stages in a faculty review
the learning and teaching committee is responsible for coordinating the faculty review. for that part of the faculty review that resides within the faculty, is dean is responsible. the administrative offices of the university must be involved in faculty review. the faculty must produce a self-evaluation report on the faculty, and this must include an action plan. subsequent to the faculty review, the faculty must produce an action plan to indicate how it addresses the findings and recommendations that come from the faculty review.
the following are guidelines for a faculty review:
step one: no less than seven months before the faculty review panel visit takes place, the head of the learning and teaching committee, together with the head of the quality assurance office, discuss the membership of the faculty review panel with the learning and teaching committee and quality assurance office, and members of the faculty review panel are appointed by the learning and teaching committee. they normally comprise:
- two or more senior officers of the university (one of whom may be the head of the learning and teaching committee or his/her nominee);
- a senior academic from another faculty in the university;
- one or more external consultants who have the appropriate academic expertise and experience in the field concerned.
step two: no less than seven months before the faculty review panel visit takes place, the head of the learning and teaching committee, together with the head of the quality assurance office, informs the dean of the faculty of the faculty review and consults with the dean of the faculty on the scope of the review and membership of the faculty review panel. the faculty review panel is appointed, convenes and makes arrangements for the immediate release of documents that are required for the faculty review, to the dean of the faculty, and sets the date for the campus visit.
step three: no less than seven months before the faculty review panel visit takes place, the dean of the faculty convenes a small working group to plan and prepare for the faculty review. that group normally comprises:
- the dean and deputy/assistant dean (the latter where appropriate)
- program coordinators
- a senior administrative officer in the faculty
- a small number of academic staff from the faculty
- one or more student members of the faculty
- co-opted members of the faculty if desired
(it may be similar, in part, to the faculty board)
the working group enlists the cooperation and collaboration of staff on the faculty and others as necessary, to prepare for the faculty review and in the compilation and completion of the self-evaluation document, during the visit of the faculty review panel, and the subsequent feedback, discussion and action planning
step four: no less than six months before the faculty review panel visit takes place, the head of the quality assurance office briefs the faculty working group on the review procedure and on how to prepare the self-evaluation document and associated documentation. members of the quality assurance office will also be available for ongoing discussion and consultation.
step five: no less than six months before the visit of the faculty review panel, the formal request is sent to the dean of the faculty for documents from the faculty to be prepared and sent by the dean to the head of the faculty review panel. the faculty review panel must receive these no less than one month before the visit of the faculty review panel.
step six: the working group identifies, plans and reviews the required data and their collection for the provision of documentation and the self-evaluation report. it circulates its suggestions to appropriate staff for feedback and advice. the working group analyzes the data collected and prepares a draft of the self-evaluation report, circulating its drafts to appropriate staff for feedback and advice.
step seven: the working group ensures that the self-evaluation document includes, inter alia, the faculty's goals, leadership and management, curriculum analysis, research and publication matters, plans for development and improvement, staffing, student admission, supervision, learning and teaching, resources, staff development, ongoing assessment of student achievement, student support, records, faculty evaluation, quality assurance. these can be done in conjunction with the template for faculty goals. it circulates its suggestions to appropriate staff for feedback and advice.
step eight: the draft of the final self-evaluation report is produced. the working group circulates its suggestions to appropriate staff for feedback and advice.
step nine: no less than two months before the visit of the faculty review panel, the final version of the self-evaluation report is completed and approved by the dean of the faculty.
step ten: no less than two months before the visit of the faculty review panel, the self-evaluation report and documentation are submitted to the learning and teaching committee and the quality assurance office prior to, and for, the meeting of the faculty review panel. the faculty review panel must receive the self-evaluation document no less than six weeks before the faculty review panel visit.
step eleven: no less than five weeks before the visit of the faculty review panel, the panel meets to discuss the self-evaluation report and to consider the faculty and the faculty review.
step twelve: no less than four weeks before the visit of the faculty review panel, the panel agrees with the dean of the faculty the meetings, agenda, persons and documentation to be present for the review meeting(s) with staff and students on the faculty. the dean arranges for staff and students to be present as required.
step thirteen: the faculty review panel meets with staff and students on the faculty, to conduct the review. the meetings are normally completed within one day, but, in the case of a very large faculty, they may run over to a second day only.
step fourteen: initial feedback is given to the faculty at the end of the last day of the meeting(s) with the faculty.
step fifteen: the faculty review panel produces a draft faculty review report within 30 working days of the final meeting(s) with the faculty and submits this to the dean of the faculty.
step sixteen: within one week of the receipt of the draft report, feedback on the report is given by the dean to the faculty review panel. the draft report may be changed by the faculty review panel in respect of factual errors, but there is no obligation on the faculty review panel to change its evaluation or judgements.
step seventeen: no more than one week after receiving the feedback from the faculty board, the final report is issued by the faculty review panel to the learning and teaching committee and to the dean of the faculty in question.
step eighteen: within 30 working days of receipt of the final faculty review panel's report, the faculty produces an action plan to address points raised in the faculty review panel's report. this may be written in consultation with the learning and teaching committee and the quality assurance office.
step nineteen: the action plan is sent by the dean to the faculty review panel and to the learning and teaching committee, and the learning and teaching committee monitors its implementation and effects in a time scale that it (the learning and teaching committee) determines.
step twenty: the faculty review panel is dissolved once the action plan has been received from the dean by the learning and teaching committee and the quality assurance office.
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