Research On The Evaluation Of University Departments In Taiwan

Since 1975, the Higher Education Evaluation was conducted in Taiwan, on the basis of learning advanced educational philosophy and practice of evaluation from foreign countries. Taiwan has gradually formed the characteristics of Higher Education Evaluation System. Taiwan's higher education is facing multiple difficulties in the late 20 th century to the early 21 st century: the rapid expansion of higher education; higher education funds diluted; the impact of low birth rate; exit mechanism of universities. These all led to fierce competition among universities. And the international idea of higher education accountability and the development trend of globalization require to improve higher education quality urgently. The evaluation system is significance for improving higher education quality against this background as an important part of the university evaluation in Taiwan.Department evaluation system has experienced five evolution stages in the past forty years, it has gradually embarked on systematic, standardized and routine. Department evaluation showed some characteristics during the institutional change: local institutional change; artificially designed change; progressive change and induced changes. The essence of department evaluation system changes process is the course of the game. It reflects the features of government-led model. The current department evaluation system has relatively complete operations specifications, stable operational subject, quite perfect operating mechanism. It stands in stark features such as jurisprudence, penetration of evaluation idea, independence, professional of evaluation committee member, democracy of evaluation process, flexible evaluation index.The results shows that the evaluation project and indicators can suit the actual circumstances of assessment units, evaluation process is appropriate and complete, the evaluation mode can also reflect the essential requirements of the evaluation. There are some specific results on the hardware facilities, curriculum teaching and research, faculty, administration and students growth. There are still some problems to be improved at evaluation project and indicators, evaluation results, evaluation committee, the support resources and the treat of evaluation results, etc. Although the assessment units have mixed reaction, but the general consensus of development trend of the evaluation will based on self-evaluation and be diversified, market-oriented and international.Some consideration should be included during the university evaluation in mainland China: strengthen legislation to ensure legal evaluation, introducing ideas to improve evaluation spirit, realization the assessment diversification and independent assessment agencies, activating evaluation index to highlight school-running features, Strengthening consciousness of universities, establishing self-assessment mechanism, etc.