terms of reference for a program review panel
the program review panel is established to review, examine, evaluate, comment and report on the quality of the program, and to make recommendations for its improvement and development. the program review panel must conduct scrutiny of relevant documents and materials, and make a formal visit to program members in connection with the program review, interviewing members of the program, and, provide a formal report on the program, included in which are recommendations for improvement to the program. the program review panel must review the quality, scope, focus, direction and coverage of the all the program’s activities, including: leadership and management; teaching; learning; staff-related and student-related matters; research activity, training and outcomes; publication; supervision; internal and external relations; quality assurance; development and strategic planning; and internationalization. these are all in respect of:
- how, and how well, the program meets its own and the faculty’s/university’s mission and strategy;
- how, and how well, the program meets the faculty’s and university’s mission and strategy;
- how effectively the program meets its stated aims and objectives, and the evidence that the program uses to evaluate its own achievement of these;
- the quality of the program and its achievement of intended learning outcomes by students;
- the quality of the contents, structure, delivery, teaching, learning and assessment on the program, and the mechanisms and procedures to assure and enhance these in the program;
- the quality of the awards gained by students on completion of the program;
- admission, retention, progression, achievement and graduation rates and levels of the students on the program and how these can be improved;
- the quality of the staffing of the program and their suitability for the courses that they teach;
- workloads of the staff;
- the quality of the resources, support and training for teaching, research, publication and learning that are provided on the program;
- links that the program makes to outside parties, and the public information that is provided on the program;
- the quality of the leadership and management of the program;
- the quality of the quality assurance mechanisms and procedures of the program;
- standards reached by students and the strategies to review and improve these;
- comparability of standards of the program and student achievement with those elsewhere;
- student representation and support;
- the quality of the program evaluation and self-evaluation, review and self-review, and development;
- strategic planning and action planning on the program;
- staff recruitment, retention and development on the program;
- gathering, commenting on and acting on students’ views and experiences of the program;
- administrative support on the program;
- strengths and weaknesses of the program;
- identifying areas for development and improvement in the program and the terms of an action plan to achieve these.
the program review panel reports to the quality assurance office, to the faculty and the program committee.
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