The self-study is the product of a collective effort by the unit. It should not be written solely by the unit Chair. Senate and non-senate faculty, staff, postdocs, other academics, and students should be included in the process if and when appropriate.
What advice is available in response to common mistakes that units could make ahead of the site visit?
Plan early and align unit faculty committees to the needs of the self-assessment.
Identify and include key people who may be out at the time of the site visit e.g., sabbatical.
The APR staff support team is available to help, but you do need to get on their calendars early. Ensure that committee chairs know who is available to support them.
Adequately include lecturers, staff, postdocs, and students in the process.
Do units compensate lecturers for participating in the APR process?
No, units usually make lecturer participation voluntary and state that it is not compensated. Lecturers should be invited and encouraged to participate in the development of the self-study, but should not be required to participate. Lecturers should, however, have the opportunity to meet with the external review committee during the site visit.
What is the role of the Academic Senate Liaison (ASL)?
The ASL is selected by the unit under review. They are not affiliated with the unit. They have two principal functions: the first is to provide guidance to the ERC about UC Berkeley, its particular culture and institutions, and the context in which the department operates; the second is to act as the Academic Senate's observer in the review, for both its process and its content. As part of the latter the Senate Liaison is charged with focusing on the general environment in the department (e.g., faculty-student relations, status of women...
When will we receive the ERC report and do we have a chance to respond to it?
The unit will receive the ERC and ASL reports as soon as they are complete, for the Department's response to the content of these reports. The unit has 6-8 weeks to submit the response. Units should circulate these documents among faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students for their response to the substance of the reports, i.e., how well they characterize the Unit, capture the issues it confronts, its climate, etc; how appropriate are proposed solutions; and please report any progress the Unit may have made in addressing these issues since you submitted the self-study. (...
The Program Review Oversight Committee (PROC) exercises oversight of each review and ensures that all relevant issues are addressed in the final outcome letter. This is followed by a thorough accountability process to ensure the unit addresses these issues by the necessary deadlines. This process includes ongoing check-ins after the review is completed and a crucial mid-cycle check-in five years after the outcome letter is issued. Every academic unit must undergo a review every ten years and a mid-cycle check-in every five years.
