Self-Study for GW Departments
The Self-Study is a key element of the Academic Program Review Process. It is intended to give departments and programs an opportunity to conduct a critical evaluation of their current activities, identifying specific strengths and areas for improvement, and to engage in strategic planning. The Guidelines for Self-Study have been developed in order to establish a consistent framework for providing necessary information and for presenting specific goals and objectives, actions to be taken to achieve those goals, a time frame for implementing the actions, and measures of their effectiveness. This will facilitate planning not only at the departmental level, but at the School and University-wide levels as well.
It is important to note that the sections Analysis of Strengths and Areas for Improvement and Strategic Plan are regarded as the most important and should be guided by the assessment of programs and activities. They are the sections that will inform review committees, Deans, and the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs regarding those issues the department considers of greatest importance and how it intends to address them. The sections that precede these sections in the Guidelines are intended to provide the context and necessary data for evaluation and planning.
The process by which departments and programs conduct their self-study is left largely to the discretion of the deans and of the program faculty. However, in preparing the self-study report, programs should follow these Guidelines, using the indicated headings (boldface type). Where a section of the Guidelines calls for information that is not relevant to a specific department or program (e.g., graduate teaching assistants), please include the heading with a notation that it is not applicable.
GW has leased a data management software tool, TaskStream, to collect, manage, and store information and reports related to the Self-Study and yearly program assessments. The Self-Study Report should be submitted to the Office of the Dean and to the Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment electronically through TaskStream by the date requested. Questions regarding these Guidelines may be directed to the appropriate dean’s office or to Cheryl Beil, Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment at cbeil
gwu [dot] edu or 202-994-6712. More information about TaskStream can be found at: www.gwu.edu/~assess/taskstream.html.
Key Self-Study Documents:
- Guidelines for Self-Study - Revised January 2012 (pdf)
- Academic Program Review Timetable - Revised January 2012 (pdf)
- QuickStart Guide: Accessing & Using TaskStream AMS for GW Academic Program Review Workspaces (pdf)