Program Review

AAPT recognizes that undergraduate physics programs benefit from receiving feedback on the quality of the program.  In order to assist physics programs that are planning a review, AAPT maintains a list of reviewers whose name will be supplied to institutions submitting requests. 

For Potential Reviewers

To be a reviewer, you must be an active AAPT member and meet (or have met in the past) the following two qualifications:

  1. Tenure in a physics and/or astronomy department at the home institution, senior rank at a community college or high school, or rank as a senior instructional support specialist.
  2. Extensive knowledge of current ideas and practices in laboratory equipment, computers, curriculum design, and texts at the level to be reviewed (e.g., university, four-year college, two-year college, technical institute, or high school).

You also must meet three of the following five qualifications:

  1. Experience in program review for your department;
  2. Experience as an external reviewer for another department or program;
  3. Administrative experience;
  4. Experience in the accreditation process (e.g., ABET, regional accreditation association);
  5. or
  6. Experience in communicating with the upper-level administration of your home institution regarding education policies.

If you want to help your colleagues and gain professional recognition at the same time by serving as a program reviewer, send a one-page letter explaining your qualifications to eo@aapt.org.  Be sure to include your name, address, e-mail address, daytime phone, education (highest degree first), area of specialty, experience (in reverse chronological order) and an up-to-date c.v.

For Physics Programs Interested in a List of Reviewers

AAPT maintains a list of reviewers whose name will be supplied to institutions submitting requests to eo@aapt.org.  Requesting institutions are responsible for selecting, contacting, and contracting the reviewer. Please note that reviewers represent themselves, not AAPT.

Resources for Program Reviews

AAPT has a number of useful resources to aid undergraduate physics programs undergoing review.  These include:

For more information about this project, call (301) 209-3311 or email eo@aapt.org.