The Academic Quality Assessment and Development (AQAD) was established as a part of the University Performance Measurement System. AQAD is an ongoing system of evaluation at the program unit level intended to assess and improve the core academic functions of teaching and learning, research, scholarship and creative activity, and public service/academic outreach. Every department and program on the Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses will undergo a review on a regular cycle. The review process includes a departmental self-study, an external evaluation, a response to the evaluation and an action plan. The AQAD system ensures that the University has a mechanism in place to regularly review the quality of its programs and make improvements based on those reviews (from the UMass Committee on Academic and Student Affairs.)