Academic Program Review 2009
Executive Summary
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science
The Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science was included in the seventh cycle of
academic program review for the 2008-2009 academic year. Included in the program review
process was the composition of a self-study document based on faculty’s analysis, a
departmental retreat where the data were reviewed and the final two sections discussed, and a
visitation by external reviewers. Dr. Dan McCann, served as the external reviewer and read the
self-study, interviewed faculty, staff, administration, and students, and submitted a separate
analysis.
The departmental self-study completed by the faculty and staff is the major document for this
program review. This complex document reveals the strengths and challenges through the
departmental perspective and reflects the commitment of the department for self-analysis,
reflection, and evaluation. The institutional expectation is that the department and college
administration will use the self-study document, the dean’s report, and the executive summary as
guides to the faculty, staff, and administration for the next several academic years as the
department addresses the recommendations. Since this process requires an enormous amount of
time and effort from all of the participants, it is necessary to ensure that the results are used to
inform decisions and future course of actions. Therefore, the department faculty and college
administration will be expected to provide a summary of activities undertaken during the 20092010 academic year as a result of the program review. This report will be due to the provost in
October, 2010.
It should be noted that Dr. McCann’s analysis was detailed and, along with the dean’s report,
provide the depth and context for the faculty and administrators to celebrate commendations and
also move ahead in addressing noted challenges and recommendations.
Commendations
The self-study document as submitted by the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health
Science was clear and informative. It can be determined from reading the self-study report, the
observations of the reviewer, and the summary comments of the college dean that the department
has several strengths and challenges. It should also be concluded that the department is integral
to the mission of the college and university and should be commended in the following areas:
Faculty:
Faculty of the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science are characterized by their
high level of expertise, credentials, and practical experience in their respective fields. Faculty
are productive and high achievers in teaching, service, and scholarship. Faculty are highly
engaged with students through courses, research, and other programs.
Departmental Structure & Function:
The department is a rather unified and cohesive unit and has an effective structure to manage
business as related to curriculum, personnel, research, technology, and other areas. The
department currently has a strong chair that seems focused on the successful functioning of the
department. In addition, committees are established to help the chair in important areas and
allow for the smooth operation of the department. Faculty mentoring is evident and collegiality
tends to be at a premium.
Program Quality:
All programs within the department have current and relevant curriculum, provide experiential
activities, and foster student success. Students are gaining admission to graduate institutions,
engaging in research, and attaining national certification. Recent accreditation analyses support
the idea that department programs are effectively meeting student, professional, and employer
needs and expectations.
Assessment:
All programs have made significant progress in their development of assessment plans, methods,
and processes. Although some programs are further ahead of others in the department with
regard to assessment process maturity, all programs now seem committed to following an
appropriate assessment regimen.
Recommendations
Although the department should be commended in areas, there are also areas for improvement.
Following are areas that should be addressed to improve the functioning and quality of the
department and its associated programs:
Programs & Curriculum:
The department offers a multitude of undergraduate (4) and graduate (2) degrees, minors (4), and
certificate (3) programs. Most programs seem to be well subscribed as far as enrollment except
for the BAS Food Service Management program. The department needs to review the program
in terms of curriculum, marketing, location placement, and/or delivery method. This is
particularly critical in Lynnwood where the program has had less than viable FTE over the past
few years. This analysis will allow the department to be better positioned to allocate or
reallocate its resources accordingly.
Based on external reviewer feedback from this visit and from recent accreditation visits, it makes
sense that the department needs to make some curriculum and delivery improvements to some of
its programs. Specifically, the addition of a biomechanics course to the exercise science
programs makes sense. In addition, the development of the paramedic program into an online
degree should be seriously considered as the state-wide need and staff experience seem to
support it.
The department is encouraged to develop an advisory committee(s) made up of various
constituencies by program to obtain greater guidance with regard to curriculum and other
programmatic matters. This can be by combining internal and external constituents or by
creating separate groups by major. Although this may be occurring in some programs, it does
not seem consistent across the department. The benefits of utilizing such committees is manifold
and worth the time and effort of establishing.
Assessment:
Although noted as a commendation, the department needs to put continued energy and focus in
examining student learning and department goal-related data. A concerted effort must be made
in the future to collect, analyze, and discuss assessment data for each academic program and as a
department. Results should be explicitly linked to programmatic and student learning outcomes
and include interpretation each year. Data should also be compared to established standards of
mastery and be disseminated and discussed with various stakeholders (students, faculty,
administrators, advisory groups). These processes should be firmly in place and effectively
utilized during the time period before the next program review. Requests for resources
(including equipment) should be driven by the types of data that could be collected through a
systematic and ongoing assessment system. Assistance is available through the Office of
Undergraduate Studies and it should be sought.
Facilities & Equipment :
A short- and long-term plan needs to be created by the department and in consultation with the
college in terms of obtaining, renovating, and updating space, equipment, and technology. This
is an aspect mentioned by the reviewers and the department itself as an area of need. A plan to
achieve specific goals related to each will have great potential in advancing departmental
programs and student learning.
Summary
Overall, the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science is an important part of Central
Washington University. Faculty are energetic, productive and dedicated in terms of students and
their learning. Faculty focus considerable time and energy in teaching, service and scholarship.
By examining its curriculum, improving its assessment processes and planning as related to
space, equipment, and technology, the department has great potential in achieving its goals and
those of the college, and university.