The Review Process in Universities

Reviews of programs in North American universities are becoming common as pressures increase for greater accountability and more careful use of resources. Considerable expert support exists for the position that reviews directed at program improvement should be conducted by universities themselves rather than by external agencies. This procedure has also been advocated for Australian universities and colleges. When adopting a system of reviews, attention needs to be paid to methods for increasing the benefits of reviews relative to their costs. One method is to establish an appropriate campus co-ordinating committee which has clear and acceptable administrative linkages and methods of operation. Alternative types of committees can be classified as participatory governance, executive, governing board, or state models. A detailed account is presented of the development of the executive model at The University of Alberta.