The Site Visit

Why do we do the site visit ? Validate the self-study Provides a snapshot in time SV provides context and “richness” to what is written in the self-study Based on school/program’s own mission, goals and objectives Reviewers look to your self-assessment Not a comparison to other schools/programs

Primary staff contact Will often be the person who will serve as team coordinator on your SV team If not, you will always have a primary staff contact Should be point of contact for all questions and information Will relay questions/messages as needed to chair, prelim reviewers, SV team members, consultants, other staff, etc. Don’t contact team directly. It can cause confusion and miscommunication

Site visit teams Programs: 3 members Schools: 5 members At least one academic At least one practitioner Team coordinator (usually CEPH staff member) Team chair (can be academic or practitioner)

Roles and functions of SV team Serve as eyes and ears of Council Gather information, evidence Validate the self-study Assess compliance with criteria Participate before, during and after the visit

Hotel/Lodging Close to school/program Meeting space Chair’s suite Internet access Good lighting and a desk Hotel restaurant/nearby restaurants

Transportation from airport Make sure that taxis are available for site visitors arriving on a Sunday if airport is small If school/program has existing business relationship with certain taxi company, be sure to communicate name of taxi company to site visitors Car rentals in rare cases – please advise if this makes sense in your setting

Transportation from hotel Dean/director/faculty pick-up University shuttle Pre-arranged limo/car service Allow enough time for travel and set-up for first meeting Consider transportation during the SV also University officials meeting…are they across campus?

Physical meeting space Conference style with hollow square is best Limit meetings to people Limit or eliminate shuffling between meeting rooms Close to lavatories Computer with wireless internet On-site resource file should be in room Should be large enough to serve breakfast/snacks/ lunch Site visit flow: Team controls the flow Don’t allow next group to come in until called Exit interview: room must have computer, LCD projector and screen, printer, extra paper & stapler

Food Work with CEPH staff to organize working lunches Consider dietary restrictions Vegetarian is most common, but may be allergies to consider Ask team members about this ahead of time Plan for other meals (breakfast) Consider # of participants Water/coffee/soft drinks during the day

The Agenda

Agenda (1 of 2) Start working at least 3 months prior to visit with staff contact Several drafts - work with staff on arranging topics Try to keep related topics together Staff contact will review with site visit chair Allow time for breaks after each session Allow time for resource file review Sessions between minutes are best

Agenda (2 of 2) Include names of participants on agenda drafts List criteria to be discussed in sections (helps the SV team eliminate repetition) OK to cover same topics, ask same questions to multiple groups

Who’s involved? Faculty Core and Other faculty Students Invite all or selected group Distance-based students by teleconference Meet during lunch Administration: university and school/program Typically meets on day 2 Alumni Give advance notice! Meet during lunch Parking will be an issue! Community Representatives/ Preceptors/ Advisory Boards Meet during lunch Parking will be an issue!

The Resource File

What’s in the resource file? (1 of 2) Copies of recruiting materials Course schedules over past 3 years Minutes of all committee meetings Faculty CVs Course syllabi Faculty Handbook and P&T Guidelines Surveys and course evaluation response and data summaries Student complaints/grievances Documentation of determination of equivalency for joint degree(s)

What’s in the resource file? (2 of 2) Documentation of decision-making process for any type of waiver (eg, practicum) Course substitutions Bylaws Affiliation agreements/MOUs Sample of publications Examples of student work theses graduate research projects field placement reports completed practicum forms

Resource Files What is the key? Organization Labeling Logical arrangement for syllabi Alphabetical order for CVs Chronological order for meeting minutes Confidentiality for student information Must mail list of resources to CEPH/site visit team 1 month in advance Expect changes and additional requests

Electronic resource file Lengthy documents that are only available online may not need to be printed out Examples: faculty CVs at SPH, examples of student portfolios, etc. General rule of thumb: if it’s available in print format, provide it in print format in the resource area When deciding whether to go electronic, think of ease of use

The Interviews

On-site interviews What kinds of questions will site visitors ask? The team is there to verify the self-study document. They will ask constituents to expand further about items covered in the document OR they will ask them to describe processes already described in the self-study document To whom will they ask them? Anyone. They are likely to repeat the same question to several groups

What to tell interview participants before the site visit Dates and times they need to be available and present for the interview Participants are expected to respond to questions – talking is required Be candid in responses – team will not reveal who said what This isn’t an interrogation – it is a time to engage in conversation regarding the school/program You don’t need to prepare any specialized knowledge – site visitors want to learn from your experience All participants should be familiar with the self-study

Any questions?