TEMPUS DIUS PROJECT Quality Evaluation of tools by Prof. Dr.

Alessandro Figus

Premise: 1. Any definition of quality must be defined in terms of the context in which it is used. 2. In the case of HEIs, we should bear in mind that an institution may be of high quality in relation to one factor or in the perspective of a category of stakeholders, but of low quality in relation to another. 3. The indicators used to evaluate an institution, or to judge the effectiveness of a programme, are often referred to as performance indicators. 4. The idea of performance evaluation in higher education has been borrowed from economics. In this sense, the success of a system or institution is related to its productivity in terms of effectiveness and efficiency.

What we need to evaluate: 1) General Organization of the Courses 2) Organization of teaching courses 3) Didactic activity and study activity 4) Infrastructures 5) Interest and Satisfaction 6) General information and specific information (about the Faculty/Dept.).

All this info we obtain through questionnaires that students fulfill online. All questionnaires are not specific reference to understand the relationship studentteacher (tutor system, etc).

Now we now go to see what observations we have verified in the documents reached us by the various Armenian Universities:

1) YSU

All institutional components and functions are not really interrelated.

Assessment provides faculty or Department members, administrators, trustees, and others with evidence, numerical or otherwise, from which they can develop useful information about their students, institutions, programs, and courses and also about themselves, but the questions are limited and it is very difficult to find details in the questionnaire taken in examination,

Too general vision.

It is very difficult, for example, to find a right quality of instruction in courses, and the effectiveness of curriculum.

From this questionnaire it is very difficult to understand certain aspects of the institution (institution, program, course, students) as parts of a system. In practice, difficult is to find institutional performance and quality. Any Evaluation involves gathering information from a variety of sources about a students have a learning disability.

2) SEUA

All institutional components and functions are interrelated and completed, enough suit, getting into the details and picking up necessary information to a correct evaluation of the institution.

Effective assessment requires is involving a professional knowledge and skills.

The methodology employed in assessment in the questionnaire must be appropriate to the purposes for which the assessment is being used. Any evaluation involves gathering information from a variety of sources about a students have a learning disability.

3) YSMU

All institutional components and functions are not really interrelated.

Assessment provides Faculty ??? or Department members, administrators, trustees, and others with evidence, numerical or otherwise, from which they can develop useful information about their students, institutions, programs, and courses and also about themselves, but the questions are limited and it is very difficult to find details in the questionnaire taken in examination.

Too general vision.

It is very difficult, for example, to find a right quality of instruction in courses, and the effectiveness of curriculum.

From this questionnaire it is very difficult to understand certain aspects of the institution (institution, program, course, students) as parts of a system. In practice, difficult is to find institutional performance and quality.

Good to ask about Libraries. Any evaluation involves gathering information from a variety of sources about a students have a learning disability.

4. YSAFA

All institutional components and functions are interrelated and completed.

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Too general and limited questionnaires, it is necessary to entry in details, any comments for example about the infrastructures, etc. etc.

Good to open the window to the Labour Market (job opportunities). Any evaluation involves gathering information from a variety of sources about a students have a learning disability.

Remarks

The Universities are striven to model a questionnaire.

It is very important to understand that fundamental is to find the indicators.

Effectiveness indicators deal with the extent to which an activity fulfils its intended purpose or function.

This could include completion rates, graduate employment rates and student satisfaction, among others.

Efficiency indicators deal with the extent to which an activity achieves its goal while minimizing resource usage.

This could include, for example, staff-student ratios, unit costs, space utilization, or time to graduation.

Conclusion

To concluding, some questionnaires are completed other too much general . Every questionnaire must include the indicators. If we have questions about :
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General Organization of the Courses Organization of teaching courses Didactic activity and study activity

Few are the infos about: Infrastructures Interest and Satisfaction and to evaluate the perception from the students of the importance of the relationship with the Labor Market.

The problem about Disabilities are not evaluate and not taken in consideration.

General information and specific information about the Faculty are may be ok but in the Universities we have not only the Faculty but for example the Dept., etc. etc..

In any case, it needs to reflect, to discuss and to decide on :

1) what indicators to adopt. 2) what scale to use.

All our availability to help the Armenian University to individualize the indicators.

Annexe: Evaluation INDICATORS/Variables

A.1 Data related to enrolled students and graduates Number of students enrolled for a number of years shorter or equal to the course legal term regular students Number of students enrolled for a number of years longer of the course legal term Total number of enrolled students Number of enrolled students who have not overcome examinations Number of first year students Number of first year students who have not overcome examinations Number of first year students with humanistic or scientific high school leaving examination Number of first year students who have overcome high school leaving examination with a mark higher than 9/10 of the maximum mark Number of second year students

A.2 Data related to enrolled students and graduates Number of first year students divided by residence district (provinces) Number of first year students divided by residence district (regions) Number of graduates in the same degree course (of the same Faculty) at which they enrolled when they entered the university system Number of graduates divided by birth year Number of graduates divided by birth date and residence district (regions Number of students enrolled at specialization schools for training of high school teachers

A.3 Data related organization of academic activities Academic year since which the course started Legal term of the course Expected number of examinations requested for the degree
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Number of examinations overcome by the students Number of examinations overcome by regular students Number of graduates divided by each academic year Students satisfaction on academic activities emerging from interviews to students attending the lessons

B. Data related to the staff

Number of teachers for each Faculty Number of teacher for each Department-Institute Number of teacher for each Scientific Group or Area Number of post PhD grants activated till 31/12/2000 for each Scientific Area Number of announcements of competition connected to research programs of national relevance

C. Financial indicators Account of university grants paid to Ministry General income view General expenditure view Expenditure view for teaching and technical-administrative staff Expenditure view for students Departmental income depending on scientific research Departmental income for scientific research

D. Miscellaneous Number of seats inside the lecture halls Number of seats inside libraries Number of computer laboratories Number of seats inside linguistic laboratories Sets of rules oriented to stimulate teaching system