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Descriptors:
Evaluation Criteria; Scientific Research; Quality Control; Peer Evaluation; College Faculty; Biomedicine; Scientists; Social Scientists; Attitudes; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
This study empirically addresses the claim made by Gibbons et al ("The new production of knowledge: The dynamics of science and research in contemporary societies." Sage, Thousand Oaks, 1994) that a novel form of quality control (associated with Mode 2 knowledge production) is supplementing the "traditional" peer-review process (associated with Mode 1 knowledge production). A qualitative design was used to explore faculty members' views on the criteria for assessing scientific research. Ninety-four semi-structured interviews were conducted with biomedical scientists, clinical scientists, and social scientists working in Canadian universities. Results show that the vast majority of participants are aligned with the "traditional" Mode 1 peer-reviewed procedures for assessing research and defining scientific excellence. These participants asserted that peer review is the best quality control mechanism for assessing scientific research, and peer recognition the key attribute for legitimacy in the academic arena. In contrast, participants ascribed a low value to non-academics' judgment of their work. While the study findings do not provide support Gibbons et al.'s claim, they add to a growing body of evidence that supports the continuing importance of peer review in academic career success. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
School Effectiveness; Accountability; Foreign Countries; Models; Human Capital; Labor Force Development; Achievement Gains; Merit Rating; Adoption (Ideas); Technology Transfer; Teacher Effectiveness; Educational Policy; Context Effect; Educational Quality; Quality Assurance; Quality Control; Performance Factors; Best Practices; Comparative Education; Evaluation Criteria; Evaluation Methods; Teacher Evaluation; Program Evaluation

Abstract:
The government of Ireland, like many European countries, is currently under severe pressure from external forces to grow the economy. One possible way to maintain and grow its economy is through the production of a highly educated and globally competitive workforce. In an effort to develop such a workforce, the government, through the Department of Education, is considering ways to increase accountability in its schools. This paper examines value-added accountability systems used in the USA and raises critical questions about their perceived value for Irish schools. (Contains 5 tables and 6 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Peer Evaluation; Quality Control; Foreign Countries; Accreditation (Institutions); Program Evaluation; Epistemology; Educational Quality

Abstract:
The paper scrutinises the dynamics and the nature of peer review in the programme evaluation and accreditation process within the context of diverse individual and institutional legacies in South Africa. It analyses the peer review process and highlights the contestation at political, policy and epistemological levels. The paper argues that, although the diversity of the review teams very often led to consensus based more on political compromises than on sound professional and academic grounds, all participants experienced the process as educative--offering conceptual and practical opportunities for development. It points to the need for problematisation of peer review and for a critical examination of its possibilities and limits in programme review. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Student Evaluation; Teacher Effectiveness; Student Evaluation of Teacher Performance; Higher Education; Peer Evaluation; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
This article examines the possibility of a "Teaching Assessment Exercise" and attempts to quantify teaching quality as part of performance management schemes for academics. The primary sources of data are identified as student evaluation of teaching (SET) and peer observation of teaching (POT). The conceptual and empirical issues in developing valid and reliable teaching quality indices from SET and POT are critically reviewed. The difficulties of using such data for academic performance management are discussed, focusing on the tensions between using such data both formatively for professional development and summatively for decisions about employment. (Contains 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Foreign Countries; Observation; Classroom Environment; Role; Beginning Teachers; Teaching Models; Teacher Evaluation; Faculty Development; Classroom Observation Techniques; Teacher Effectiveness; Peer Evaluation; Evaluation Criteria; Experienced Teachers; Evidence; Higher Education; Adult Education

Abstract:
Lesson observation has a longstanding tradition in the assessment and development of new and experienced teachers in England. Over the last two decades it has progressively emerged as an important tool for measuring and improving professional practice in schools and colleges. This article reviews literature across the three education sectors (i.e. schools, further education and higher education) in order to compare and contrast the role of observation. In doing so it discusses the key themes and issues surrounding its use in each sector and identifies common and contrasting patterns. It argues that in schools and further education, observation has become increasingly associated with performance management systems; a dominant yet contested model has emerged that relies on a simplified rating scale to grade professional competence and performance, although the recent introduction of "lesson study" in schools appears to offer an alternative to such practice. In higher education, however, there is limited evidence of observation being linked to the summative assessment of staff, with preferred models being peer-directed and less prescribed, allowing lecturers greater autonomy and control over its use and the opportunity to explore its potential as a means of stimulating critical reflection and professional dialogue about practice among peers. (Contains 2 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
College Faculty; Teacher Effectiveness; Statistical Analysis; Quality Control; Measurement Techniques; Feedback (Response); Teacher Evaluation; Questionnaires; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
As the competition increases in higher education, how to improve teaching quality to promote educational performance becomes a significant issue. Many higher educational institutions (HEIs) make efforts to establish a feedback system to monitor and reflect the outcomes of teaching evaluations. This study aimed to describe the use of the Six-Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, and Control) procedures and the Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) method to implement a feedback system step by step. The study proposed some useful instruments to illustrate how evaluations of teaching can be simple and objective by using a questionnaire, how to detect the disadvantages on teaching, and the decision strategy to prioritise disadvantages that are in need of corrective action. HEIs may use these instruments to establish an effective feedback system. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Incentives; Higher Education; Quality Control; Governance; Foreign Countries; Educational Quality; Educational Policy; Accreditation (Institutions); Teacher Effectiveness

Abstract:
Significant changes in the policies of higher education in Vietnam have changed the structure and governance of the system since the mid-1990s. The most commonly agreed-upon positive outcome of the governance renovation process is that the formation of a nationwide quality assurance scheme, which is stimulated by accreditation, in the higher education system has been putting higher education institutions (HEIs) under pressure to ensure a threshold quality level, to be accountable for their performance, and to develop internal quality assurance. The external assessment of higher education quality in Vietnam has had an impact on quality management and on improving conditions for teaching and learning. However, the governance renovation will not help enhance the quality of higher education continuously unless it provides HEIs with incentives to start initiatives. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Quality Control; Foreign Countries; Teacher Effectiveness; Educational Quality; Self Concept; Faculty Development; Educational Research

Abstract:
This article explores the impact of quality assurance and enhancement initiatives on teacher identities in higher education. Data from an interview-based study of a research-led institution in the United Kingdom are drawn upon to consider the implications of quality--for example, whether it has captured the inner assumptive worlds of higher educators (and supplanted their own understandings of quality) or whether it has opened up new subject positions and possibilities for change. I focus on a particular group of people within the article--those who have demonstrated an interest in higher education teaching by participating in professional development programmes. Such programmes have proliferated in the light of the quality movement whilst offering exposure to "educationalist" discourses. Contextualising the work through previous critical higher education research, I consider the group's perceptions of quality initiatives and the construction of their teaching identities within a research-led institution. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Educational Quality; Quality Control; Student Experience; Educational Practices; Student Teacher Evaluation; Teacher Evaluation; Merit Pay; Merit Rating; Units of Study; Course Evaluation; Teacher Effectiveness; Change Strategies; Educational Change; Evaluation Criteria; Evaluation Methods; Quality Assurance; Accountability; Politics of Education; Case Studies; Qualitative Research; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Purpose: Teaching and unit evaluations surveys are used to assess the quality of teaching and the quality of the unit of study. An analysis of teaching and unit evaluation survey practices in Australian universities suggests significant changes. One key change discussed in the paper is the shift from voluntary to mandatory use of surveys with the results used to assess and reward academic staff performance. The change in the direction is largely driven by the introduction of performance-based funding as part of quality assurance arrangements. The paper aims to outline the current trends and changes and the implications in the future such as increased scrutiny of teaching and intrusion to academic autonomy. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on the analysis of current teaching and unit evaluation practices across the Australian university sector. The paper presents the case of an Australian university that has introduced performance-based reward using various measures to assess and reward academic staff such as the outcome of student satisfaction surveys. The analysis of external quality audit findings related to teacher and unit evaluations is also presented. Findings: The findings suggest a shift in trend from the use of voluntary to mandatory tools to assess and reward quality teaching. The case of an Australian university outlined in the paper and the approach taken by seven other universities is largely driven by performance-based funding. One of the key concerns for many in higher education is the intrusion of academic autonomy with increased focus on outcomes and less emphasis on resources needed to produce excellence in learning and teaching and research. The increased reliance on student happiness as a measure of educational quality raises the questions on whether high student satisfaction would strengthen academic rigour and student attainment of learning outcomes and generic skills which are seen as key factors in graduate exit standards. Practical implications: The renewal of quality assurance and performance-based funding using student satisfaction as a measure of educational quality will result in increased use of student voice to assess learning and teaching outcomes. Such direction will increase the accountability on academics to improve student experience and the measures will be used to assess academic staff performance. Originality/value: The paper outlines the trends and changes in the teacher and unit evaluations in Australian universities and its implications in the future. The paper also provides a case of an Australian university that has recently made teacher and unit evaluations compulsory with the results used in academic staff annual performance review and linking reward with performance outcomes. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Higher Education; Quality Control; Foreign Countries; College Faculty; Quality Assurance; Educational Quality; Teacher Evaluation; Case Studies; Teacher Effectiveness; Undergraduate Study

Abstract:
Quality assurance in higher education has been an important issue not only in western countries but also in China. This study, based on Harman's framework, analyses the features and implementation of undergraduate teaching evaluation (UTE) through case studies of four different universities in Guangdong province, southern China. The findings reveal both positive and negative impacts on the institutions, staff and students concerned under the UTE. Suggestions for the improvement of quality assurance mechanisms are discussed. (Contains 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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