Constructing a Set of Indicators for Performance Assessment in Higher Education Establishments

Abstract

The current phase of the socio-economic development in Ukraine is marked by the transformation in the national higher education system in order to harmonize it with international standards. These standards are based on the basically new competence-oriented paradigm of the higher education, making emphasis on the quality of higher professional education. An important component of the education quality is the performance of a higher education establishment (HEE), which significance is growing given the increasing competition among HEEs and stricter requirements to the transparence and information openness of their operation. This raises the relevance of the problem related with selection of indicators for assessment of HEE performance. It is pointed out that methodical approaches to quality assessment of HEEs for official accreditation and ranking purposes, practiced in Ukraine now, include the indicators capable for only fragmented assessment of HEE results and focused on education processes. These approaches to performance assessment in HEEs cause a gap between the quality of HEE performance and the quality of education provided by them. It is found that variations between indicators of domestic and international rankings by which HEE performance is assessed occur because international rankings, in contrast to domestic ones, account only for HEE performance, including job placement of graduates or applications of R&D, whereas ways to achieve the performance are considered as a matter of HEE choice. A theoretical and methodological approach to constructing a set of indicators of HEE performance is justified, which is based on the principle that a set of these indicators must provide as full as possible coverage of goals and operative tasks of HEEs, specified in the Law of Ukraine “Higher Education”. It is argued that the result of education process as a propriety operative task of HEE must be specific achievements of graduates, expected and measurable. A set of the indicators measuring results of education activities is proposed. A number of new indicators in addition to R&D spending are proposed for assessment of R&D in HEEs. Also, specific indicators are proposed for assessment of task completion: established international relations and performed international actions in the field of education; the increased education and cultural level of citizens. It is concluded that assessment of HEE performance need to be made by multi-criteria set of components and be based on a system of estimates.