The departmental self-study consists of a narrative document and a factual appendix.  Additional materials are provided to the review committee at the time of the review.

A brief Self-Study Narrative is prepared by members of the department. It should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages. The authors should describe the department and focus on those features that require the greatest attention. Do not hesitate to be frank and open, particularly in the departmental discussion that leads to the final draft. Our policy is not to share department self-studies or review committee reports outside of L&S.

The L&S Academic Planning Council has prepared a list of questions that appears in the section entitled Questions for Departmental/ Program Review. These questions are arranged within the broad outlines described in the university's strategic plan, Connecting Ideas. Departments may find it useful to structure the Self-Study Narrative within the framework provided by these questions.

Factual information and data that support the narrative should appear in an appendix to the self-study. Additional Materials for Review Committees are to be gathered for the committee's use at the time of the review; many of these may also appear in the factual appendix. (Please note that while current vitae of the faculty and key staff should be available for the review committee, they should not be included in the appendix.) 

QUESTIONS FOR DEPARTMENTAL/PROGRAM REVIEW

The process of program review provides departments with an opportunity to engage in meaningful planning as well as to align the many ways in which their work serves the broader goals of the College and university. To facilitate that understanding, the questions below are arranged in concert with the five goals described in "Connecting Ideas," UW-Madison's strategic plan.

INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS

What is the overall mission of the department/program? 
If the last review occurred within the past ten years, what response, if any, was made to that review?

GOAL ONE: PROMOTE RESEARCH

At UW-Madison, our departments and programs maintain an intense and unambiguous commitment to research preeminence; they are flexible and adaptive to emergent, as well as established, research opportunities, to new strategies for allocating resources, and to paths of productive inquiry.

In this section of the self-study, please discuss your department's research program and activities that are undertaken to examine and strengthen research. You may wish to consider the following areas of inquiry:

	Research program goals, priorities and challenges
	Comparative standing of department, sub-areas, individual faculty and staff
	Benefits to society, including local, state, national and international communities
	Faculty recruitment and retention
	Strategies for encouraging and enhancing research
	Opportunities for student research
	Interdisciplinary/cluster impacts on research
	Resources
	Strategies for periodic evaluation and planning for the future

Some of these areas may not be appropriate to your department, so you need not address all of them. However, think broadly about research in the department and ways your research activities and standing might be improved and promoted.

GOAL TWO: ADVANCE LEARNING

Departments and programs at UW-Madison foster and support a constant, enduring appreciation of learning. At UW-Madison, this role is not limited to teachers and students: we are all engaged in learning and educating, by direct action, by efforts to make learning possible, and by efforts to make learning better.

In this section of the self-study, please reflect upon your department's efforts to advance learning in L&S and at UW-Madison. Consider the following points (student refers both to undergraduate and graduate students):

	Goals, priorities and challenges for degree programs
	Assessment of student learning in the major, including: Current plan to assess student learning in the academic programs Most recent report on assessment efforts (studies conducted, conclusions drawn, changes recommended and/or made)
	Size, completion rates and time to degree for degree programs
	Credits taught for general education requirements or other service
	Teaching load and course assignment policies
	Policies for deployment of faculty, academic staff, and teaching assistants to cover departmental teaching responsibilities
	Procedures for evaluating curricula and improving degree programs and/or instruction
	Criteria for admission to the major
	Effectiveness of student advising and mentoring
	Measures of student quality (e.g. placement in professional positions in the major)
	Faculty and staff teaching evaluations, awards and honors
	Graduate student support (type, source, dollar amount)
	Training, mentoring and evaluating Teaching Assistants
	Instructional innovation (e.g., residential learning programs, out-of-classroom learning, service learning, technology-enhanced teaching)
	Curricular development (e.g., Credit Outreach and other Extended Day Timetable; Honors, Capstone and/or Certificate Programs; First-year Interest Groups; and Small Course Initiative)

Not all areas will apply to all departments, programs, or students served. You need not address every point; however, you should convey your department's contribution to the education of all students who engage with the department. 

GOAL THREE: ACCELERATE INTERNATIONALIZATION

The UW-Madison is an international leader in international education in part because of L&S' strong commitment to providing faculty and students opportunities to add an international and global dimension to the liberal arts experience. Departmental teaching, research and service activities can both enrich campus life and help shape the lives and careers of future global citizens. 

Please reflect upon the following points:

	Goals, priorities, and challenges in this area
	Integration of international issues within courses
	Involvement with the International Institute, area and/or international studies programs
	Student and faculty participation in study-abroad programs
	Recognition of faculty participation in interdisciplinary international studies activities and program development
	Recruitment and retention of international students, faculty and staff
	Integration of international students, faculty and staff into departmental activities and access to services
	International partnerships and collaborations with educational institutions, and public or private sector entities

There is growing interest in this area, and some points outlined above may not yet be relevant to your department, so please indicate future interests or your department's potential for development. 

GOAL FOUR: AMPLIFY THE WISCONSIN IDEA

Although the boundaries of the University are no longer limited to the boundaries of the state, UW-Madison will continue to honor and enhance its significant record of service to the State of Wisconsin.

Please consider whether members of the department:

	Participate in non-credit outreach activities (e.g. workshops, continuing education programs, reading groups, public lectures, and participation in the Speakers Bureau)
	Cooperate with School of Education teacher training programs or other K-12 educational partners
	Encourage student participation, via service learning or internships
	Contribute to Wisconsin's educational, economic, social and cultural development
	Communicate and consult with government, business, and industry
	Connect with alumni

The Wisconsin Idea can be defined broadly, and many types of contributions may not appear on this list. Please feel free to reflect upon the unique array of your department's activities and include any that are relevant.

GOAL FIVE: NURTURE HUMAN RESOURCES

The people of the university are the foundation for and instrument of its excellence. The environment in which we operate must therefore be conducive to sustaining and enhancing that excellence. 

Please consider the goals, priorities and challenges that face your department in regard to fulfilling commitments to the individuals who come in contact with it. Give examples of how the department: 

	Communicates its mission, policies and procedures to all department members
	Welcomes and orients newcomers to the department and to the University
	Exhibits respect for all faculty, staff and students
	Encourages participation by all concerned groups in departmental governance processes and structures
	Evaluates and enhances the effectiveness of its policies and procedures
	Aligns the budget with the its goals and objectives
	Aligns merit and review processes with its goals and objectives
	Recruits and retains members of under-represented groups
	Responds to challenges in hiring and retaining faculty and staff
	Facilitates collegial relationships
	Encourages professional development: Faculty (mentoring and evaluation-from assistant professor through post-tenure review) Academic Staff (evaluation and promotion, opportunities to enhance/obtain skills) Classified Staff (reclassification, opportunities to enhance/obtain skills needed to be effective) Students (career skills suited to educational, research or industrial environments)
	Allocates resources for professional development

As you address this section of the self-study, consider these points as they affect the overall ability of the department to function effectively. 

OTHER QUESTIONS

The questions provided above are intended to encompass most of the areas of concern and processes related to academic and strategic planning. Departments may find, however, that their most pressing concerns do not fall within these parameters. In such cases, they are encouraged to work closely with their academic associate dean to expand upon these questions where appropriate.

MATERIALS FOR REVIEW COMMITTEES

The following materials should be gathered and made available to the review committees upon request. Some items may require enough copies for distribution to the entire review committee; programs are encouraged to work with the review committee chair to respond to requests for information. Note: some of these materials may be included in the Appendix to the Self-Study, at the program's discretion.

1. A description of the program's organization, committee, and governance structure. Undergraduate Program materials, such as:
   1. curriculum and requirements for undergraduate majors; assessment plans and reports for undergraduate programs;service courses and their relation to the undergraduate major;enrollment trends;number and quality of majors;undergraduate advising program;
   2. student placement upon graduation.
   Graduate Program materials, such as:
   1. curriculum and requirements for graduate majors and minors; assessment plans and reports for graduate programs;enrollment trends;number and GRE scores of those matriculated;number of women, minority, and foreign graduate students matriculated;distribution of majors and dissertators among subfields and major professors;graduate advising program;support levels including type of support (fellowships, TA ships, RA ships, etc.);number of years required to complete the program;placement of graduates;
   2. printed material for graduate students, such as guidelines for graduate study, assessment forms, descriptions of departmental processes regarding TA selection, grievances, selection of faculty mentors and committees, required coursework, typical student programs, preliminary examination process, defense process, and any other applicable materials.  (A packet of program materials that are provided to graduate students should be given to the Graduate School Representative on the committee.)
      
      PLEASE NOTE: The review of Graduate programs is conducted concurrently with the L&S review. Departments with graduate programs will wish to consult the Graduate School website to consider a list of issues that are often raised as part of the review process. (See http://info.gradsch.wisc.edu/admin/academicservices/tenyearquestions.html.) These questions should be considered in the course of the self study, but need not be answered in a separate document.
      
   Outreach Program
   1. target audiences for outreach programs;types of outreach activities;number of outreach evens per year;outreach publications;
   2. estimate of number of persons reached by outreach programs.
   Faculty
   1. incoming and outgoing faculty for the past ten years on a year-by-year basis;faculty profile including age, tenure status, number of women and minority faculty and their percentage representation in the program;current areas of research interests of faculty members;vitae of the program's faculty members;
   2. summaries of extramural and Graduate School research support over the past five years.
2. Other Staff (FTEs and source of salary support for each subcategory)
   1. non-student instructional staff such as adjunct and clinical professors, visiting professors, lecturers;graduate student personnel such as teaching assistants, research assistants, lecturers;student hourly help;
   2. administrative, secretarial and technical support personnel.

OTHER DETAILS

When complete, the self study should be sent to:

Dean Gary Sandefur
College of Letters and Science
105 South Hall

	Only one copy of the self-study and appendix materials is required; the Dean's office will copy and distribute the self-study and supporting documents to the review committee and to the Academic Planning Council.
	Please be aware that color printing does not reproduce well; if color is used in charts and graphs, please take care to ensure that these items are legible in black and white.
	If appendix materials include published materials such as brochures, newsletters, or flyers, please include enough copies for distribution.
	If there are any concerns that materials may not be properly copied or collated prior to distribution by the Dean's office, please feel free to submit a sufficient number of complete copies in addition to the Dean's copy.

Resources

L&S Academic Planning, Program Review and Assessment

• Elaine M. Klein, Ph.D – 307E South Hall - 265-8484 – kleine@ls.admin.wisc.edu
• L&S Handbook – www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook
• Guidelines for Academic Program Review - http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterFive/chV-4.htm
• Tips for Academic Program Review - http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterFive/progrevtips.htm

• Department Planning Profiles –
• http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/obpa/Dept_Profiles/index.html
• Ten-year trends in all areas related to academic departments – e.g., FTE in various funding categories, majors and degrees (by headcount and by FTE), credits taught, etc. etc. Official data.
• L&S Snapshot –
• http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterOne/Snapshot.pdf
• L&S in context of UW-Madison.
• UW Academic Planning and Analysis –
• http://apa.wisc.edu/
• Reports in enrollment trends, student profiles, trends in degrees awarded, etc.
• UW Data Digest –
• http://www.bpa.wisc.edu/datadigest/
• Official campus data on trends in financial, academic and personnel areas.
• Registrar’s Enrollment Reports –
• http://registrar.wisc.edu/students/acadrecords/enrollment_reports/
• Official student statistics in many areas. Among many reports available, are reports on credits taught by department, grade distributions by course, as well as historical reports on all degrees conferred by major.

Planning Resources

• Office of Quality Improvement –
• http://www.wisc.edu/improve/
• Strategic planning and process improvement

Assessment Resources

• L&S Handbook - http://www.ls.wisc.edu/handbook/ChapterFive/chV-6.htm
• Academic Assessment in L&S - http://www.ls.wisc.edu/assess/
• University Assessment Council
• http://www.provost.wisc.edu/assessment/
• UAC sponsors annual grant program for projects assessing student learning at the department/program level.
• http://www.provost.wisc.edu/assessment/Assessment_Resources.html Links to assessment resources on campus, including UW Survey Center, Testing and Evaluation Services, and the Learning through Evaluation, Adaptation and Dissemination (LEAD) Center.
• Links to extensive assessment resource site

^{Note 1} All academic programs must be reviewed regularly. In L&S, those reviews are conducted via departmental or program-wide review. Since most academic programs are housed in departments, that term is used throughout this document; however, readers should understand that this process also applies to non-departmental programs.