Recent evaluations in Australian higher education: Context and incidence

Abstract

Peer evaluation of individuals and of individual activities within universities is commonplace in academic appointments and promotions, the examination of theses, and the assessment of research and publications. Less common, until recently, have been evaluations of institutional objectives and outcomes by formal review procedures. In Australia, the Williams Committee Report and the Tertiary Education Commission have encouraged a wider implementation of formal evaluations.

This study initially reviews the institutional and societal context of higher education within which evaluation is being increasingly formalized. The incidence of evaluation (or review) at three dissimilar Australian universities is analysed in three areas: the frequency of evaluation activity; the constitution of evaluation teams; and the status of any ensuing report. Policy statements from two universities are briefly examined against standards for evaluation developed by Stufflebeam and others.

Evidence of intra-institutional turbulence and a lack of value consensus encompassed many of the ninety-eight reviews considered. This overview study suggests that more energy should be spent on discovering essential problems and consequential needs and less on implementing reports arising from inadequate evaluations.