Red U (Dec 2021)

Four decades of evaluation of teaching: case study of the University of the Basque Country

  • Idoia Fernández Fernández,
  • Susan Orbe Mandaluniz

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4995/redu.2021.15649
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19, no. 2
pp. 51 – 71

Abstract

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Good university teachers are often associated with the quality of universities. However, the evaluation of teaching activity is technically complex and academic staff has difficulties to embrace the aims and purposes (improvement, promotion and incentives) intended by their institution. The goal of this study is to analyze the pathways of university teaching evaluation at the level of general regulatory frameworks and its implementation in a specific case, the University of the Basque Country (UPV / EHU), has the certified DOCENTIAZ program that has been embraced by nearly 50% of its teaching staff. To that end, a documentary analysis of the policies of teaching evaluation is carried out where the importance of analyzing teaching evaluation in its production environment from a long-term perspective over time is highlighted. In this case, the elements that played a relevant role and that can be interpreted as keys to success are: orientation towards improvement, articulation through the decision-making processes of the centers, integration within the global development strategies of the culture of quality, involvement of the government team, participation of more prone to innovation teachers, and finally, rigorous and transparent technical development.

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