What you need to know
A site visit by arm's length external reviewers is conducted for the review of all existing programs.
Site visits are conducted by a team of two external appraisers and an internal participant (i.e., support person) who is a faculty member at the University of Waterloo, selected by the AQuE office.
Virtual site visits are the standard when it is not necessary for the reviewers to visit labs or other program specific facilities/campuses. They are typically conducted over 5 days (Mon-Fri.).
When facilities/campuses are important for the review, an in-person site visit is scheduled and is typically conducted over 3 days.
The entire process is coordinated by the AQuE office.
A site visit by reviewers is also used for the review of certain non-degree programs (e.g., minors, options, UG diplomas), and is typically shorter in duration.
External reviewers are provided with an honorarium for their work.
Who's involved?
The external reviewers will meet with the Program Director/Chair, Dean, Associate Dean, AVPA/AVPA-GSPA, AQuE office staff, as well as faculty, staff, student, and academic support unit representatives.
Overview of documents
| Documents | Details |
|---|---|
| Site visit agenda | The AQuE office will schedule the site visit and create a template agenda. We aim to schedule site visits late fall, early winter after the self-study submission by July 1. The Chair/Director of the program will fill in relevant sections to finalize the agenda. |
| External reviewers report |
[Confidential document] Prepared by external reviewers and reviewed by AVPA/AVPA-GSPA and AQuE office before sending to program. |
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See Information for site visits for more details.
Key contacts
For assistance with travel, accommodations, itinerary, honourarium and reimbursements:
Ruth Huard, Administrative Assistant, AVPA Office
For assistance with the site visit meeting schedule:
Sukhmeet Bedi, Quality Enhancement Coordinator – Cyclical Program Reviews, AQuE Office
For assistance with the external reviewers report and general questions or concerns:
Angela Christelis, Director of Academic Quality Enhancement, AQuE Office
