Examiner FAQs
What are the duties/responsibilities of an Examiner? How are Examiners trained?
Examiner responsibilities begin with completing the Examiner registration form which is available at www.one-center.com. Once you have registered, the next required step in the process is to complete Examiner training in April/May. This training consists of a four-hour session with fellow Examiners to become familiar with the criteria, preparation of an individual feedback report, scoring of the application, preparation of a consensus feedback report, the site visit process and the preparation of the final feedback report.
What are the qualifications to be an Examiner?
Examiners represent business, government, educational or nonprofit organizations. Examiner participation is determined at the discretion of the award staff and sponsoring organizations.
I have experience as an Examiner in a previous cycle of the ONE process. Do I still have to register and attend training in 2009?
Yes. All Examiners regardless of experience are required to register and attend training each year. As an experienced Examiner, your role as a mentor for new Examiners in the training process is invaluable. In addition, the ONE criteria have been updated for the 2009 cycle. The training has been improved as well to make the process more effective and to help you to do an even better job in 2009.
How many applications will I review?
Examiners are expected to review and score at least one application in the independent review/consensus stage and site visit process. Every effort is made to make sure that Examiners only review one application. All team members will participate in the development of a final feedback report at the conclusion of the site visit which will mark the final phase of your commitment for 2009.
What kind of support will be available for me once the process begins?
The award staff and key designees from the sponsoring organizations will be available to answer questions and assist you and your team in the independent review, consensus and site visit process stages. This process will be new for many Examiners and a level of continuing support will be necessary to make it a success.
What are the benefits of serving as an Examiner?
Examiners benefit as much as any Applicant in developing an understanding of the criteria and understanding its value as a framework for organizational improvement. This is an outstanding process/tool to enable the development of key organizational leadership prospects. Some have called this a “mini-MBA” or “MBA refresher” course. In addition, Examiners benefit from the learning that takes place working with leaders from other organizations and understanding how potential role model organizations approach their challenges.
How much time will I have to commit?
The Examiner commitment (estimated time for each stage in parentheses)includes the training workshop (4 hours), the independent review process (4-6 hours), consensus report preparation (4 hours), site visit training (2 hours), site visit preparation (2-4 hours) the site visit itself (4 hours) and finalizing the post-site visit feedback report (2-4 hours). This time commitment begins with preparation for Examiner training in April/May 2009.
Independent review/consensus review of applications takes place between May 29 and June 22. Site visits are scheduled between July 20 and August 12, with final site visit consensus reports due by August 14.
My organization is applying for the ONE Award. Can I still be an Examiner?
Yes. It is critical that we avoid any conflicts of interest, but it is not expected that such a challenge will be insurmountable. This is an opportunity to learn the process and support the quality of the award experience for all. We want to get interested people involved.
Whom can I contact if I have any other questions?
There are bound to be more questions that arise as you consider the role of Examiner. Please contact us at admin@one-center.com to arrange for a member of the award team to contact you about your concerns or questions.