Academic Program Review: Online Education

Introducing Online Education to Academic Program Reviews

As of Fall 2024, online education has been formally integrated into the University of New Mexico’s Academic Program Review (APR) process. This milestone reflects a strategic partnership between UNM Online (UNMO) and the Office of Assessment & Academic Program Review (OAAPR), with endorsement from Academic Affairs. The updated APR Self-Study template now includes a distinct criterion dedicated to online curriculum.

UNMO’s involvement in APRs is both collaborative and data-driven, beginning with informal participation in 2024 and transitioning to formal engagement by 2026. Programs undergoing review are now required to include a dedicated section on online curriculum and programming. These sections must present data-informed narratives that highlight trends, successes, and challenges in online offerings, while also evaluating their financial sustainability in alignment with the goals of the college or school and the broader institutional mission.

Accessed from the OAAPR website, the revised Self-Study calls for data such as enrollment trends, course delivery formats (online, hybrid, on-ground), student performance metrics (e.g., D/F/W/I rates), and demographic insights. When appropriate, UNMO supplies a portion of the data, as determined through communication between the program’s leadership and the UNMO Analytics team.

This integration ensures that online education is not only visible within institutional assessment but also positioned for continuous improvement and strategic growth. It aligns with broader state-level expectations for transparency and coordination in online learning, reinforcing UNM’s commitment to academic excellence across modalities.

Determine Your Path

At UNM, online courses and programs follow one of two models: with or without tuition revenue sharing. The Academic Program Review (APR) process for online education varies depending on the model. Select the AOP Path or the ONL Path based on your program’s structure.

Follow the AOP Path if your college or school offers AOP curricula and the ONL Path if none of your online curriculum is in the AOP format.

Need help determining your college’s or school’s path? Contact UNMOanalytics@unm.edu for support.

AOP Path: Guidance

Use the Self-Study to address the health and performance of AOP offerings. To download the Self-Study Skeleton.doc, navigate to apr.unm.edu → Documents & Templates → Main Campus 10th Ed. APR Documents → Self-Study Templates.

When referencing online education, the analysis should, whenever possible, reflect data spanning the past five years. The table below outlines the data UNM Online supplies.

Criterion	Content to Include	Data Supplied by UNM Online (UNMO)
Criterion 3: Online Programming
3A: Vision & Mission	A high-level summary on the status of each AOP	✔️ Each AOP’s launch semester. ✔️ Lists of online courses and online programs offered by the college or school.
3B: Curriculum	Address whether the AOP is offered in another modality; an analysis on the health of AOP offerings, including tuition revenue and costs; online offerings compared with other modalities.	✔️ Modalities of class sections, course enrollment, student credit hour generation, program headcount and AOP graduation rates. ❌ AOP financials are available through the Provost’s Office.
3C: Online Quality Review		✔️ Faculty training and course reviews associated with teaching online, AOP course certification, Golden Paw recognition, course and program disclosures required to meet distance education regulations. UNMO is also available for consultation on requirements surrounding a program’s professional licensing and out-of-state learning placements. ✔️ A list of class sections and the instructors assigned to them in Banner. ❌ Faculty-to-student and faculty-to-course ratios.
3D: Marketing & Recruitment		✔️ AOP leads-to-applicants captured through UNMO’s advertising. A description of UNMO’s marketing & recruitment efforts. AOP applicants, admits and enrolled students. ✔️ Demographics of AOP students and students enrolled in online classes.
3E: Advisement & Support Services		✔️ Inquiries managed by UNMO staff and their outreach and retention efforts.
3F: Student Opportunities		❌ Data is supplied by the AOP’s leadership.
3G: Faculty		✔️ Faculty training and course reviews associated with teaching online, AOP course certification, Golden Paw recognition, course and program disclosures required to meet distance education regulations. UNMO is also available for consultation on requirements surrounding a program’s professional licensing and out-of-state learning placements at saracompliance@unm.edu. ❌ Faculty composition including TPTs and GTAs and their distributions across modalities.
Criterion 5: Students (Undergraduate & Graduate)
5A: Recruitment	A profile of each AOP’s student population; the pros and cons of the format in terms of meeting each population’s needs	✔️ Student demographics: headcount, age, gender, geographic location, NM residency status, time status.
5B: Admissions		✔️ Leads generated from UNMO’s advertising, conversions to AOP applicants and enrollment.
5C: Data		✔️ Enrollment by modality, retention, graduation rates, student demographics.️
5D: Advisement Practices	Address advising practices unique to AOPs.	✔️ A description of UNMO’s advisement practices.
5E: Student Support Services	Address student support services unique to AOPs.	✔️ A description of UNMO’s student support services.
5F: Graduate Success	Address AOP trends.	✔️ Graduation rates by AOP major.

ONL Path: Guidance

Use the Self-Study to address online curriculum performance. To download the Self-Study Skeleton.doc, navigate to apr.unm.edu → Documents & Templates → Main Campus 10th Ed. APR Documents → Self-Study Templates.

When referencing online education, the analysis should, whenever possible, reflect data spanning the past five years. The table below outlines the data UNM Online supplies to colleges and schools with a significant online presence.

Criterion	Points to Address	Data Supplied by UNM Online (UNMO)
Criterion 3: Online Programming
3A: Vision & Mission	A high-level summary of online offerings and whether there is online programming.	✔️ Lists of online courses and online programs offered by the college or school.
3B: Curriculum	Address whether online programming is also offered in another modality; compare online offerings with other modalities.	✔️ Modalities: section counts, course enrollment, student credit hour generation; demographics of students registered for online courses: headcount, age, gender, geographic location, NM residency status, time status.
3C: Online Quality Review		✔️ Faculty training and course reviews associated with teaching online, Golden Paw recognition, course and program disclosures required to meet distance education regulations. UNMO is also available for consultation on requirements surrounding a program’s professional licensing and out-of-state learning placements at saracompliance@unm.edu. ✔️ A list of class sections and the instructors assigned to them in Banner. ❌ Faculty-to-student and faculty-to-course ratios.
3D: Marketing & Recruitment		❌
3E: Advisement & Support Services		✔️ A description of UNMO’s advisement and student support services.
3F: Student Opportunities		❌
3G: Faculty		✔️ Faculty training and course reviews associated with teaching online, Golden Paw recognition, course and program disclosures required to meet distance education regulations. UNMO is also available for consultation on requirements surrounding a program’s professional licensing and out-of-state learning placements. ❌ Faculty composition including TPTs and GTAs and their distributions across modalities.
Criterion 5: Students (Undergraduate & Graduate)
5A: Recruitment	A profile of the learner population served by an online program or otherwise any online curriculum offerings; the pros and cons of the online format in terms of meeting each population’s needs.	✔️ Demographics of students registered for online courses: headcount, age, gender, geographic location, NM residency status, time status.
5B: Admissions		❌
5C: Data		✔️ Modalities, course enrollment, course headcount, demographics of students registered for online courses. ❌ In most cases, UNMO does not provide retention rates, graduation rates, or other metrics on students enrolled in online programs. Online program students are indistinguishable from students in the on-the-ground version of the program.
5D: Advisement Practices	Address whether there are advising practices unique to online learners.	✔️ A description of UNMO’s advisement practices.
5E: Student Support Services	Address student support services unique to online learners.	✔️ A description of UNMO’s student support services.
5F: Graduate Success	Address online program conferral trends or similar trends attributed to online curriculum offerings.	❌

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