Abstract
This article provides a detailed account of the self study conducted by the Department of Communications, Speech and Theatre at Fairleigh Dickinson University, situating the process within university wide mandates for program evaluation. It outlines the administrative origins of the initiative, beginning with Senate guidelines that emphasized collegiality and established a strict timetable for departmental review, consultant selection, and report submission. The narrative documents the extensive data gathering required for the study, including faculty vitae, course syllabi, curricular rationales, library assessments, enrollment trends, facilities reports, and analyses of departmental programs such as internships, media operations, and theatre activities. It also describes the internal dynamics that emerged as faculty confronted the stress associated with evaluation, particularly concerns about power relations, consultant influence, and the implications of written assessments. The article details the procedures for identifying consultants, preparing materials for their visits, and structuring their interactions with administrators and departmental personnel. It concludes by illustrating the magnitude of the final self study report, which integrated mission statements, organizational charts, curriculum descriptions, resource analyses, projected schedules, and faculty documentation into an extensive institutional portrait intended to guide program development and administrative decision making.
Recommended Citation
Dale, Jane Kennedy
(1985)
"Anatomy of a Self-Study,"
Association for Communication Administration Bulletin: Vol. 54, Article 15.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/aca/vol54/iss1/15
