| The purpose of this study was to identify the major factors responsible for the design of faculty evaluation systems at institutions of higher education. Attention was also given to the process of implementing the chosen model. Data were gathered using qualitative program evaluation methodology, employing interviews, observation, and document analysis.; Four community colleges in Texas were chosen as sites for data collection. Two of the institutions had recently redesigned and implemented new systems of faculty evaluation, and two had recently designed and implemented changes to their existing systems. Multiple sites were employed to verify the consistency of data gathered, to increase the researcher's ability to identify areas requiring future study, and to increase the study's validity by increasing the ability to triangulate data. Organizational cultures identified at the site institutions were clan, adhocracy, and bureaucracy.; The conclusions of the study showed that (a) systems of faculty evaluation were changed to reflect new goals, (b) gathering data for purposes of accountability remains a controversial issue among faculty, (c) faculty view the use of data from student ratings of instruction for purposes of improvement as appropriate and proper, (d) presidents of institutions are the most powerful factors in the process of change, (e) effective implementation of a new or revised system of faculty evaluation requires effective communication, (f) informal lines of communication may be more effective than formal communication processes within the institution, (g) no single best system of faculty evaluation exists, and (h) although faculty are generally uninformed of how other institutions addressed similar design or implementation issues, administrators, for the most part, appeared knowledgeable. |
