In 2005-2006, a small task force was convened by the Curriculum Committee with the charge to review the program review process and make recommendations for enhancing the overall effectiveness of Program Review at Skyline College. The task force made the following recommendations   to the Curriculum Committee in Spring 2006. The Curriculum Committee acted on these recommendations, with the intent to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the program review process, align the review with the accreditation standards, and facilitate the use of the findings in informing the allocation of human, fiscal and physical resources.

In spring 2006, faculty that had undergone program review in the last three years were dispensed a Program Review Process Survey  . The survey's intent was to obtain suggestions and comments that would help the committee to improve future program review processes for faculty and improve student learning outcomes.

Following the accreditation site visit in 2013, and based in part on the recommendations of the ACCJC during that visit, the college again re-evaluated   the program review process in Fall 2016. As before, this evaluation was performed with the express intent of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the process. To better inform the allocation of college resources through the program review process, the Skyline College Academic Senate approved the transition of oversight of the Comprehensive Program Review process from the Curriculum Committee to the Strategic Planning and Allocation of Resources Committee (SPARC) in Spring 2018.

Recognizing that program review could be further enhanced, SPARC convened a Comprehensive Program Review Task Force   in spring 2020. The cross-functional group initiated its work in the spring and continued over the summer, including interviewing Skyline College faculty/staff that recently underwent program review and researching other model colleges’ processes . From those efforts emerged recommendations that were shared broadly with the College community for feedback. SPARC retained purview and continues to work in consultation with the Academic Senate, but the Institutional Effectiveness Committee was tasked with managing and supporting program review. In addition to purview, the recommendations addressed communication and transparency about the integrated planning and resource allocation process, the program review scope and process, and the cycle and calendar.

Immediately after approval of the CPR Task Force Recommendations  * in October 2020, a CPR Work Group   was convened to create CPR templates. The Work Group was comprised of key constituencies, including both instruction and student/learning support services. Moving beyond using a single CPR template, the process resulted in the creation of two separate CPR templates: one for instructional programs, and the other for student/learning support services programs. Notable changes also included integrating equity throughout the templates, adding student voice as an essential means of evaluating program effectiveness, and giving student/ learning support programs flexibility in reporting how they evaluate access and effectiveness. The templates were approved through governance for piloting, beginning in Spring 2021.

* Per participatory governance changes adopted by the College in 2021, the Institutional Effectiveness Committee now reports directly to the College Governance Council. See this presentation -   slide 16.