The following sections provide some suggestions to the Accreditors in carrying out activities and the procedures to be followed by them in performing their roles during on-site visits. (See process flow of On-Site Visit in Appendix 2)

5.1 Accreditation activities usually peak during the actual on-site visit by a Team of two (2) to three (3) Accreditors, for a period of three (3) days. The Team Members will be composed of one or two experts from APACC and benefactors, and one to two other APACC-certified Accreditors from the same member country.  The NCA may also be part of the Team, as deemed necessary.

Eventually as more Accreditors are trained in the different countries, members of the Team from APACC and other countries will gradually be decreased or phased out.

5.2 The major activities in an accreditation on-site visit include the following:

• Assembly (arrival) of the Team of Accreditors
• Initial or first Team meeting
• Courtesy call to the Head of the institution
• Opening Program
• Meeting of the Team of Accreditors and the local institution counterparts
• Gathering/validating data or information
• Second Team meeting
• Preparing the individual Accreditor's evaluation report
• Arriving at the Team decision report
• Exit conference
• Closing program

5.3 The three day accreditation visit effectively starts in Day 0, i.e., late afternoon, a day before the visit proper.  After gathering the Accreditors at various points:

5.3.1 They are received and billeted at the institution's guest house or at a nearby hotel, and are briefed on simple details, like, the program of activities on the next day, time and place for breakfast, escorts to lead the Team to the venue of the courtesy call and opening program, etc.

5.3.2 The Team holds its first meeting for two very important purposes.  The first item in the Agenda is the organization of the Team for the work ahead, by:

• Defining the role and responsibilities of the Team Leader.  He shall:
  • coordinate the activities of the Team;
  • call/preside over meetings;
  • liaise with his counterpart in the host institution;
  • attend to the needs (like working space, accommodation, facilities to ensure mobility, etc.) of  the Accreditors to facilitate their work;
  • act as back-up Accreditor to all his colleagues;
  • introduce the members during courtesy call, opening and closing programs;
  • give the message, on behalf of the Team, when occasions call for it; 
  • prepare and submit the Accreditor's Report to the NCA; 
  • act as arbitrator for any concerns.
• Define the responsibilities of each member.  Each  Team Member shall:
  • seek his assignment as lead accreditor on a criterion or sets of criteria, interviewer of individuals or groups, and reviewer of documents; and, as being responsible in preparing parts of the Accreditor's Report, or as a discussant during the exit conference, etc.

In doing his assignments as accreditor, he is advised to:

• be well-prepared by being familiar with the contents of the Self-Study Report (SSR);
• make a thorough assessment;
• be objective and fair in giving ratings;
• prepare a well-studied, analyzed, and well-written summary of commendations, affirmations and recommendations; and
• always act professionally.

The Team members should be aware of the schedule of meetings, interviews, observations, visit to projects, etc.

To benefit from Team meetings, use them to:

• set goals and objectives;
• plan the work of the Team;
• coordinate work;
• find and solve problems to continuously improve;
• give each other feedback;
• build relationships;
• learn team skills;
• evaluate the meetings in order to improve them and
• evaluate results achieved.

Thus, in the first team meeting, decisions have to be made on:

• the role of the Team Leader and the Members;
• the specific assignment of each;
• the schedule of meetings, interviews, observations, visit to projects, etc.; and
• working procedures

5.3.3 The second, and the more important purpose of the first Team meeting, is the review of the Self-Study Report.  This will be the first assessment of the SSR by the all the members of the Team as the initial review was done individually by each member before the on-site visit. In this meeting the Team shall:

• give its collective evaluation of the SSR identifying areas of agreement and divergence;
• make a survey of scoring made by individual members based on the criteria, and register the individual findings on the strengths and weaknesses of the program.
• agree on what aspects of the SSR need validation, and/or what additional data or information to gather.

5.4 Day 1 of the on-site survey visit will be composed of the following activities

5.4.1. Courtesy call to the Head of the institution at 8:00 a. m. lasting for about 10 minutes.  It is suggested that during this call:

• the Team Leader introduces the members; and that
• the Accreditors wear appropriate attire, formal or semi-formal.

5.4.2. A short Opening Program of about 45 minutes which

• may be extended by another 45 minutes, if the institution may want to showcase the country's traditional and artistic wealth; and which will be attended by the constituents of the institution especially the officials, faculty, and students;

The Team Leader will give a brief orientation on the process, and the schedule of activities to be observed during the on-site visit.

5.4.3. A short assembly attended jointly by all the Accreditors and the h ost officials, faculty and members of the SS Team will take place after the opening program preferably to be held at the Accreditation Center, if it is spacious enough to accommodate the group.  The briefing will be held to:

• provide a general orientation about the whole institution; 
• visit the campus, physical facilities, laboratories, library, etc.; and
• agree on schedules.

5.4.4. Gather additional data/information or validate those already collected by:

• reviewing the files in the Accreditation Center; 
• conducting interviews with appropriate students, faculty, alumni, officials, and other stakeholders;
• visiting research, extension and other projects;
• observing classes and the operation of the library, laboratories and shops; and visiting student activities, faculty meetings, etc.; and
• holding individual or group meetings.

5.4.5. Tips in interviews

 Prepare yourself physically and psychologically.

Your preparation is largely dependent on whom to interview.

 Know your purpose, which may be one of the following:

• data gathering,
• validation/confirmation, or
• feeling the pulse, i.e., seeking opinions, attitudes, etc.

The interview questions you have to prepare depend on your objective in conducting the interview.

5.4.6. During the interview proper

 A good strategy is to establish rapport by introducing yourself properly, and the reason for the interview.

 Stay focused.  Manage your time well.

 Avoid asking leading questions.

 Do not argue with the interviewee.  Listen more.

 Take down notes correctly, if possible.

 Watch your body language and that of your interviewee.

 If it is a group interview: 

• avoid monopolizing the interview;
• support and follow up questions asked by other members of the team;
• pay attention and listen; and
• involve the other interviewees.

 In closing, express your gratitude and appreciation for the effort, time, etc. of your interviewee.

 Do not make verbal commendations, affirmations or recommendations during the interview.  Only those contained in the final Accreditor's Report will be recognized.

The 2nd Team meeting will be held in the evening of   Day 1. This meeting will:

• be presided over by the Team Leader;
• cover in the agenda
  • comparison of notes related to the individual findings particularly on the strengths and weaknesses of the institution;
  • consensus on the emerging content of the SSR;
  • identification of lacking data/information;
  • validation of individually-gathered data/information; and
  • any problems that are disturbing the flow of the accreditation process.
  • be swift, systematic and orderly to avoid prolonged and uninteresting discussions, and
  • wrap up the first-day activities.

The institution is required to properly video document the on-site accreditation process as evidence of the actual on-site accreditation process taken place.

5.5 Day 2 will be devoted to continue the gathering/validation of data/information and analysis. Specifically, this day will see the following activities:

• Gathering/validating of data, started during the previous day, will be continued.
• Accreditors prepare their individual reports to be presented to the Team during its meeting in the later part of the day.  The individual reports are prepared by undergoing the following process:
  • consolidation and validation of the data/information;
  • analysis of the data/information;
  • rating the institution based on the criteria, indicators and elements;
  • computing the Summary of Points ; and
  • identifying the findings (strengths and weaknesses) and making recommendations.
• The system of evaluation has the following features:
  • The institution is evaluated using seven criteria which contain specific indicators, and sub-indicators.
  • Initial evaluation is made on the Self-Study Report (SSR).  Final evaluation is arrived at by the Team after validating the claims in the SSR, and after gathering additional information or data.
  • Each of the seven criteria is assigned weighted points, against which the institution must earn points to be awarded to each criterion. The total weighted points are 1000.
  • The Accreditor is advised to follow the detailed procedures in the APACC Accreditation Manual, Part 3 - "The System of Evaluation".
• The evaluation of the institution will be criteria-based. 

The instructions on how to use the Instrument are described in detail in Part 3 - "Instructions to Accreditors".  The Accreditors shall use the Accreditation Instrument as their tool in the evaluation. 

The most critical activity is the Team meeting to make the decisions to compose the Accreditor's Report.  Ordinarily, the Accreditor's Report is produced through this process:

• The Team Leader presides over the meeting.
• The ratings and other decisions are discussed and decided criterion by criterion.
• The Team adopts a consensus in all ratings, comments, findings and recommendations. In short, the Accreditor's Report is owned and produced by the members of the Team; it is not just the report of individual Accreditor put together to form the Accreditor's Report.
• The individual Accreditor revises his reports on his respective Criterion assignment to follow the Team decision.
• the Team Leader consolidates the Accreditor's Report and re-writes it. 
• The final Accreditor's Report must be marked CONFIDENTIAL.  It will include the following:
• A transmittal letter signed by all the members
• A program resume including:
  o the name of the applicant institution
  o address
  o brief history including the law that created the institution and date of creation, and its special distinctions or awards earned
  o the Summary of Points: weighted and earned
  o the Team's recommendation
  o the report on Indicators of Quality: Commendations, Affirmations and Recommendations
  o the Team Leader's Summary Report
  o the accomplished accreditation Instrument

5.5.1. Tips for Writing a Good Report

 Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the report evaluative?
• Is the message clear?
• Are the statements supported by evidence?

 Show consistency of findings and ratings.

 Make recommendations that are suggestive rather than prescriptive.

 Write the report as precisely as possible.

 Avoid grammatical errors throughout the report.

 Use simple English language.

 Do not use high sounding words, and long sentences.

5.6 Day 3 is devoted to the finalization of the report, consultation with the officials and faculty of the host institution, and concluding the three-day on-site visit.

5.6.1. The exit conference may be the first major activity of the day. It should be guided by the following:

• It should be attended by the officials, and the faculty, staff, and student representatives of the institution, and the Accreditors.
• The purposes of the exit conference are to:
  • validate findings;
  • check the accuracy of factual information/data; and
  • secure feedbacks.
• It must be conducted in a professional manner as in any academic discussion.  There is no need to debate; if there are differences, these can be resolved by presenting evidence.
• It must be moderated by the Team Leader, who must call on each of the Accreditors, to present his part of the report.
• The Team decision, recommendations on accreditation status to APACC, must not be presented in the exit conference inasmuch as it will still be subject for review by the Committee for Final Recommendation and approval by the APACC President.

5.6.2. The Team should meet again after the exit conference to affirm the Report, or to make revisions, if necessary.

5.6.3. At this point, before the closing program, it must be ascertained that all obligations are cleared, including, but not necessarily limited to the following:

• reimbursement of travel expenses of all Accreditors;
• payment of honoraria;
• issuance of certificates of appearance and recognition; and
• return of all materials particularly those borrowed from the Accreditation Center.

5.6.4. The closing program will formally end the three-day on-site visit. These are some guidelines in holding this final activity.

• The closing program shall be attended by the same constituents who were invited in the opening program plus any other concerned or interested individuals or groups from the community;
• It must be brief, lasting not longer than one hour;

• All the Accreditors must attend the closing program, but there should be only one representative from the Accreditors' group, possibly the Team Leader, who will give a "talk". He will confine his message to the following subjects:

• present general impressions on the institution (strength and areas for improvement)
• commend all the good work in the preparation and management of the accreditation visit, and the participation of all who contributed to the activity;
• inform that the final decision will be formally communicated to the institution within one (1) month, inasmuch as the report will still be reviewed by the Committee for Final Recommendation, and approved by the APACC President. 
• extend his word-of-thanks to the administration, faculty, officials, students, etc. who have played key roles in the visit; and
• on behalf of APACC, congratulate and thank the Accreditors for their remarkable work, patience and professionalism.

5.7 Tips for Accreditors

• The following are tips for Accreditors during On-Site Visits:

   When you serve as an Accreditor, keep in mind that you are serving as a representative of APACC, and your duties and responsibilities are primarily to APACC and the accrediting process. Set a good example.

   When you accepted the invitation to serve as member of the accrediting team, you are committing yourself. Avoid personal business activities that will distract your attention during the visit. Plan to devote the full day (or days) to the evaluation.

   APACC requires all of its members to be present to function effectively. Arrive on time as scheduled.

   Know the APACC Accreditation Criteria and use them as your guide for evaluation during the visit.

   Learn as much as you can about the institution before the visit. Each instituton is different. Avoid pre-evaluation assumptions.

   Don't omit vital areas of the institution's operation because you deviated from unimportant details or because you spent too long on one area.

   Gather factual information and determine if the institution does or does not meet the APACC Criteria.

   Avoid expressing your opinions or biases on the institution you are visiting.

   Avoid socializing, making personal telephone calls, and spending time on activities not relevant to the on going activities.

   Avoid asking for information presented in the institution's Evaluation, but do verify information in the SSR.

   Have direct contact with as many staff members of the institution as possible. Ask different personnel the same questions to verify information.

   Discuss these with other members of the Team during the Team meetings. Suggest questionable areas for confirmation of findings by other members. Learn more by talking with institution's personnel.

   Don't express an opinion as to APACC's probable action on the institution's application. Avoid indicating to the institution's personnel your own evaluation or opinion of their practices, policies, or decisions.

   Submit your completed report on time. Your report will be better if it is prepared while the visit is still fresh in your mind.

   Mention in your report the things that the institution does well. Document any weaknesses.

   Destroy all reports, data, and materials about the institution and the evaluation when you have submitted your report and have been notified by the APACC that your report has been validated.

5.8 Dos and Don'ts for Accreditors

5.8.1. Dos for Accreditors

         Accreditors should:

 have a good understanding of the standards and working principles of APACC;

 maintain impartiality and objectivity in the accreditation exercise;

 be very tactful and courteous in handling sensitive matters at all times;

 be objective and accurate in giving the ratings as well as preparing his report of the visit while in close coordination with the Team Leader and members, and present it with unquestionable credibility and utmost diplomacy;

 observe an ideal dress code that enhances the integrity and prestige of APACC;

 be effective communicators in English;

 respect the autonomous set-up and governance of the institution as enshrined in its Charter;

 prepare or plan very well what to do during meetings, and be conscious of time management; and

 always act professionally.

5.8.2. Don'ts for Accreditors

         Accreditors should:

 not be an employee nor have relatives in the institution being evaluated.

 not be a graduate of the institution being considered for accreditation.

 not brag about his role as an accreditor, especially in the host  institution.

 have no expressed bias for or against the institution.

 not currently be a fulltime employee of another institution in the institution's primary competitive market.

 avoid agreeing to act as sponsors for applicants.

 not participate in any discussion or decision making process that might involve a conflict of interest.

 never make any insinuations or veiled desire to be entertained or treated as VIP, or solicit unwarranted favor, gift or money.

 never indulge in any form of vices or display offensive or disgraceful behavior.

 not malign or discredit fellow accreditors in the eyes of others.

 avoid taking along with him anybody who has nothing to do with survey visits in deference to host institution.

5.9 Desirable Attitudes of Accreditors

 Punctuality

 Preparedness     

 Proper Decorum

 Professionalism

 Interest in the activity

 Participation in all activities

 Practicality

 Physical Fitness

 Product (Outcome) orientation 

 Awareness