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Policy Updated July 21, 2006
See Also: CAA Site Visit Manual
The site visit is an essential and unique step in the accreditation process. The report of the visit supplies critical information about a program, verifying and supplementing information contained in the self-study and updating any information about the program since the self-study report was submitted. The site visit also enables members of the team to gain insight into relevant data within the context of the program that is often not conducive to a written description and that can be obtained only by direct observation. Because the site visit and report are very important and valued elements of the program evaluation process by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA), the CAA has approved the following plan for the selection, training, and evaluation of site visitors for the accreditation process.
General Principles
The CAA has identified the following underlying principles regarding the site visit process:
1. A small group of well-trained site visitors will serve as the pool from which site visit team members will be selected for individual visits. (The CAA maintains a pool of 50-60 trained academic site visitors and expects to maintain a pool of 20-30 practitioner site visitors at all times.)
2. Site visitors will serve a specified term to provide a mechanism for new site visitors to rotate into the pool on a systematic basis.
3. Academics and practitioners will serve on each site visit team and share all responsibilities in the conduct of the site visit.
4. An effective site visitor evaluation process will be administered in order to provide more useful feedback to the site visitors and to the CAA.
Site Visitor Application Process
All those interested in being a site visitor must complete and submit a site visitor application [PDF] to the ASHA National Office. All applicants will be required to furnish the following information:
1. Modified curriculum vitae for past five years.
2. Names of three (3) personal references who can attest to the applicant's qualifications to be a site visitor, including professional competency, interpersonal skills, and ability to critically analyze, verbalize, and record pertinent objective data.
3. Personal statement of the qualifications regarding experience in accreditation, clinical education, standards development, site visits, professional competence, university governance, ASHA governance, etc.
4. Signature of applicant that signifies knowledge of and adherence to the ASHA Code of Ethics and conflict of interest statements as described in the CAA Site Visit Manual.
All applicants for site visitor status will:
1. Serve a four-year term.
2. Attend an initial 2-day training workshop, funded by and held at ASHA's National Office
(Note: Individuals who cannot attend the 2-day training in the year of selection (or re-selection) to the site visitor pool may be retained on the training roster for one additional year in order to complete the required training. Individuals who are unable to attend the training in the second year will be removed from the roster but may re-apply for future site visitor trainings and terms.
3. Complete a trainee site visit within the two semesters after receiving initial training.
4. Participate in annual site visitor training updates at ASHA Convention or in a format to be determined by the CAA.
5. Maintain membership and/or certification in ASHA while continuing in the role of a site visitor.
6. Be willing to accept the responsibilities of a CAA site visitor, which include:
- thorough review of all accreditation application materials
- commitment to absolute confidentiality
- commitment to a minimum of a full 3-days away from home and/or work to complete the site visit and related travel
- active participation as a team member in all related activities
- ability to objectively collect, analyze, and communicate all data pertinent to the site visit process
- acceptance of responsibility for one's own behavior and actions
In addition, academic site visitors will:
1. Participate in up to three site visits per year, if requested.
2. Serve as site visit chair, if requested, after appropriate experience as a team member.
3. Maintain a faculty appointment in a CAA-accredited program.
In addition, practitioner site visitors will:
1. Participate in a minimum of two site visits per year.
2. Maintain employment in the area of speech-language-hearing services.
Site Visitor Qualifications
The CAA has identified the following qualifications for academic site visitors:
- Earned doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution
- Rank of associate professor or above or comparably experienced clinical educator
- Faculty appointment in a CAA-accredited program (does not include programs holding Candidacy status)
- Maintain membership and/or certification in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in audiology and/or speech-language pathology
The CAA has identified the following qualifications for practitioner site visitors:
- Earned master's or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution in audiology, speech-language pathology, or a related discipline
- Possess valid Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from ASHA
- Worked as a practitioner in the area in which ASHA certification is held for at least five (5) years
- Primary employment function is in the direct delivery of speech-language-hearing services. Note: Applicants whose primary employment function is as an on-campus clinical director or supervisor for the purposes of student training within an institution of higher education that offers a graduate education program do not meet this criterion.
Criteria for Selection
The criteria that the CAA will apply in the selection of site visitors include, but are not limited to, an applicant's:
- Knowledge of the accreditation process and the accreditation standards
- Sensitivity to issues regarding conflict of interest, and the importance of impartial and objective judgment
- Professional experience
- Geographic location
- Gender, cultural, and ethnic background
- Work environment, i.e., type of facility
Individuals who are retired, including academics that hold emeritus status, are not eligible to apply as a site visitor.
Criteria for Reappointment
All site visitors are eligible to be considered for reappointment at the end of each four-year term. Those interested in continuing as a volunteer for another term of four years must submit an application at the time of the Call for Applications, conducted annually. The CAA will consider the following elements when reviewing an application from a current site visitor, in addition to the above selection criteria:
- Reasonable availability for conduct of visits
- Consistent good performance and evaluations
- Maintenance of qualifications (employment, rank, etc.)
- Verified attendance at two of the four training update sessions held at ASHA Convention
Individuals that have retired from their professional positions are not eligible for reappointment. The CAA recognizes that there may be need for certain waivers or exceptions to the above qualifications and criteria, on an occasional and case-by-case basis, that are in the best interests of the accreditation process. The CAA will evaluate the site visitor selection and training process on an ongoing basis, making modifications as appropriate.
Selection and Training Schedule
Decisions regarding site visitor applications for the each year's training class are made at the CAA's Spring meeting. All applicants are notified of the Council's decisions.
The Council on Academic Accreditation trains a class of site visitors annually; however specific dates are not established until the Spring meeting. Dates of the training are included in the decision letters for those invited to the training. The newly trained site visitors will observe a site visit before being asked to serve as a full member of a site visit team.
Evaluation of Performance
The CAA Subcommittee on Site Visits conducts annual evaluations of site visitor performance. The following elements are considered in determining successful performance of site visitors and continued participation in the site visitor program.
- Attendance at and participation during the two-day formal site visitor training
- Participation in annual site visitor updates
- Participation in trainee site visit
- Peer evaluations by the other members of the site visit team using a format provided by the National Office.
- Program evaluations of the site visit team using a format provided by the National Office.
Members of the site visitor pool who retire from their professional positions during their term may continue active service as a visitor, but will not be eligible for re-appointment for a new 4-year term.
The information provided in peer evaluations and program evaluations is compiled and provided to each site visitor annually. In addition, the Subcommittee reviews evaluations that raise concerns about the performance of the site visitors individually, as well as collectively. If such issues arise, the involved individual(s) will be contacted to investigate and remediate if necessary.
Site Visit Team Composition
In Fall 2002, the CAA began including practitioner members on its site visit teams, so that all teams consist of three members, with two academic site visitors and one practitioner site visitor. All site visitors are expected to be present for the duration of the site visit. On occasion, individuals may accompany the site visit team as a trainee or as an observer.
If the program to be visited is seeking accreditation or reaccreditation in one professional area (either speech-language pathology or audiology), all site visitors must represent the area for which accreditation is sought. The practitioner member must hold ASHA certification in that area.
If the program to be visited is seeking accreditation or reaccreditation in both areas (speech-language pathology and audiology), one academic site visitor will represent each area for which accreditation is sought. The practitioner member may hold ASHA certification in either professional area.
Site Visitor Expenses and Reimbursement
Site visit expenses will be covered by ASHA in accordance with ASHA's travel and reimbursement policies for the following activities:
- 2-day formal training workshop
- trainee site visit
- conduct of site visits
- special workshops (by invitation)
Expenses for attendance and participation at the annual site visitor updates, typically held during the ASHA Convention, are not reimbursable under this policy. No honoraria will be provided.
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