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Peer Reviewer Pro Tips For Your Next Campus Visit

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You spent a year — or years! — preparing your self-study. (Congratulations!) Now you have just a few days to showcase your institution to the onsite team. These pro tips from peer reviewers will help everyone on your campus put their best foot forward.

1: Ace the agenda
  • Review your self-study and identify areas where peer reviewers will likely wish to learn more.
  • Schedule all interviews requested by the chair of your onsite committee.
  • Avoid overloading the agenda with impressive titles. Instead, schedule time with faculty and administrators who work more closely on areas such as assessment.
  • Leave open times for the team to confer, write notes, and evaluate additional evidence.

“Sometimes institutions will want you to talk with the senior leadership folks, but for me to talk with the provost is not going to be as beneficial as talking with the person who’s in the weeds doing the work. For me, it’s better to have two hours with two faculty groups than it is to have an hour with faculty and an hour with a senior leader when the senior leader really isn’t adding anything to the discussion.”

Jacob Ashby, Assistant Dean of Assessment and Articulation
Frederick Community College

2: You do you!

Showcase your unique campus and culture

  • Announce the visit via social media and campus newspaper so students, faculty, and staff are prepared to meet and greet peer reviewers.
  • Avoid trying to memorize a script or a list of talking points before meeting reviewers.
  • Assign a logistics coordinator to book interview rooms, schedule transportation, and manage the team escorting the onsite committee during their visit.
  • Be prepared and flexible — reviewers may ask for things you don’t expect, so have a plan in place.

3: Prep interviewees to share with confidence
  • Give prospective interviewees the relevant self-study standard so they can see the narrative and evidence you’ve already shared.
  • Provide a contact number so interviewees can request additional information for peer reviewers if they don’t have what’s asked for.
  • Encourage honesty, and let interviewees know that “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer.
  • Understand your accreditor’s requirements. Do they require use of a specific portal for submission? Do they want the report to include only offline links? Do they require specific evidence?

“People are afraid to admit issues. They want to paint a rosy picture. But it’s much better to tell the truth, and share the ups and downs. Tell us that your enrollment is down and what you’re doing to increase it. It’s much better to hear it from you rather than digging into it and finding it ourselves, and not seeing a plan for improvement.”

Kathy Adair, Director of Development and Assessment
Bay Mills Community College

4: Practice hospitality 101

Don’t forget drinks and snacks!

  • Provide peer reviewers with a work room on campus and another at the hotel.
  • Supply the team’s work rooms with a printer, office supplies, snacks, and beverages.
  • Accommodate any dietary restrictions or physical limitations.
  • Have people available to escort peer reviewers throughout their stay.
5: Remember, peer reviewers are people too!
  • Peer reviewers share your commitment to higher education, and have been in your shoes.
  • They want you to succeed.
  • They’re there as a resource, so engage them in substantive conversations that will benefit your institution.

“The people on these peer review panels are folks who have lots of experience, who have experienced not only triumphs, but also failures, so they know where you are, they know where you’re coming from. They are there to lift you up.”

Cheryl Torsney, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Middle Tennessee State University

Ready to foster productive, action-oriented discussions about continuous improvement at your institution? See how Watermark can help.

Many thanks to these peer reviewers for sharing their insights:

Kathy Adair, Director of Development and Assessment, Bay Mills Community College

Jacob Ashby, Assistant Dean of Assessment and Articulation, Frederick Community College

Michele Atkins, Assistant Provost for Accreditation and Research, Union University

Summer DeProw, Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Director of Assessment,
Arkansas State University

Jerry Edmonds, Senior Assistant Provost of Academic Affairs, Syracuse University

Sharon Enzor, Provost and Vice President, Blue Mountain College

Jan Hirt, AVP Academic Affairs, Greenville Technical College

Cheryl Torsney, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, Middle Tennessee State University

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