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Apply to Join the HLC's Peer Review Corps

Welcome to the online application to serve as a peer reviewer! The Commission appreciates your willingness to volunteer your time, energy and knowledge. We rely on peer reviewers to serve in all of the Commission’s evaluation activities.

At this time, The Higher Learning Commission has two accreditation programs: The Academic Quality Improvement Program (AQIP) and the Program to Evaluate and Advance Quality (PEAQ). You can apply for both of them at the same time, or you can apply to work with just one of the programs.

While different qualifications and skill sets are required by the two programs, there are also similarities. Both programs require these and other characteristics from peer reviewers:

  • The ability to remain objective, professional, and committed to assuring and advancing an institution as it strives to improve
  • A willingness to attend training sessions and to invest time in learning the Commission’s Criteria, policies, and processes
  • The capacity to navigate technology and use a variety of different tools (not as an expert) in order to share information efficiently
  • A commitment to viewing an organization holistically as engaged generalists
  • A talent for spoken and written expression

AQIP Reviewers

AQIP peer reviewers have a strong background in continuous quality improvement. AQIP welcomes applications from people outside of the North Central Association region and from outside of the United States to serve in the AQIP accreditation process. While the majority of AQIP peer reviewers come from educational institutions, AQIP is always looking for peer reviewers from a variety of fields outside of higher education who can bring new perspectives to higher education institutions.

Reviewer roles in AQIP fall into four categories:
  • Panelists evaluate and make recommendations in the AQIP admissions, organizational change, and reaffirmation of accreditation processes.
  • Facilitators conduct the Strategy Forums and any optional Vital Focus self-assessments.
  • Appraisers/Reviewers evaluate, consult, and provide written feedback in the Annual Action Project Update and Systems Portfolio Appraisal processes.
  • Site Visitors serve on the teams that conduct the Quality Checkup Visits that occur prior to the Reaffirmation of Accreditation process.
AQIP Reviewers may serve in a single AQIP role or in multiple roles. When peer reviewers are first selected to serve AQIP, they often begin as Annual Update Reviewers, progressing to other roles as they learn more about systematic quality improvement in higher education institutions and about AQIP.

PEAQ Reviewers

PEAQ peer reviewers are called consultant-evaluators, a title that indicates the two important functions of each evaluation team. PEAQ consultant-evaluators are required to be full-time administrators and/or faculty members of a Commission-affiliated institution in good standing. In addition, they must be willing and able to travel for two- or three-day visits to other institutions at least once during an academic year.

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