Annual Program Quality Review Procedure

AC-CAQ-PRO-044 Annual Program Quality Review Procedure
Department	Academic/Centre Program Review & Accreditation
Creation Date	September 1, 2022
Approval Date	September 20, 2022
Effective Date	September 21, 2022

Policy

Procedure Statement

The Michener Institute of Education at UHN has review process that support the delivery of quality academic programming. The review processes promote continuous quality improvement through evidence-based reflection and analysis. The processes require program teams to consider student, community, and employer needs and feedback, and to meet accreditation and/or PEQAB requirements

Procedure

This procedure applies to academic programs offered at Michener. The procedure is governed by the Annual Program Quality Review (APQR) Policy , and wherever possible, is aligned with program accreditation requirements.

Responsibilities

Academic Programs

• In collaboration with the Centre for Program Review & Accreditation (CPRA) and Institutional Analysis & Evaluation (IAE), ensure that program Academic Chairs and faculty follow the APQR cycle of continuous quality improvement.
• Provide leadership on implementing recommendations made in APQR.
• Ensure updates to the APQR are reported to CPRA/IAE and the Head of Academic Affairs & Operations, or designate.
• Ensure the review process is completed according to external and internal requirements, documentation, consultations, timelines, and outcomes in collaboration with CPRA, IAE, and related areas.
• Ensure recommendations or changes resulting from the APQR process are shared with the Senior Management Team and implemented in consultation with the Centre for Learning, Innovation and Simulation (CLIS) and CPRA according to dates in the Academic Calendar.
• Work collaboratively with institutional subject matter experts including, but not limited to, CPRA and IAE, CLIS, Learning Resource Collaboratory (LRC), and other support service areas.

CLIS

• Support the alignment of program outcomes (including external standards) with course competencies.
• Support curriculum mapping activities during annual program reflections and review.
• Provide curriculum consultations services throughout the APQR process.
• Provide faculty development related to curriculum development and delivery.

CPRA

• Develop, review, and revise APQR framework in collaboration with CLIS, IAE, and LRC.
• Align APQR requirements across all academic programs and identify opportunities for alignment with other external regulatory/accreditation bodies, where applicable.
• Facilitate program reviews, providing project management expertise, for academic programs to ensure successful degree consent renewals. This includes attending program review related meetings, gathering appropriate evidence, and drafting program review documentations in collaboration with the academic programs.
• Liaise with the academic programs, Academic Team, Registrar’s Office (RO), and other internal bodies related to policies, procedures, and scheduling requirements related to academic program development, delivery, maintenance, and review.
• Stay apprised of practices for APQR internally and externally for integration at Michener.
• Develop and/or support initiatives across the institution related to the capacity, sustainability, and quality of academic program delivery, faculty, and student experiences.
• Ensure that the achievement of program learning outcomes is a key component of the PAQR process.
• Ensure all stages of APQR are supported, including consultation with CLIS, IAE, LRC, etc.
• Maintain a master program review schedule for the institution, which includes all academic programs.
• Engage the broader Academic Team in program review and relevance discussions related to emerging themes and promising /best practices.
• Maintain an archive of all intuitional APQR documentations for a minimum of seven (7) years.
• Align program review activities in consideration of degree consent renewal, accreditation, and major program review requirements.
• Stay apprised of practices for APQR internally and externally for integration at Michener, as applicable.
• With Academic Chairs, establish the academic programs which can be reviewed separately or as a group.
• With Academic Chairs, ensure APQRs are conducted for each program annually.
• In collaboration with IAE, prepare a summary/synthesis for the Academic Team Meeting upon completion of the APQR and engage the broader Academic Team in program review and relevance discussions.

Program Advisory Committee (PAC)

• Act as an advisory group, consult on all program review related issues, processes, systems, and policies and procedures.

Other Academic and Student Supports

• Participate in the APQR process as appropriate (services include, but are not limited to, LRC, Student Success Network (SSN), Office for Clinical Education (OCE), IAE, and RO.

Procedure

1. Academic Chair and faculty discuss and identify opportunities throughout the year at scheduled staff/CQI meetings. Academic Chair and faculty review data as it becomes available.
2. Academic Chair initiates the annual reflection and review process and ensures that all data is available (e.g., course faculty evaluations, key performance indicators (KPIs), feedback from PAC, Faculty Liaison Committee (FLC)). Academic Chair and faculty complete the APQR template annually, at the start of the spring semester.
   1. Faculty provide prioritized list of quality improvements to the Academic Chairs every year on o before May 31st.
   2. APQR Report is drafted by Academic Chairs, including proposed program design changes r quality improvement initiatives, by June 30th of that year’s cycle.
   3. The Academic Chair will submit APQR Report to the Head of Academic Affairs & Operations, or designate, by June 30th of that year’s cycle.
   4. The Head of Academic Affairs & Operations, or designate, will review and sign off on the APQR Report by August 31st of that year’s cycle. Once sign off is completed, CPRA in collaboration with IAE will synthesize and share the summary results at the Academic Team meeting in order to facilitate a discussion on promising/best practices. The summary results will also be shared with the Senior Management Team for information purposes.
   5. The Academic Chair ensures action plan(s) are monitored and completed according to the established plan, timelines, and priorities.
3. If academic programs identify potential changes to a model route, the model route change form must be completed and submitted to the Head of Academic Affairs & Operations, or designate, for review and approval. Academic Chairs may also follow up with CLIS to support any curricular changes. Program changes are implemented in accordance with the Academic Calendar.
4. The Academic Chair will work with CPRA to ensure that any updates to the program are captured within program HR plans and workloads. THis may include, but is not limited to , program design changes, student number changes, and quality improvement initiatives.

Definitions

Academic Team: the Academic Team is comprised of leadership positions who are stakeholders in the development and delivery of Michener’s academic programs. The Academic Team reviews all academic activities that support quality and sustainability and the institutional priorities of the Michener Institute related to improving teaching, learning, and the quality of academic programs of study.

Academic Calendar: Michener calendar of critical dates that guides the implementation of decisions related to new programs, development, delivery, and change in programs. It also drives the communications of academic dates and activities for student enrolment (admission, billing, registration) and progression.

Academic Year: the period from September 1 to August 31

• Current Academic Year – refers to the start date of the academic year
• Upcoming Academic Year – refers to the academic year that follows the current year

Annual Program Quality Review (APQR) Report: a template provided to academic programs which guides an annual team-based reflection and review of the previous academic year. The APQR facilitates continuous improvement in the program to support student and program success. It is informed by associated course-level CQI forms. Faculty are encouraged to identify planning opportunities for program enhancement for the upcoming academic year. At the end of the academic year, the report provides a summary of key quality measures and is used to support strategic decision making.

Course: a distinct and discrete teaching and learning framework containing content that has been approved by an expert source, usually structured to be delivered over a specific period with measurable learning outcomes and formal student evaluation. Student evaluation in a graded course is weighted in the calculation of the grade point average.

Credential: recognition awarded upon completion of a program of study as set out by the Michener Institute.

Curriculum: a plan for learning that is coordinated and articulated in a manner designed to result in the achievement by students of specific knowledge and skills and the application of this knowledge. Curriculum refers to the content (the material to be learned), the actions and resources involved in teaching and learning, and the processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives, and is driven by learning outcomes.

Michener Core Competencies: Michener core competencies are non-vocational skills critical for success in the workplace, and for lifelong learning, that students learns as part of the formal curriculum.

Program of Study: a planed and coordinated selection of courses delivered to an identified student body leading to a certificate, diploma, degree, or other document awarded by the Michener Institute of Education at UHN.

Program Advisory Committee (PAC): the Program Advisory Committee provides advice on academic program development , review and relevance, changes/trends in business and industry affecting programs, students and graduates, technological implications of changes/trends, employment prospects, etc. Refer to PAC Guidelines for membership and terms of reference.