Serving on an ACE Review

Team Recruitment and Selection

Creating the Evaluation Team

American Council on Education (ACE) evaluation teams consist of subject matter experts and ACE staff. ACE staff identify academic specialists to serve on the team based on courses taught, recommendations from postsecondary educational institutions and organizations, and recommendations from colleagues.

The team will be structured according to discipline, expertise and appropriate experiences, and varying regional accreditations among two-year, four-year, and graduate institutions. There is a formal selection process to identify the appropriate evaluators for the team. An internal staff review committee determines the scope of the team.

Team Outreach and Recruitment

ACE staff will email you with the dates and location of a specific review to see if you are available to participate. This does not mean you have been chosen for the team. Please respond to this email as soon as possible. ACE staff understand that you may not be able to fit the review into your schedule.

We seek evaluators representing different types of institutions and accrediting agencies from across the country. We invite more people than we need, so if you are not selected, please understand that the decision is based strictly on a blend of discipline expertise, alignment with the review, and a variety of institutional types.

Pre-review Communications

If you are selected for a team, ACE staff will confirm via email and then transmit some preliminary logistics, including details on how to make your flight arrangements (specific airports, dates to arrive and depart with timeframes indicated), lodging accommodations, and a deadline to submit your estimated costs and expenditures. Any deviations from the approved schedule must be pre-approved. See the forms and policies page for details.

About one week before the date of the visit, you will receive a final email with review details, including the arrival/departure schedule, a biographical team list, a disposition list of courses to be reviewed, access to the syllabi, and any other details of the trip.

Review Types

ACE has three types of reviews. For more information about the review process, be sure to visit the review pages below:

For onsite course reviews, the ACE review team travels to examine the materials used to deliver the content of the course, including instructor materials, student materials, and assessments. Be sure to visit the Onsite Reviews page below for policies, checklists, and logistics information.

For virtual course reviews, the review team examines the course materials (instructor materials, student materials, and assessments) on a secure SharePoint platform. Virtual reviews are only used for online courses. Be sure to visit the Virtual Course Reviews page below for policies, checklists, and logistics information.

For occupation reviews (military only), the team travels to examine the official documentation for the military occupational specialty (MOS) or rating and validates the occupation’s critical tasks and skills during interviews with service members. Be sure to visit the Occupation Reviews page below for policies, checklists, and logistics information.

Onsite Course Reviews

Learn about the steps involved in conducting an onsite course review.

Virtual Course Reviews

Learn about the steps involved in conducting a virtual course review.

Occupation Reviews—Military Only

Explore guidelines for faculty evaluators participating in the military occupation review process.

Evaluator Checklists

If you've been selected to serve on a virtual or onsite review, our faculty evaluator checklists will help you prepare and get the most out of your experience.

Onsite Review Checklist

Virtual Review Checklist