The Utility of the Knowledge Use System in a Higher Education Evaluation Setting

In: Knowledge: creation, diffusion, utilization, Band 14, Heft 4, S. 401-416

Abstract

This study uses the Knowledge Use System (KUS) that was developed by Barabba and Zaltman in 1991 to delineate decisionmaker variables and characteristics that may thwart utilization of evaluation results. The KUS was originally developed as a tool enabling corporate market reseatch to overcome "obstacles to implementation." The KUS is a process used to point out decisionmaker biases, preconceived notions and other decisionmaker variables. It facilitates discussion and consensus building about important evaluation issues that, if not recognized, might diminish utilization. The results of this study suggest that the KUS is successfully adaptable to higher education contexts. Its use during evaluation appears to improve the quality of the evaluation and the implementation of results.