Assessment at UMBC
UMBC conducts systematic Academic Program Reviews (APRs) on a seven-year cycle to ensure the quality, relevance, and continuous improvement of its degree offerings and to be responsive to student needs.
These reviews, which require significant teamwork from all involved (faculty, staff, administrators, students, and alumni), align with the expectations of UMBC’s institutional accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and with those of the University System of Maryland, as specified by the Code of Maryland.
An APR, which identifies areas for improvement and assesses program strengths, challenges, and opportunities, and helps inform university-wide strategic planning, consists of these three components:
- an Annual Data Review
- a Year Seven Self-Study with an external review, supported by an action plan, and
- a Year Three Review and accompanying action plan.
When done effectively, these program reviews support students, academic units, and the university as a whole by fostering:
- Meaningful self‑evaluation: Units take a comprehensive look at their program(s), assessing current priorities, strengths, challenges, and the progress achieved since the previous review.
- Guidance for strategic planning and resource allocation: Recommendations from action plans help shape strategic decisions across the university, including at the institutional, college, department, and program levels.
- Stronger communication channels: Dialogue improves within departments, between department leaders and deans, and with the Provost’s Office.
- Broader external insight and visibility: Faculty from reputable programs at other institutions evaluate the unit and offer feedback, supporting potential collaborations and increasing recognition of the unit’s strengths.
Annual Data Review
The Annual Data Review (ADR) provides departmental leadership with an opportunity to review the health of its program offerings. Each year, the department, under the chair’s leadership, reviews a set of program data provided by IRADS and the Provost’s Office, addresses a limited set of qualitative questions, and reports its findings to the collegiate dean, who shares this information with the Provost.
The department also submits its ADRs as evidence of continuous improvement as part of its seven-year self-study described below.
Year Seven Self-Study
The year seven self-study, informally called the APR, consists of an in-depth, data-informed internal assessment conducted by program faculty at all ranks supported by an on-site review conducted by external reviewers. This written reflection assesses direct and indirect evidence of student learning for each program (undergraduate, graduate, certificates), including closing-the-loop interventions and follow-up (double-loop analysis) and discusses potential improvements.
External Reviewers and the On-Site Visit
Faculty-identified experts in the discipline under review are invited to campus to engage with students, faculty, and staff. These reviewers provide additional perspectives on the program, offering verbal and written feedback and recommendations for improvement.
Action Plan
The department develops an action plan, with the support of the collegiate dean, after reviewing the collegiate dean’s response to the external reviewers’ report. The dean-approved draft action plan, submitted by the department to the Provost and reviewed by the Senior Leadership Team, identifies areas for improvement and guides future development for the next seven years.
Faculty Governance
The finalized APR documents are made available to faculty governance committees, including the Academic Planning and Budget Committee, the Undergraduate Council, the Graduate Council, and the Faculty Senate.
USM Approval
In October of the year following the review, the Provost’s Office submits a report to the USM, which is made publicly available, verifying that Academic Affairs conducted the review and reporting on the outcomes.
Year Three Review (YTR)
At the end of the third year following completion of the Year Seven Self-Study and external visit, the department leadership prepares the Year Three Review Report based on an analysis of direct measures provided through the Annual Data Review dashboards. The department leadership then summarizes progress on the Year Seven action plan, updates the plan in consultation with the collegiate dean to reflect these outcomes and any significant curricular or resource challenges, and submits these materials to the Provost for approval.
As with the finalized APR documents, the YTR documents are made available to faculty governance committees, including the Academic Planning and Budget Committee, the Undergraduate Council, the Graduate Council, and the Faculty Senate.
Accreditation
Academic Affairs manages the accreditation and reaccreditation processes for academic programs and advises faculty and staff on specialized accreditation matters.
An academic program can use its accreditation or reaccreditation effort to support the Year Seven Self-Study if the accreditation period falls within this cycle. Otherwise, the program undergoes both an APR and accreditation review. If this condition applies, the program enters the APR process after the accreditation team leaves campus. The department leadership, in conjunction with the collegiate dean, must submit an
action plan that supports continuous improvement.
General Education Program Review
Departments submit their course offerings with a general education designation to the General Education Committee in conjunction with the Year Seven Self-Study, unless the course has received a GEP designation in the three years prior to the APR. Courses in this category are submitted to the GEC concurrently with the Year Three Review.
Questions? Please contact the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs.