External Reviews of Departments and

Programs, 2009-10Overview

Amy Mullin, Interim Vice-Principal Academic & Dean

New Quality Assurance Framework

• A new Quality Assurance Framework has been developed, as required of all Ontario universities.

• External reviews, governed by this framework, occur at intervals of 7-10 years.

• Supervised by the new provincial Quality Council, which is responsible for auditing the process.

Role of External Reviews

• External reviewers are chosen on the basis of administrative experience and wide-respect within their fields.

• They assist in determining the quality of the program or department, make recommendations for improvement, and raise any significant areas of concern.

• Often external reviews coincide with a chair’s end of term and help shape the mandate for the new chair.

External Review Process

• External reviewers are given a self-study prepared by program director or departmental chair in a context of widespread consultation.

• Increasingly templates and data to be used in self-study will be provided centrally. Focus on programs, research, teaching, governance and plans for the future, along with measures of quality for assessment against national and international peers.

• External reviewers (typically 2 for a department) visit campus for two days and prepare their report for the Dean. Important that report provides detailed evaluation of programs and curriculum.

Response to the External Review

• Department chair or program director prepares a response.

• The external review and unit response are forwarded to the provost’s office. Provost requests decanal response.

• Review summary and decanal response are shared with Committee on Academic Policy & Programs (AP&P), Academic Board, Academic Affairs and Erindale College Council.

2009-10 Reviews

• Department of Anthropology

• Program in Forensic Science (housed within the Department of Anthropology)

• Department of Historical Studies

Anthropology

• Visit November 2009

• Chair in 2009-10: Professor Gary Crawford

Major Findings- Positive Elements

• Excellent job in course development to reflect diverse subfields within anthropology

• High praise for faculty and courses they teach

• Excellent new hires, strong research productivity overall

Major Findings - Concerns

• Stagnant enrolment

• Curriculum: complicated prerequisites, sharp division between science and arts degrees, availability of 400 level courses

• Writing skills of students

• Space needs

• Governance – need for more participation and transparency

Response to review

• Curriculum renewal initiative

• Increased attention to students’ writing skills, more connection with RGASC

• Will receive appropriate new space with move to HSC in September 2011 (though planned new teaching lab in Davis Bldg delayed, chairs committed to sharing existing labs)

• Executive ctte established to advise chair, more consultation with department members and committees

Forensic Science

• Only 1 reviewer

• Visit December 2009

• Program Director in 2009-10, Professor Martin Evison (resigned position with university in 2010)

Major Findings- Positive Elements

• Excellent reputation

• Good placement record

• Attracts students of high calibre

• Support from the Centre of Forensic Sciences, Toronto Police Department, Office of the Coroner and other external stakeholders

Significant concerns

• Concerns about course content and coordination of courses

• Concerns about faculty commitment and complement

• Concerns that program does not meet standards for accreditation

Response

• Temporarily halted admissions to program (re-opened February 2011)

• Appointed new director, committed to program and to working cooperatively with other units at UTM, secured faculty commitments to teaching in program

• Curricular review – anthropology and psychology streams reconfigured so that students can meet requirements of specialist, chemistry and biology streams now meet requirements for accreditation

Response continued

• Searching for limited term lecturer in Forensic biology or biochemistry, teaching needs to be re-evaluated in 2 years

• Will pursue accreditation for biology and chemistry streams (only streams eligible for accreditation)

Historical Studies

• Visit December 2009

• Reviewers chosen to reflect multidisciplinary nature of department (Dept. of Religion and Dept. of Classics)

• Chair in 2009-10: Professor Robert Johnson

Major Findings – Positive Elements

• Integration of several disciplines into a single unit has been received enthusiastically by faculty

• Faculty members are dedicated to their students

• Curriculum sensitive to interests of students

• Faculty talented researchers and teachers

Concerns

• Opportunity for clearer intellectual identity of department

• Need for more presence of faculty and graduate students at UTM, more teaching by faculty with continuing appointments in large courses

• Governance – suggest clearer governance structure, more standing committees, increased mentorship of junior faculty

• Need for increased staffing

Response

• Intellectual identity of department continues to evolve, new appointments bridge areas of scholarly and teaching interest

• Clearer governance structure established, more standing committees appointed, terms of reference developed for them

• Staffing increased 0.5 FTE

• Director of Intellectual Community appointed to increase faculty and graduate student presence on campus

• More efforts to ensure faculty with ongoing appointments teach large courses.