External Reviewer Guide
Objectives
Criteria
A.
Graduate Program Mission/Objectives
B. Curriculum
C.
Faculty
D.
Learning Environment
E.
Infrastructure
F.
Outcome
G.
Demand
H.
Resource Usage
I.
Unique
J. Relevance
In order to assess the
Graduate Program under review, we are using the eight criteria listed below.
In the sections that follow, these criteria are described and suitable measures
are listed to evaluate the quality of the Graduate Program.
To provide an external assessment of the Graduate Program.
To comment on the application of the criteria, measures and ranking scheme and to advise on what
is appropriate.
To review and report on the Graduate Program with reference to the quality
of the education provided.
To provide an assessment of the health and vitality of the Graduate Program
and its quality relative to other national and, where appropriate, international
programs.
To make recommendations on the Graduate Program.
The following criteria
should be addressed in the evaluation of the quality of the Graduate Program.
The indicated measures should be used in the evaluation of the quality of
the Graduate Program with respect to the above criteria and are considered
to be appropriate in the evaluation of the quality of the Graduate Program.
They are not intended to be complete and/or independent.
Is the Graduate Program appropriate in the context
of education demands and expectations?
Measures:
Comment on the adequacy and appropriateness of the Graduate Program mission.
Does the Graduate Program provide sufficient intellectual
challenge to left the award of the graduate degree offered?
Measures:
Course offering breadth and depth.
Quality of teaching.
Evaluation of teaching.
Academic standards.
Effectiveness of the Graduate Program.
Questions:
Does the Department's graduate curriculum meet its program objectives?
What do you conclude from the student evaluations and comments on the Department's
curriculum?
What comments do you have on the curricula in general?
Does the stated Department curriculum match the delivered curriculum? If
not, should it?
How does this graduate curriculum compare to that of similar Departments
in Canada?
Does the Department cover the breadth of areas to which a student should
be exposed?
Are the entrance requirements appropriate?
Are sufficient opportunities provided for students to do interdisciplinary
work?
Has the Department changed appropriately in order to reflect changes in
the discipline?
How does this Department's curriculum initiative compare to those of similar
Departments across Canada?
Does the Department's curriculum provide sufficient flexibility, given the
nature of the discipline, for students to pursue interests outside their
area of specialization?
Does the Department meet or exceed any appropriate accreditation and/or
national standards?
Does the faculty,
as a group, provide intellectual leadership, atmosphere and challenge?
Measures:
Scholarly activity.
Competence of the faculty in the conduct of research.
Advancement and dissemination of research.
Funding level.
Supervision of graduate students.
Reputation.
Strength and Weaknesses.
Future development and plans.
Questions:
Does the Department have sufficient contact, through its faculty members
research activities, collaborations and visiting scholars, with the latest
developments in the discipline?
Does the research completed in the Graduate Program meet the missions and
objectives of the Graduate Program?
Is the selection of classes offered and the method and timing of offering
appropriate for the program and comparable to other programs?
Do the faculty have the appropriate academic and/or professional qualifications
to support and development the program?
Are faculty adequately involved in scholarly activities?
Are faculty adequately involved with academic, professional and scientific
organizations
To what extent have faculty been recognized for their scholarly and/or professional
work?
In what way has the scholarly work of faculty made a significant contribution
to the discipline?
Are the teaching skills of faculty current and adequate?
To what extent have faculty been successful in obtaining external research
support?
What is the quantity and quality of the research done in the Department?
How does the research completed in the Department meet the mission and objectives
of the program?
Are the faculty competent in the conduct of research and the advancement and dissemination
of knowledge?
Are the qualifications of the faculty teaching the courses appropriate?
Does their research/scholarship get transferred to the learning environment?
Who are the adjuncts, associates and what are their affiliations? How do
they add to the Department's graduate program?
Do the adjuncts and associates add to the Department's graduate program?
Does the Graduate
Program provide a learning environment that is supportive and hospitable
for all students?
Measures:
Critical mass of graduate students.
Canadian and International graduate students.
Race.
Gender.
Age.
Other.
Questions:
Has the Department adequately addressed the issue of education equity in
its curriculum?
Is the make-up of supervisory/advisory committees appropriate?
Does the program allow the students to participate in and evaluate the learning
environment?
Are the Department's student counseling procedures with regard to course
selection appropriate?
Is the academic unit delivering the program supportive of the students?
Are the qualifying examination and comprehensive examination procedures
appropriate?
Is the nature of the qualifying examination appropriate?
Is the program set-up process for new students appropriate?
Faculty and student awareness.
Interaction between supervisor and graduate students.
Frequency of supervisory meetings.
Committee makeup.
Committee schedule.
Advisory role.
Exceptions to the rule.
Do the facilities
and physical spaces provide the essential resources to support the faculty/graduate
students adequately in their research/work?
Measures:
Shared or common resources.
Library.
Laboratory.
Computers.
Office Space.
Special facilities.
External resources.
Adequacy of the level of graduate student support.
Graduate student scholarships.
Questions:
Are there adequate numbers of appropriately trained staff available?
Are the necessary facilities and equipment provided?
Are the computing and other information technology resources adequate?
Are appropriate library resources available?
Is there adequate funding for graduate students?
Procedures in place.
Monitoring of the academic standards required for continuation and graduation.
Normal progress of graduate students through the Graduate Program.
Estimated enrollments.
Changes in the recent past.
Incorporation of past recommendations.
Do graduate students
achieve a level of preparation appropriate to the objectives and requirements
of the Graduate Program?
Measures:
Competitiveness of the Graduate Program with other comparable programs.
Questions:
Would graduates from this M.Sc. program be acceptable for admittance to
Ph.D. programs at other Universities in Canada?
Quality of the graduate student research.
Quality of entering students.
Do graduate students
entering the Graduate Program have the capacity and preparation necessary
to meet the challenges of the Graduate Program effectively?
Measures:
Student demand.
Critical mass of graduate students.
Questions:
What feedback do the graduate students give with respect to this area?
Does the Graduate
Program use resources efficiently?
Measures:
Faculty/graduate student ratio.
Administrative personnel.
Questions:
How does the Department compare to other departments both at the University
of Saskatchewan and other comparable universities?
Uniqueness of
the Graduate Program?
Measures:
Other comparable programs.
Questions:
Are there ways in which this program is unique compared to others in the
discipline with which you are familiar?
Does the Graduate
Program build on or contribute to areas of interest to the community and
industry?
Measures:
Community involvement.
Industrial association.
Contracts.
Consulting.
Questions:
Are there ties to the community and/or industry in the Department?
