| |
Selecting the outside reviewers
Three external
reviewers are selected in consultation with the office of the Dean of the
College. The department is to send a list of at least six individuals, with
curricula vitae, phone numbers, email addresses, and a rationale for their
selection, to Associate Dean Wolf. These names need to be discussed and approved
by all continuing members of the department before being submitted. The Dean may
decide to select an individual not on the list, but will discuss this with the
department or program before doing so. The three external reviewers will
normally include at least one person from a comparable liberal arts college and
at least one person from a graduate institution. The latter will be better
placed to provide feedback on how well we are preparing our students for further
study; the former to appreciate the unique character of liberal arts colleges.
The three reviewers should also include at least one person who is or has been a
department chair.
The department/program will indicate the dates it would like the outside
reviewers to visit campus. This requires ascertaining beforehand that the Dean
and the President will be on campus on these dates. The Associate Dean then
contacts the reviewers to determine their willingness to serve on these dates
and in this capacity. Being flexible with your dates makes it easier to get your
top-choice reviewers.
Once the reviewers have accepted, the department/program arranges the travel,
housing, and on-campus scheduling of the reviewers.
Preparing the self-study document
The department/program creates an internal
report that it will give to the external reviewers, the President, and the Dean
and Associate Dean of the College before the outside reviewers arrive. The
department/program should assign two faculty members to be responsible for
organizing and writing up the self-study. A senior major should also be
identified to help gather student opinion.
At a minimum, the internal self-study document should include and reflect on the
following information:
- A history of the department/program, including changes in faculty,
facilities, etc.;
- A statement of the department/program’s educational objectives;
- A full description and critical analysis of the current department/program
curriculum in light of these objectives;
- Data on enrollments and majors, disaggregated by gender and ethnicity (the
College will supply initial raw data for the department/program to build on
and analyze);
- Feedback from and profiles of current students and alumni (this
information is crucial and should be obtained early in the process, so that it
can inform the department/program’s discussions);
- Comparative data from departments or programs at similar colleges;
- Faculty profiles, such as curricula vitae or biographies, lists of courses
taught, etc.;
- Catalogue copy and course syllabi;
- Recent financial support within the college for faculty and students,
including grants received for research, travel, and senior projects
In preparing its self-study document, the department should take all or most of
the following steps:
- Review national studies of general curricular issues. American Association
of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) publications are a good starting point.
- Consult studies by national organizations in your field.
- Review self-studies conducted at Pomona and other liberal arts colleges,
including other Claremont Colleges. Pomona self-studies may be found in the
Dean of the College’s Office.
- Consult with Director of Institutional Research Jennifer Rachford before
beginning to collect and analyze data and periodically thereafter. Jennifer
can offer advice on topics such as web-based survey design and interpretation
and can supply existing data from institutional surveys to inform the review.
The Senior Survey and the Enrolled Student Survey that her office administers
cover many topics relevant to your self-study (http://www.pomona.edu/institutionalresearch/surveys/).
- Survey current and graduated majors in the department/program. This step
is crucial and should be taken early in the process, so that the responses can
inform the department/program’s discussions.
- Review the evidence of student learning collected and evaluated in the
department/program’s annual reports. The self-study is a good opportunity for
comprehensive, longitudinal reflection on this evidence and any steps taken in
response to it.
- Set aside time for intensive discussion of the self-study issues in the
department/program. This can be done at a one- or two-day retreat or over a
series of meetings. To facilitate discussion, you might want to begin with a
written proposal that can serve as a focal point.
- Vendor Payment Information
Hosting the outside reviewers’ visit
The department/program arranges the
reviewers’ travel, housing, and on-campus schedule. Reviewers will spend a
minimum of two days here, meeting with the Dean and Associate Dean of the
College at the beginning of their visit and with the President and the Dean
together at the end of their visit. Please give the reviewers’ curricula vitae
to the Deans and the President at least three days before the visit. During
their visit, the reviewers should meet with all department/program faculty,
support staff, and students, as well as individuals in joint or related
departments or programs--including those at the other Colleges—so that they can
get the fullest possible picture of the department/program being reviewed.
Division II departments may wish to have the reviewers meet with the Associate
Dean who oversees research support.
Within two months of their visit, the reviewers are expected to submit a report
or reports (it is up to them whether they want to submit a joint report or
separate reports) to the Dean and Associate Dean, who will then forward it to
the department or program, the President, and other senior administrators. The
Dean’s Office will issue the $1000 honorarium to each reviewer after receipt of
their report.
Following up
After digesting the reviewers’ report, the department/program
meets with the Dean and Associate Dean to discuss it. The chair or
administrative assistant should contact the Dean’s Office to arrange this
meeting, normally within a month of receiving the report.
Over the following summer, a small working group headed by the Dean of the
College reviews the self-study and external report. Its task is to consider how
the self-study and report have addressed curricular issues (in particular, how
well the curriculum supports department/program goals for student learning),
diversity, faculty and student research, and 5C cooperation. It is to give
feedback to the department/program as well as advise the College regarding
resources needed to implement the self-study recommendations.
A year after completing its self-study, the department/program submits a brief
follow-up report to the Dean, with a copy to the Associate Dean. The report
outlines which recommendations have been implemented and why, which have not
been implemented and why, what impact the changes have had, and where the
department/program intends to move in future. The report can also provide an
opportunity to nudge the administration on any steps it should be taking.
Finally, the chair/coordinator meets with the Dean to discuss the follow-up
report, helping ensure a productive outcome to the self-study.
|
