UMass Lowell Guidelines

AQAD is UMass Lowell's primary method of regular program review, and an opportunity to reflect on the goals and the efficacy of all aspects of the department, its faculty, and its outcomes for all students in all modalities. It is an accompaniment to to your strategic planning and an opportunity to seek outside expertise to offer insights for your strategic decision-making.   

The guidelines, which provide the framework for the department's self-study, have been updated to reflect the University's new strategic plan, so please be sure to read them carefully. The guidelines and this website will help you navigate this process.

An AQAD is a tool that you can use to guide the pedagogical development and intellectual future of your department. It is an opportunity to assess your current state and ensure that you have clear strategic goals in teaching, research, and creative activity and are in tune with the campus priorities and at the leading edge of your discipline. Although all AQADs must address the same general core criteria using the same general procedures, both the content and process may, with the approval of the Dean and Provost, be adjusted somewhat to suit a particular unit’s needs. 

Not infrequently, the AQAD process is viewed primarily as a way of making the case for additional faculty lines or other resources (e.g. space). The approach misconceives the role of AQAD. Requests for additional resources are made through the annual budget process, not AQAD. Departments are, however, strongly encouraged to use the AQAD process to think about internal reallocation of existing resources, generation of new funding, or as evidence of the need for additional resources when submitting through the approved budget process.