Is Program Review Worth It?: Sociology Chair Perceptions of Program Review Experiences and Outcomes

Abstract

ABSTRACT Program review is one way that higher education is held accountable to stakeholders. However, little research has been conducted to determine whether best practices are followed by departments and whether the process is perceived to be effective by department chairs. This article presents data from a national survey of US sociology department chairs to explore these issues. We find that the use of some best practices can improve the extent to which chairs perceive program review to be a good use of time and a way to enhance the experiences of students. Positive attitudes about program review are also enhanced when chairs perceive that administrators use the process to make decisions about departments and when program review results in demonstrable positive change for departments. Nonetheless, a nontrivial minority of chairs perceive that program review is not a good use of time and that the process fails to improve the student experience.