Request/Add an External Evaluation for a Case
When creating a template or case, a Unit Administrator, Template Administrator, or Case Manager can elect to include an External Evaluation section through evaluations can be requested or added to the case packet. Unit Administrators, Case Managers, and Committee Managers can then request evaluations from scholars who are external to the committee (or even the institution) to help them evaluate a candidate. There are two ways to add external evaluations to a case. An evaluation can be uploaded directly into the candidate's case, or evaluations can be requested from one or more external evaluators through our program by email. External evaluators will receive the email with instructions for submitting the document and can upload it directly to Interfolio without having an Interfolio account. Only Unit Administrators, Case Managers, and Committee Managers can add or request external evaluations.
It is important to note that external evaluations cannot be deleted after they have been interacted with (accepted or declined by the external evaluator).
External Evaluations
Request
Unit Administrators, Case Managers, and Committee Managers can request evaluations from one or more external evaluators through Interfolio RPT by email. External evaluators will receive the email with instructions for submitting the document and can upload it directly to Interfolio without having an Interfolio account. It is possible to request evaluations from multiple potential evaluators at the same time to save time.
1. Navigate to Request Evaluation under Candidate Case
Navigation: Cases > Name > Request Evaluation
- Click Cases under Review, Promotion, & Tenure on the navigation menu.
- Click the Name of the Candidate for the desired case.
- Click Request Evaluation under the External Evaluations section.
2. Configure and send email
- Enter the Name and Email of the external evaluator(s) on the Request External Evaluation page.
- Multiple evaluators can be added by clicking the Add Another Evaluator button. - Change the From Name and Reply-to address, if desired. Be sure to give the email request a meaningful Subject line.
- Enter the email Message to the evaluator. - Click Preview Email to see how the requested email will appear to the external evaluator
Use this message to request an evaluation of the candidate. The request can include a personal message to the evaluator and documents to aid the evaluator in their review. Once completed, evaluators submit their review through Interfolio's secure delivery system. If you are requesting evaluations from more than one person, use the variables below to automatically fill in the first and last names of each evaluator receiving the message. For example, Dear Professor %EV_Last%
Note that this preview does not auto-populate a name if the mail merge function has been used. The names will, however, be populated in the sent message.
- Click Add Files under the Files section to attach files from the candidate sections or internal sections to the requested email if necessary. The files added here can be downloaded by the recipient when they accept the invitation to write an evaluation.- Select file name(s) using the checkboxes and click Add Files when finished.
You cannot add any files from the external evaluation section.
If your institution has enabled the integration between RPT and FAR, the candidate's FAR Vita can be uploaded here to share with the external evaluation. The vita will appear as one of the file options to add.
- Select a Deadline under the Response Settings section.
- This is a Hard Deadline, meaning the recipient will not be able to submit an evaluation after the deadline date. - Indicate whether or not the evaluator can submit additional files. If Yes is selected, the evaluator will be presented with the option to add up to ten additional files.
- Select who can access the request and evaluation once it is uploaded using the dropdown.
- Click Send Request when finished.
- Evaluator First Name = %EV_First%
- Evaluator Last Name = %EV_Last%
Automatic reminders will be sent to external evaluators seven days and one day before the set deadline. Please note that this is a hard deadline. No additional reminders are sent after the deadline passes if the evaluator declines the request, or if the evaluator submits the evaluation before a reminder is sent.
Upload
Unit Administrators, Case Managers, and Committee Managers can upload an evaluation they have on their computer to the candidate's case.
Navigation: Cases > Name > Add File > Browse To Upload
- Click Cases under Review, Promotion, & Tenure on the navigation menu.
- Click the Name of the Candidate for the desired case.
- Click Add File under the External Evaluations section.
- Click Browse To Upload to locate the file containing the evaluation.
View Reporting for External Evaluations
When a Unit Administrator, Case Manager, or Committee Manager uploads an external evaluation, it is recorded in the Activity Log.
Navigation: Cases > Name > View Activity Log
- Click Cases under Review, Promotion, & Tenure on the navigation menu.
- Click the Name of the Candidate for the desired case.
- Click View Activity Log from the Case Options dropdown at the top of the page.
The Case Activity Log shows:
- Who requested an evaluation
- When the evaluation was requested
- If the request bounced
- When the evaluation was submitted/added
- Who uploaded the evaluation
The case activity log does not show when/if an evaluator accepted or declined a request.
FAQs
What happens if the evaluation request is unable to be delivered?
If a request for an evaluation is unable to be delivered to the email address entered, the requester will be notified. The requester will be notified if the email address entered for the evaluation request is invalid or if the email has been blocked from receiving emails from Interfolio. The requester will NOT be notified if the email landed in the user's spam folder.
Can external evaluations be shared with the candidate?
Documents added to the External Evaluations section using the Add File button, or evaluations requested through the External Evaluation section using the Request Evaluation button are uploaded as confidential documents that cannot be shared with the candidate, even when they are moved to another part of the packet.
It is possible, to share non-confidential documents, even when those documents have been moved into the External Evaluations section. For sharing files, what matters is whether they are uploaded as confidential documents. They will remain confidential, no matter where they appear in the packet. Likewise, non-confidential materials will remain non-confidential no matter where they appear in the packet. Unit Administrators, Case Managers, or Committee Managers can share documents with the candidate using the document-sharing feature.
Are there any reminders sent to evaluators to submit their evaluation?
Automatic reminders will be sent to external evaluators seven days and one day before the set deadline. Please note that this is a hard deadline. No additional reminders are sent after the deadline passes if the evaluator declines the request, or if the evaluator submits the evaluation before a reminder is sent.