 CVs will have course evaluation data
      • Surveys conducted by program faculty
      • Surveys conducted by institutionupfront and disaggregatedare reimbursed by the program
        • department
      via       		requisition.
      • OverviewMileage ofreimbursed threeat the university’s standard rate.
      • Itemized meal receipts are required; alcoholic beverages and non-consultant meals are not reimbursed.
      • Only consultant meals will be paid for by department/college (no spouses or more years of assessment data for all learning outcomeschildren).
      • FWAdditional rates for courses over the last three years
      • Faculty 180 CVsmeals will haveneed courseto evaluationbe data
      • Surveys conducted by program faculty
      • Surveys conducted by institution and disaggregatedcovered by the programdepartment/college.

      Program Effectiveness (strengths, opportunities)

      1. List

        Budget Transfers:

        • The department/college will send an itemized list with copies of all receipts to Office of Academic Affairs once all expenses have been paid.
        • Office of Academic Affairs will then do one budget transfer to the strengthsdepartment/college to cover all expenses.
        • The department will provide Office of theAcademic program.
          • Affairs
        • Listwith the areasFOAP or multiple FOAPs (supplies or travel) if necessary for Office of theAcademic programAffairs mostto in need of improvement.
        • List program improvements accomplished overdo the past two years.transfer.
        • Describe
        planned program improvements, including a timetable and the estimated costs.
        Identify program improvement priorities.

      Institutional Review Team

    List the names/departments of the self-study committee chair and committee members. 

Back to top