In accordance with the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Institutional Quality Assurance Process (IQAP), the Program Chair and review group submitted the Program Self-Study report on Sept 19, 2023. For the programs under review, it contained the degree-level expectations for this program, an analytical assessment of the program, course outline, program-related data, survey data from the Office of Quality Assurance and appendices with sample examinations and CVs of faculty members. The External Review Committee (ERC) was comprised of two arm’s-length external reviewers (Erica Fraser, Ph.D. Carleton University, and Robert Smith, Ph.D., University of Alberta) who were selected from a list of possible reviewers and approved by the Deans of Social Sciences and Humanities. An internal reviewer, Geoff Pond, Ph.D. from the Department of Management, was also selected for participation on the ERC. They reviewed the self-study documentation and conducted a virtual site visit to RMC from 29 to 30 January 2024. During the site visit, the ERC met with the VP Academic, the Director of Quality Assurance, the Dean of Social Science and Humanities, the Program Chair, faculty members, alumni, students registered in the programs under study, the Head of the Writing Centre and the Librarian-in-chief. The reviewers submitted their report on 26 March 2024.
In their report, the ERC expresses the opinion that the BA (Gen) program is a unique, valuable degree that provides working military professionals, and adjacent civilian government employees, the opportunity to complete a Bachelor’s degree that builds their workplace credentials. The ERC identified a number of strengths of the BA (Gen) program including the online delivery of the program and accompanying flexibility for students, its interdisciplinary focus, and its dedicated Program Chair and administrative staff. The ERC also identified several primary areas of concern such as; the ERC sensed this degree for many students, faculty, and administrators alike is an afterthought or a lesser path than the BMASc or other four-year degrees; the program relies heavily on adjunct/sessional faculty to teach core courses who are not always supported in preparation, delivery of teaching materials, mentorship, and a sense of how their course fits into the BA (Gen) program overall; there does not seem to be any quality control/ support for adjunct/sessional faculty teaching online in particular, and the quality of these courses seems variable; and the Self-Study report as well as conversations with students and alumni confirm that library resources are inadequate for supporting an online degree.
The Program Chair, after consultation with faculty and staff in the programs, submitted a response to the ERC Report in June 2024. The Dean of Social Sciences and Humanities prepared a Final Assessment Report on 25 September, 2024.The Dean concluded that The ERC Report provided positive feedback on the outcomes of the Bachelor of Arts (General) degree and confirmed that the program compares favourably with nine other interdisciplinary, 30-credit (or three-year) BA degrees at Carleton, Guelph, U Ottawa, Laurentian, Queen’s, Athabasca, Lakehead, Windsor, and Waterloo. However, the ERC did identify areas that had room for improvement, and RMC is, or has already taken, taking steps to address the issues raised. RMC will continue to work toward program enhancement and improve student success in the BA Gen program.