Quality Criteria for Self-Evaluation in Higher Education

In: Journal of MultiDisciplinary Evaluation: JMDE, Band 6, Heft 11, S. 16-31

Open Access

Abstract

The purposes of metaevaluation go beyond the traditional functions of accountability and enhancement. It helps guide strategic organizational change and legitimizes evaluation systems. Metaevaluation results can also be used to create checklists so that the persons responsible for any evaluation can revise, monitor, and control them by themselves. In this paper, the self-evaluation stage of an evaluation process in higher education is metaevaluated. The qualitative method applied analyses to the concerns and complaints that emerged during the work sessions. The results are structured around two key elements: the input (information and self-evaluation guideline) and the throughput (the committee and the process, including the meetings and dynamics of work). The information and self-evaluation guidelines are intended to be responsive, comprehensible, and reliable. The self-evaluation committee and process should be effective, efficient, and responsible with the task. The results are discussed with regard to theoretical proposals for evaluation quality that emphasize criteria such as responsiveness and technical quality of the evaluation.