Research On Academic Program Evaluation In Universities

This dissertation is to focus on the academic program evaluation of universities based on the case study of 5-year practice of Brand academic program evaluation in universities in Guangdong province.The purpose is to give some guidance to the practice of academic program evaluation, to enrich its theory, to establish and improve its system and to enhance its construction in universities. Based on the concept analysis and its theory foundation, a comparative research was made between China and USA; 5-year case study of the academic program evaluation was conducted in Guangdong universities; The system of academic program evaluation was reconstructed; Trends of academic program evaluation was predicted and policies of evaluation of academic program was developed. Therefore, the dissertation is to give conclusions as following:1. The concept system of "discipline & academic program" evaluation was developed from the concepts of discipline and academic program. Based on the rational review of these concepts, we identify the features of "discipline & academic program" as following: regularity externally, logicality internally and vocation-orientation.2. We can only seek the rationality of evaluation through the combination of theory and practice. Value philosophy, psychology and complexity science theory are the theoretical foundation of the "discipline & academic program" evaluation in universities. The situation, sensibility and willpower have great influence on both the process and the output of evaluation. Therefore, the psychological control should be made. The combination of the logos in technology, practice and emancipatory will result in the ideal level.3. Since discipline is regarded as a branch of knowledge system in USA, or for the sake of academic freedom, the evaluation of university disciplines is not frequently conducted. However, well-developed systems have been formed in institution accreditation and academic program accreditation. Especially, we may be inspired, in aspect of academic program evaluation, from the successful experiences of US academic program accreditation.4. After a successive five-year practice, both the brand academic program evaluation and of key discipline evaluation in Guangdong province have shown that evaluation can make obvious improvement to universities, however, that also cause a waste of funds and time if we evaluate specialties and disciplines of universities separately. In accordance to the practice and theory, the dissertation is to put forward a set of comprehensive evaluation index.5. The model of evaluation is the linking point of thoughts, theory and practice. The value orientation determines the operation and the model of evaluation. The value orientation focuses on knowledge-oriented, social-oriented and human-oriented. The dissertation puts forward a four-dimension structure of academic program evaluation: goal-centered, process-centered, result-centered, and situation-centered.6. The future development of academic program evaluation is to accomplish several changes: from singleness to multiplicity in aspect of evaluation functions, from government to agencies in the organization mode, from contradiction to cooperation in relationship between objects and subjects and from emphasis on the results to process. Based on the views above, the dissertation is to formulate a new academic program evaluation: self-determined evaluation.7. Self-determined evaluation should be base on the system innovation and the new evaluation mechanism. There are three aspects concerning the system innovation: the aspects of concept, entity and operation.