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Selecting the outside reviewers
Three external reviewers are selected in consultation with the Associate Dean.
The chair/coordinator should send a list with the names, titles, institutions,
and email addresses of six to eight potential outside reviewers, ranked in order
of preference and grouped according to their specific niches. 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 that
offers PhDs in the pertinent discipline. 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. The Associate Dean will ascertain the availability of
the Dean and the President on the proposed dates, excluding those for which
there is a conflict. 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 learning 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. Jennifer
can offer advice on strategies for data collection, provide technical support
for web-based surveys, and supply existing data from institutional surveys to
inform the review where appropriate. 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/. Please contact her early
in the process to allow enough time for your data collection efforts.
- 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.
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, normally either a
Monday-Tuesday, or a Thursday-Friday. Electronic versions of the self-study
document should be sent to each member of the team and the Associate Dean at
least two weeks before the visit. Two hard copies, complete with the c.v.s of
the three reviewers, should be delivered, one to the President and one to the
Associate Dean (to be shared with the Dean). The review team has breakfast with
the Dean and Associate Dean on the first day of their visit and meets with the
President, Dean, and Associate Dean for an exit interview in the middle of the
afternoon on the second day. In between, 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.
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.
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