New Perspectives
for Learning - Briefing Paper 5
Evaluation and Self-Evaluation in
European
Universities
Context of the Research
Since the 1980s all European countries
have been experiencing major changes in higher education largely characterised
by a transition from an "élite" university system to one of
"mass" higher education. This has produced a dramatic growth in higher
education provision evidenced by an increase in the number of institutions,
number of students and consequently number of teaching staff. This trend has
been amplified and strengthened by changes in the diffusion of knowledge, and in
disciplinary differentiation and fragmentation over the last century. These
latter changes became exponential in the 1980s and 90s and have resulted in the
enlargement of academic fields and structures.
This project was conducted in eight
countries - Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Portugal and the
United-Kingdom in the context of the rapid growth in the higher education
sector, an increasing interest from government in the societal importance of
universities, and a relatively new interest within EU countries of the
systematic evaluation of teaching and learning.
Key Conclusions
The following conclusions were made: -
- Three
distinct types of university were identified: -
a)
General universities.
b)
Professional/vocational universities.
c)
Local universities.
- Therefore,
a single mode of evaluation is insufficient to meet the diverse needs of
institutions.
- External
evaluation, made by public bodies in all the countries of the project, is a
relatively recent phenomenon, but it is one that is here to stay.
- Universities
appear to accept the primary driver of accountability for public funding as
a reasonable rationale for systematic evaluation.
- In
addition to external evaluation, universities are continuing to develop
internal evaluation. External and internal evaluation interact to inform the
development of strategies within universities to improve the quality and
performance of teaching and research, and to provide improved levels of
service to users, as well as ensuring best use of financial resources.
- The
reasons for the development of effective evaluation were identified as: -
a)
External evaluation ensures that universities adhere to the requirements
of the public authorities that fund them.
b)
Universities are relatively autonomous institutions and are evaluated,
and evaluate themselves partly as a means of establishing their credibility in
order to attract funding from sources outside of the public funding regime.
c)
Evaluation can be used by universities to manage tensions in strategy and
direction such as those between the demands of traditional teaching,
profession-oriented teaching, and continuous training. In research there are
tensions between fundamental and applied research, and there are also tensions
between the demands to increase the participation rate in higher education and
participation in cultural and economic local development.
- External
evaluation is able to provide a basis for change if it finds support with
senior management and a strong university governing body makes use of
evaluation and is strengthened by it.
- A
significant number of universities have developed a new government model –
presidential-managerial – to replace the traditional model - collegiate
and/or bureaucratic.
Key Recommendations
- Improve
“objective and results” based evaluation tools as there is a trend to
link funding to objectives and results through internal contractualisation
between universities and government and within university organisational
units that can generate new modes of funding.
- Find
ways of improving the “quality assurance procedures and methods” of
administrative and support services as most innovative practices relate to
the quality of services delivered to users (teachers, students, and external
agencies).
- Develop
effective “computerised information systems” that enable the measurement
and realisation of improvements.
- In
the context of a contractualisation with public authorities, encourage
across EU institutions, partnership with other universities that develop
mechanisms for “teaching and organisational” evaluation.
- Develop
a new model of evaluation that is: -
a)
Pluralistic - recognises a range of local, national, and intentional
factors.
b)
Contextual - the specific university environment.
c)
Dynamic - takes account of the university objectives and history.
d)
Integral - makes use of links between all university activities.
Further Information
The full title of the project and final
report is: “Evaluation and Self-Evaluation of Universities in Europe” (July
1998)
Full
report, Abstract,
Summary
Partner
details
Contact Person
Dr. Pierre Dubois
Université de Paris X
Travail et Mobilités
Nanterre
92001
France
Tel: +33 1 40977133
Fax: +33 1 40977135
Email: pierre.dubois@u-paris10.fr
or
contact pjb Associates pjb@pjb.co.uk
Tel +44 1353 667973 for more information about other Briefing Papers on “New
Perspectives for Learning”
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Last updated
28 June 2007