All departments/programs participate in an intensive external review process that requires a formal self-study, a review by one to two reviewers from similar institutions, and a departmental response that recommends program improvements. External Reviews are completed every 10 years with a handful of departments/programs completing reviews annually. External Reviews are organized around a cohort model; multiple departments/programs are in the same cohort. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE) manages the external review process.
There are different requirements for departments and minors completing reviews, but they all complete the external review according to the same schedule, which is provided in the External Review Process section.
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Departments |
Minors |
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Reviewers |
Identify (6) potential reviewers (2) reviewers receive a $900 honorarium each |
Identify (3) potential reviewers (1) reviewer receives a $900 honorarium |
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Focus Groups |
Optional |
Not required |
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Alumni Survey |
Required |
Not required |
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Library Resources Report |
Required |
Not required |
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Self-Study |
Complete the self-study template for departments. |
Complete the self-study template for minors. |
External Review Process
The External Review process is divided into Year 1 (Planning and Self-Study) and Year 2 (On-Site Review and Response). Generally, the site visit will occur in the Fall Semester, Year 2. However, visits can occur in the Spring Semester, Year 2 when there are a lot of departments/programs in an External Review cohort.
Year 1: Planning and Self-Study
Fall Semester, Year 1: Meet with OIE
External Review Overview (September): OIE initiates the process. The entire department/program will meet with OIE to talk about the process, review the External Review template, and make plans for data collection and reviewer identification.
Select the Site Visit Dates (October): Because multiple departments/programs complete external reviews in the same academic year, it is important to coordinate the dates. Provide three preferred dates for the visit: two dates should be in the Fall Semester, Year 2, and one date should be in the Spring Semester, Year 2. OIE will coordinate these dates with the other departments/programs and the Provost and Dean of the Faculty (Provost), and let you know the date of your visit.
Reviewer Identification (December): Using the reviewer template, the department/program should identify faculty at other institutions who can serve as reviewers. By the end of December, email the template to OIE for review before it is sent to the Provost for final approval. Prioritize reviewers who are within driving distance of H-SC.
Ideally, this process should be completed no later than February of Year 1 with reviewer invitations sent immediately after.
Alumni Survey and Focus Group Planning (December): Departments/programs survey alumni, and in some cases, host focus groups with current students.
Department/program faculty should finalize the alumni survey questions by December. Send these questions to OIE for survey design. OIE will create the survey and provide the department with a list of graduates from the last 10 years.
If desired, department/program faculty can organize focus groups. They should identify 7 to 8 students who will participate. OIE will lead the focus groups, but the department/program should plan the logistics, to include the students who will be involved, questions, interview space, food, etc.
Spring Semester, Year 1: Alumni Survey and Focus Group Implementation, Data from OIE, and Contacting Reviewers
Event Planning (January): The department/program should begin planning the visit. Contact reviewers and confirm their participation. Schedule accommodations at the Weyanoke or another Farmville hotel. If a department/program uses on-campus accommodations, OIE will only cover up to a Farmville hotel rate. Reserve the campus motor pool for transporting reviewers, if applicable.
Library Resources (January): Contact the Library, requesting that they complete the Library Resources section in Part 4 for the self-study template. Share the OneDrive link with them.
Alumni Survey (February): By January of Year 1, the survey is finalized and uploaded into Qualtrics. OIE will send the final to the department/program for approval before it is sent to alumni. The department/program should send the survey to alumni. Ideally, the department/program should send the survey on the first Tuesday in February and close the survey on the last Tuesday in February.
Focus Groups (February): OIE will host the focus groups on behalf of the department. Ideally, the focus groups will occur in February.
Data (February): OIE will provide data on grade distributions, graduation counts, advising loads, enrollment numbers, etc., by the end of February.
Alumni Survey and Focus Group Data (March): OIE analyzes the data from the Alumni Survey and Focus Group and saves it in the OneDrive.
May, Year 1: Department/Program Completes Self-Study
The department/program completes the self-study using the External Review template and notifies OIE when it is ready for review. OIE completes a brief review and forwards the report to the Provost.
July, Year 1: Budget
OIE will receive the budget for the upcoming academic year and notify each department/program of the funds available to spend on the review. Departments/programs may contribute funding from their budgets.
Year 2: On-Site Review and Response
Fall Semester, Year 2: On-Site Review and Reviewer Report
Self-Study Sent to Reviewers (September 1): The Department/Program Chair should send the self-study to the reviewers by September 1 to allow at least a month for review. (Regardless of when the self-study is sent, reviewers should have at least one month to review it.)
Site-Visit (September to October): The reviewers should come to campus in the Fall of Year 2, ideally in October. After the visit, reviewers have one month to submit their report. (Departments can host their visits in the Spring semester through February.)
Spring Semester, Year 2: On-Site Review and Response
External Reviewers Submit Report (January): Department/program chair shares the external reviewers’ report with OIE for archival.
Departmental Response to External Reviewers’ Report (February): Departments/programs complete their response report. OIE shares it with the Provost.
Department/Program Chair Meets with Provost (April): The department/program chair meets with the Provost.