The influence of evaluation in higher education

Abstract

The increasingly ritualized and instrumental evaluation of higher education, initiated mainly from above, has resulted in little consideration of what is needed if evaluation is truly to support the development of higher education. Strategies for quality enhancement and accountability rarely consider the distinctive features of higher education development. This article describes the influence of an evaluation strategy that was locally initiated and deliberately involved stakeholders in the process. The evaluation was designed to support the development of an undergraduate medical education programme in Sweden. Based on experiences from the case, I argue that evaluations should, in the context of higher education, be made the responsibility of the teachers. Making the teachers responsible should develop both their ability to work with educational development and to a greater extent enable definitions of educational quality specific to education.

The case describes an evaluation strategy that distinctly emanated from the need for knowledge by those who were responsible for the development of an undergraduate medical education programme in Sweden. The programme board established a dialogue with 10 of the stakeholders. The core aim was to learn more about the stakeholders’ expectations and views about the programme, but also to identify important areas for programme development. The dialogue with the stakeholders contributed to the creation of a qualified and nuanced development process and illuminated an evaluation process more associated with learning than quality enhancement. The commitment to cooperation, dialogue and enlightenment was, however, constantly threatened by a higher education culture that is increasingly characterized by productivity and efficiency.