The Audit and Review process at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is intended to facilitate the continuous improvement of all academic programs. Programs complete a comprehensive self-study and reflect on their achievements, progress, areas for improvement, and goals for the future. The process provides an opportunity for programs to talk about trends, issues, and progress over time, and to discuss these areas with their Dean/s and the Provost.
Conducted within all instructional areas on a five-year cycle, the Audit and Review process facilitates continuous program improvement by:
When a program is schedule for Audit and Review, it composes a self-study. Authors often begin by consulting the self-study and final report from the previous Audit and Review process—see Self-Study FAQs for information on how to locate—and the Undergraduate Self-Study Instructions or the Graduate Self-Study Instructions.
In its self-study, the program covers the following areas:
The program submits a self-study draft to the dean by October 1; it submits a final version to the Undergraduate or Graduate Audit and Review Committee by November 1.
Committee Draft Report
The Audit and Review Committee goes through a systematic process of evaluating a self-study. Each member evaluates the self-study through a Qualtrics survey, and the committee meets to discuss survey output. In a (draft) report on the self-study, which it submits to the dean and program coordinator or department chair, the committee recommends one of the following results:
This list of recommended results does not work as a grading scale. For example, “Continuation without qualification” is not equivalent to an A, and the requirement for a program to submit a progress report does not, in itself, suggest a below average program. However, the process does affirm a program receiving the result of "continuation without qualification" as exemplary.
The program coordinator/department chair, college dean, provost, and members of the Audit and Review Committee meet face-to-face to discuss the committee's draft report and determine recommended actions and results. The process is meant to be collaborative; during this meeting, parties may discuss discrepancies in how they understood or assessed the program.
In its final written report, the review committee summarizes the discussion at the face-to-face meeting, lists program strengths and weaknesses, and makes final determination on recommended actions and a recommended result.
The Undergraduate Audit and Review Committee and Graduate Audit and Review Committee each use a Qualtrics survey to evaluate self-studies. Prior to the Qualtrics survey, review committee members complete an evaluation form. Only committee members have access to the Qualtrics surveys, but the evaluation criteria are shown in the evaluation forms below.
The Audit and Review portal is where faculty will search for reports, submit reports, review status of reports, and can view past submissions. Please note, reports are initiatied by the Office of Academic Assessment. Program Coordinators and/or self-study authors will receive an email when the portal is ready for the program's submission.
Access to Audit & Review Portal
The following are some resources authors commonly draw upon as they craft their self-studies:
For additional assistance with completing a self-study, contact the Office of Academic Assessment (assessment@uww.edu, 262-472-1806).