Topics to be Addressed by the Department Report

I. Department Mission, Goals, & Student Learning

A. Goals:  What is the Mission Statement of the department/program? What are the specific learning goals for students and how do they relate to the mission statement?

B. Curriculum: 

1. Briefly describe the requirements for the major, minor, and/or concentration, with emphasis on any changes to the curriculum since the last review.  
2. How does the curriculum meet the learning goals described above?
3. Are any changes to the curriculum needed?  If so, why?
4. How does the curriculum compare to other colleges and universities? ​​​

C. Broader Impact of Curriculum: 

1. General Education - Describe your contributions to General Education.  Is the department/program adequately serving the needs of non-majors?
2. Interdisciplinary programs - Describe your contributions to interdisciplinary programs, if applicable.
3. Other curricular contributions?  (W101, Denison Seminars, etc.)

D. Student Learning Opportunities - Describe and evaluate the effectiveness of:

1. Opportunities for majors to engage in advanced work (e.g., summer research, senior research).
2. Opportunities made available to students outside the classroom (e.g., engagement with visiting scholars, practitioners of practice, travel opportunities associated with the program).
3. Any other high-impact or innovative pedagogical practices associated with your department/program?

E. Academic Advising: 

Describe faculty contributions to advising (e.g., academic advising, Advising Circles, orientation programs).  How does your department/program work to develop a culture of engaged advising?  

II. Commitment to Inclusion & Diversity

How does your department/program engage with and reflect Denison's commitment to inclusion and diversity?  (You might address this in terms of the initiatives articulated in Denison Forward.)  How does your curriculum and programming seek to prepare students for post-Denison life in a diverse and global community?  

III. Academic Assessment

Departments and programs are advised to consult the Academic Assessment Toolkit for information regarding the assessment process and analysis.

A. Describe the measures used to regularly assess the extent to which the department/program’s learning goals are being achieved.  Include the assessment plan as an appendix to this report.

B. Summarize the results of your assessment efforts since the last department review or report.

C. To what extent are the learning goals described in 1.A. being achieved? Do the results of assessment indicate that changes are needed in the curriculum or pedagogical approaches of the department/program? How does the department utilize assessment outcomes to develop its curriculum and broader engagement?

IV. Outreach and Partnerships

A. Describe the department/program’s contributions to Admission efforts.

B. Describe the department/program’s engagement with campus partners such as the Lisska Center, Global Programs, Denison Museum, Library, etc.

C. Describe the department/program’s engagement with career and internship advising (e.g., programs, partnerships with the Knowlton Center).  How does the department/program facilitate students’ launch into their post-Denison vocations?  

D. Describe the department/program’s work in staying in touch with alumni.  How does the department track outcomes for their majors after graduation? How do you work to develop an understanding of outcomes post-graduation?  What have you learned?

E. How does your department create awareness of its news and accomplishments (features on website, partnerships with University Communications, etc.)? 

V. Faculty 

A. Do the staff and expertise of the faculty reflect the diversity of the discipline?

B. To what degree has the department kept abreast of developments in the field, and how does that engagement relato the curriculum?

C. Do faculty maintain scholarly or creative engagement?  Are they sufficiently supported in that work?

D. How does the department cultivate awareness and engagement with campus, governance, and professional service opportunities?

E. Describe and comment upon the department/program’s plan for mentoring faculty.

VI. Resources

A. Is the department/program adequately staffed?  If not, what are the shortcomings and perceived effects on student learning?

B. Are the department’s or program’s physical resources adequate?  (e.g., offices; computers/printers; student lounge area; learning spaces including classrooms, laboratories, and studios) 

Data to include with the Department Report

• Enrollments by course and by semester
• A list of faculty teaching in the department/program by semester
• Numbers of majors and minors by year
• Numbers of advisees carried by faculty in the past year (or any representative year(s) in the review period)
• Numbers of student research projects including annual number of summer research projects and senior research projects.  Numbers of directed & independent annually offered may also be included.
• Any data related to alumni placement
• Assessment plan, assessment data, and any associated rubrics or supporting documents
• Curriculum vitae for faculty in the department/program
• Sample course syllabi (in years of an external review only)