Site Visit Overview
The site visit is a critical component of the academic program review process. The visit allows the external reviewers the opportunity to place the information they have obtained from the Self-study report into context and to meet with administration, faculty, and students to discuss the overall atmosphere, practices, strengths, and challenges within the university and the unit in a candid and open exchange. The committee that visits campus usually consists of two to three external reviewers, who are experts in the discipline of the unit undergoing review and one to two internal reviewers, who are Kent State University faculty representatives.
Site visits generally are conducted over a three-day period. Day one consists of travel to Kent, OH with an opening dinner that evening. Day two is filled with scheduled meetings and work time. Day three has meetings scheduled for the morning, with a final exit interview immediately following lunch and then return travel home.
External Reviewers
The two to three external reviewers consist of distinguished colleagues from other institutions who have attained the rank of full professor and have expertise in relevant fields within the discipline at highly regarded peer and/or aspirant programs/institutions. The unit under review is asked to prepare a list of ten or more potential external reviewers and submit it to the Office of Accreditation, Assessment and Learning (AAL) by April 30. The staff of AAL will supplement the list of potential external reviewers provided by the program with additional suitable candidates if needed and will vet the potential external reviewer candidates for any potential conflicts of interest that could influence their judgment.
Internal Reviewer
The internal reviewer(s) of the review committee will be a full professor not affiliated with the program under review. The internal reviewer(s) is included to provide institutional and college context, and thus should be a faculty member from within the same college as the program under review, but should not be from the same department/school as that of the program under review. The exception to this is when all programs across an entire college are reviewed collectively (such as the College of Nursing or the College of Public Health). In that case, the internal reviewer must be selected from a different college. The dean of the college housing the unit under review is asked to recommend potential internal reviewer(s).