The following are general guidelines for the development of itineraries for SPR site visits. Not all guidelines are applicable to all site visits, and each site visit will have unique features, but this general framework and principles should provide a useful starting point. The site visit itinerary will be developed by the Department/College in close collaboration with the SPR Administrator, and will be subject to final approval by the SPR Executive.

The dept/college is responsible for:

• providing the Administrator with suggestions for interviewees;

• scheduling meetings with the Dean and others in the Dean's office, department heads and others responsible for the programs (e.g. program advisers, graduate chair);

• booking individual and/or group faculty and staff interviews;

• booking meetings with department heads and faculty from other departments and colleges which have a major input into students' programs (if any);

• contacting students (and alumni, if possible) to arrange focus group meetings with the review team;

• organizing a tour of the facilities;

• providing a site visit meeting room and an office or lockable workroom for the reviewers, if possible;

• providing the Administrator with a list of any additional documents you would like to send to the review team or have available on-site.

The SPR office is responsible for:

• determining a date for the site visit;

• making hotel reservations for the external reviewers;

• providing guidelines for itinerary development;

• soliciting suggestions for interviewees from the dept/college and from the reviewers;

• scheduling meetings with the Vice-President Academic & Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research;

• arranging an interview with CGSR administrative staff (graduate programs only);

• obtaining feedback on the itinerary from the review team and the SPR Executive;

• providing office space for the reviewers in the College of Graduate Studies and Research if a suitable room is not available in the college under review;

• paying for review team lunches and dinners (A few additional guests may be invited to lunch but only after consultation with the SPR Administrator);

• providing clerical support for the review team's report, if requested;

• processing all expense claims and honorarium payments.

General guidelines re. timetabling:

• Provide 'white space' in the itinerary, particularly towards the end of the second day. This will provide flexibility in case of delays and allow for additional meetings if needed.

• Schedule coffee breaks if feasible, possibly with various staff groups. Also use travel time (e.g. to off-campus facilities) for review-related discussions.

• These are program reviews, therefore:
  • site visits must include interviews with non-departmental/college faculty and staff, tours of other facilities, etc., where these make a major contribution to students' programs; and
    
  • all site visit activities and interviews must be relevant to the program under review, not just to the unit responsible for the program.
    
• The review team will be reporting to the Vice-President Academic & Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, therefore the first and last meetings of the site visit should be with the VP Academic and Dean of Graduate Studies.

• The review team should have plenty of time to confer and work on the report. All evenings should be allotted to the review team, as well as a working lunch on the second (and/or third) day.

• Individual meetings should generally be no shorter than 20 minutes, small group meetings no shorter than half an hour, larger focus groups one hour. Try not to schedule short meetings back-to-back, as that almost always leads to delays.

• Representatives of all program options (e.g. Co-op, thesis, honours, etc.) should be included in faculty, staff and student meetings where applicable.

• For student input, it can also be useful to have the reviewers visit a classroom and talk with students.

• Interviewees: Meetings should be scheduled with the following categories of interviewees, as relevant:
  • faculty (from this and other units as appropriate; may include associate members and adjuncts where they play an active role in program delivery);
    
  • staff (administrative, research, technical support, lab demonstrators, etc.);
    
  • students (separate graduate and undergraduate focus groups, one hour each, with a minimum of 3 students in each, preferably more, representing all program options; could also have a focus group of former students if available; also consider whether there are any student groups which might have special concerns, e.g. Aboriginal, women, internship, who might wish to meet separately);
    
  • external people as required, e.g. from professional bodies or industry;
    
  • CGSR administrative staff (graduate programs only);
    
  • others (e.g. heads of research centres, advisory committees, Library, etc.) depending on the program.
    
• Location of meetings: Normally we suggest that all meetings take place in the college under review, and that the review team should be provided with a 'base' (office or lockable meeting room) in the same building, so that all documents are on hand and time is not wasted walking across campus. If suitable rooms are not available in the college, the College of Graduate Studies and Research can offer some space for the review team; but it is preferable to have all meetings in the same building, if possible.

Basic outline of the site visit:

• The VP Academic and Dean of Graduate Studies should be the first to meet with the review team. Depending on the arrival times of the external reviewers, this will either be on the evening preceding the site visit (often a Sunday) or a breakfast meeting on the first day of the site visit. No meetings should be scheduled prior to 9:30 am on the first day of the site visit until the Administrator has confirmed this first meeting, just in case a breakfast meeting is needed.

• The first on-campus meeting will be an organizational meeting for the review team, the SPR Administrator, and the person from the College/Dept who is looking after scheduling. The purpose of this meeting is to orient the reviewers and respond to any questions they may have about the itinerary or other on-site arrangements. At this point reviewers often request additional meetings, rescheduling, or additional documentation. The first administrative meeting should be booked for half an hour (it might only require 15 minutes, but review teams often appreciate a few moments to confer prior to the main meetings of the day).

• The SPR Administrator and College/Dept person should meet with the review team briefly at the beginning of the second day (and subsequent days, if any) as well.

• The next meeting will normally be with the Dean (and associate Deans, etc., if relevant), usually in the Dean's Office (approx. half an hour).

• The next meeting will normally be with the Department Head, possibly with other faculty members at the Dept. Head's discretion (approx. half an hour).

• The review team should normally tour the facilities on the first day.

• Standard meeting times are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, but meetings can be scheduled earlier and later if necessary.

• A time (or times) should be scheduled to give individual faculty, staff and students the opportunity to have brief, confidential interviews with the review team. This opportunity should be publicized. If desired, the SPR Office will maintain a confidential list so that individuals may book ten-minute interviews in this timeslot.

• Lunches/dinners: Main meals are covered by SPR. Lunch the first day should be with the Dean/department head and key people, usually at the Faculty Club. All evenings as well as lunch on the second and/or third day should be designated working lunches/dinners for the review team (although the reviewers are permitted to invite a few others if they wish). Allow 1.5 hours for lunch if possible. Refreshments during the day (e.g. coffee, water, snacks) are the responsibility of the host department/college (Please consult the SPR Administrator for further details).

• An hour or so should be left free prior to the exit meeting(s) to allow the review team to confer.

• An exit meeting with the Dean, Department Head and relevant faculty may be scheduled (optional, approx. one hour) before the exit meeting with the VP Academic and Dean of Graduate Studies. This meeting allows the reviewers to share their preliminary assessment with the College/Dept and to correct factual errors. Depending on college structure, the exit meeting with the Dean may be separate from the Department Head/faculty exit meeting.

• The VP Academic and Dean of Graduate Studies should be the last to meet with the review team, for one hour (P.Melis also attends this exit meeting).

Documents:

• Along with the invitation to serve as a reviewer, the reviewers are sent a selection of Calendar and Web pages on the programs under review and the College/department.

• Approximately one and a half months prior to the site visit, the reviewers are sent:
  • a binder of information on the SPR process and criteria;
    
  • A Framework for Planning at the U of S;
    
  • the University Calendar;
    
  • any additional documents which the college/dept has asked to be sent at this time.
    
• Approximately one month prior to the site visit, the review team will be sent the self-study documents.

• On check-in at the hotel, the externals will be given a package containing a letter of welcome, the final itinerary, the flight times of their fellow externals, a map of Saskatoon, a map of the campus, and a travel expense claim form with instructions. The internal reviewer will be given the final itinerary and instructions for submitting the report.

• During the site visit, the SPR office will provide:
  • on-site copy of self-study document (one of the copies submitted earlier by the program);
    
  • SPR policy and procedures binder;
    
  • University Statistics book; University Calendar; Annual Report.
    
• If the review includes PhD programs, the College of Graduate Studies and Research will provide copies of some external examiners' reports during the site visit.

• During the site visit, the College/Department should provide:
  • any documents which the self-study states will be available on-site;
    
  • full faculty cv's (if available);
    
  • any other information which the reviewers have requested in advance.
    

Immediate Actions for the Department/College

Please note the 'immediate actions for the Department/College' listed at the end of the covering memo, and the date by which we should aim to meet to discuss site visit arrangements.

Many thanks, as always, for the efforts which your college and/or department are putting into this review!