Department/Program Review Policy

Policy Statement/Background:

Academic degree and certificate programs at Stony Brook University engage in a cycle of self-study and external review to ensure these programs are of the highest quality (see Stony Brook University’s mission (Part 1) provided below).

Policy:

In accordance with SUNY’s Assessment Policy and Assessment Procedures all degree and certificate programs must prepare a self-study that includes assessment of student learning outcomes and participate in an external review every seven years or an external accreditation cycle of no more than ten years (see policy (bullet point 3) and procedure (Implementation C.iii) provided below).

The self-study and external visit may be delayed by twelve months with the approval of the Provost or the Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine; in the rare instance of a delay, the next self-study and external review must be completed within a six-year period. Procedures for preparation of self-studies and external reviews shall be supported and maintained by the Office of Educational Effectiveness (OEE); the Office of Institutional Research, Planning & Effectiveness (IRPE) will provide available data.

External reviewers will prepare written reports. Self-studies and external review reports are submitted to the Provost or the Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine, appropriate Dean(s), Department and Program Chairs, the Office of Educational Effectiveness, as well as the Undergraduate Council and/or Graduate Council of the University Senate, as appropriate.

Reports and reviews conducted as a part of programmatic accreditation satisfy the requirement for self-study and external review (see procedure (Implementation C.iv) provided below).

Self-Study

Departments may prepare a single self-study of the department that encompasses all programs in their department. Interdepartmental or shared programs may prepare a standalone self-study or be included in one of the participating departments, at the discretion of the program director. Self-studies may also include a review of research, scholarly, and creative activity, as appropriate. Departments may use this template to prepare their self-study:

• Self-study template

External Review

The Provost or Executive Vice President of Health Sciences will select at least two external reviewers. Programs shall participate in the identification of external reviewers of their programs, and external reviewers shall not have conflicts of interest that bias the review (based on SUNY procedure (Implementation C.v) provided below). For reviews outside of an external accreditation process, the Office of the Provost or the Executive Vice President for Stony Brook Medicine shall provide financial support for each external reviewer of an honorarium of up to $1,000 and for travel costs. External review visits may be conducted virtually with approval of the relevant Dean.

Definitions:

None

Contact:

Additional information about this policy is available here:

Office of Educational Effectiveness
Stony Brook University
100 Nicolls Road
Stony Brook, NY 11794-3357
(631) 632-2783
EducationalEffectiveness@stonybrook.edu

Relevant Standards, Codes, Rules, Regulations, Statutes and Policies:

• Stony Brook Mission Statement
• SUNY Policy 1150: Assessment
• SUNY Procedure 1151: Assessment