Feedback Process and Reports

Program Review Feedback, when first instituted, was the responsibility of the Curriculum Committee. However, Yuba College Council, working with CEAC, determined that the Curriculum Committee was stretched too thin to be asked to continue providing Program Review Feedback. The process was revised and piloted among only a few programs during the 2015-16 academic year. After an assessment and report was given to the Yuba College Council and Academic Senate, CEAC took the lead in facilitating Program Review Feedback in the 2016-17 academic year as a peer-driven process.

Program Review Feedback teams utilize several sources of information and a meeting with department/program representatives when developing their feedback reports. Navigate to the Resources listing below to view the Program Review Checklists used by the teams. Also available on this Resource list is the published Program Review cycle, the Feedback Report Template. Program Review Datasets, Program Reviews, and additional program review-related resources can be found at https://yc.yccd.edu/about/ssie/reviews.

The Program Review Feedback process consists of the following steps:

1. The Vice President’s office initiates the Program Review Feedback process with a letter to the department/program leads.

2. The department/program lead identifies feedback team members and forwards their contact information to the Vice President’s office.

3. CEAC receives the list of each department’s/program’s feedback team members and assigns a CEAC member to each department/program to act as facilitators.

4. The CEAC facilitator contacts the identified feedback team members and department representatives to schedule meeting a time. Once meeting times are established, the CEAC facilitator informs the feedback team and department representatives of the scheduled meeting(s), which could be one 2-hour session or two 1-hour sessions depending on the schedules of everyone involved.

5. The CEAC facilitator provides the necessary materials to the feedback team and department representative. Materials include the following:

5. 1. A PDF of the department’s Program Review with all active Program Recommendations.
   2. Program Review Data Sheet (instructional departments only).
   3. A PDF of active Program Student Learning Outcomes and the Course Student Learning Outcomes, or in the case of service areas their Service Area Outcomes.
   4. A Yuba College Program Review Feedback Checklist

Feedback Team members are asked to analyze the materials outlined above and complete the feedback checklist before the meeting date. The Feedback Team Facilitator will develop the Feedback Report based on these notes and their interaction with the department representatives.

6. On the day of the meeting(s) the Facilitator guides the discussion between the Feedback team and department representative(s) and aids the Feedback Team in completing the Program Review Feedback report.

7. The CEAC Facilitator completes the draft of the Program Review Feedback Report and makes it available to the Feedback Team and program representatives for review.

8. Once the Program Review Feedback Report is approved by the Feedback Team, the Facilitator emails the final PDF copy to the department representatives, the program director (if appropriate), the division dean, CEAC co-chairs, and the Office of Research and Planning.

9. The Office of Research, Planning & Student Success posts the completed Program Review Feedback Report to the appropriate TracDat Program Review unit.

The program review feedback reports will not be used punitively against any department or individual. Rather, by providing suggestions and strategies, the department/program is able to self-reflect and improve. Any improvement or changes recommended should be made in the next Program Review cycle. During the next cycle of feedback, the feedback teams will review the previous feedback report to see if departments made efforts to act upon suggestions or improve the identified areas of concern.

In addition, the Program Review Feedback process allows peers outside the department or program to recognize recommendations as crucial to the program’s future and vision. This outside validation of specific program recommendations adds support and justification for the allocation of resources which will be considered by groups charged with making resource allocation decisions.

Last year (AY 2015-16) a CEAC subcommittee was tasked with developing a process to provide meaningful and authentic program review feedback to our programs and departments. This subcommittee was made up of an administrator, faculty, and classified staff member, and they reviewed multiple feedback models from other California Community Colleges.
The subcommittee completed their review and determined that a peer review process was the most beneficial and meaningful. The process was presented to and approved by CEAC, Academic Senate and the Yuba College Council.

During Spring/Summer 2016 a pilot was conducted with four departments, and the process was adjusted and improved for roll out during the 2016-17 academic year.

The advantages of a peer program review feedback process are threefold:

1. We can learn more about and be better informed of each other’s programs as we agree to serve as peer reviewers during each other’s feedback process.

2. We can garner ideas about how to conduct an effective program review as we examine other departments’ program reviews and note their strategies and content.

3. We can better understand and validate the resource needs of others.

Much in the same way fulltime faculty select their own peers for faculty evaluations, we ask departments and programs to select their peers for Program Review Feedback.
Only you know who will make an appropriate external peer, and you have the opportunity of working with a college peer outside your division.

A Program Review Facilitator will guide the process and be assigned from the College Effectiveness and Accreditation Committee (CEAC). Additionally, programs/departments are asked to identify three people to participate:

1. A Yuba College Peer Reviewer – This individual must be from outside your program’s division. We strongly recommend that CTE programs select a non-CTE peer, and that Non-CTE programs consider selecting a CTE peer. We also recommend that Student Services programs select a peer from Instruction and that Instructional programs consider selecting a peer from Student Services. A peer need not be a faculty member; however, in most instances, we recommend a faculty peer.

2. An External Peer(s) – The individual(s) may be one of the following:
   1. Advisory Committee member (for CTE programs or participating service areas)
   2. Department Associate from another College/University
   3. Student from within the program

3. A Department Representative(s) – The representative(s) will meet with the Feedback Team to answer questions and clarify any comments made in its Program Review and related materials. This dialog between the Feedback Team and department representative(s) also ensures that this is a collaborative process between the department and the reviewers.

The individuals identified above represent the minimum requirements for a Feedback Team. If your department/program would like to invite more peers or representatives from the listed categories, you are welcome to do so.

Program Review Feedback falls within the 10+1 Academic and Professional Matters as articulated in Title 5, and thus should not be assigned as an administration function. The Yuba College Academic Senate and CEAC have agreed that Program Review Feedback, like Program Review itself, should remain faculty-driven and under the faculty purview. However, if a department or program would like its dean or director to participate as one of its Department Representatives, it may do so.

The feedback meeting is a collegial discussion between colleagues and is in no way meant to be a “gotcha” or policing process. Instead, this should be an opportunity to think critically about the department/program and for the team to become more familiar with the unit. It is an opportunity to clarify areas of the Program Review or other related materials that were unclear while sharing ideas and strategies.

PDF copies of the Program Review Feedback Report will be distributed to the feedback team members, department representatives, the program director (if appropriate), the division dean, CEAC, and the Office of Research and Planning. A copy of the Program Review Feedback Report will also be posted in the documents tab in the appropriate Program Review TracDat unit. In the future Program Review Feedback Reports will be made public online with the Program Reviews themselves.