From RQF To ERA:Study On The Reform Of Research Evaluation System In Australian Colleges And Universities

The functions,responsibilities and missions of modern colleges and universities have been increasingly diversified,and gradually close to the center of the knowledge society.As research is one of the basic functions of colleges and universities,how to seek the new development of research function,how to enhance the level of research management and innovation ability,how to ensure the validity and reliability of research evaluation,how to make the research of colleges and universities become the foundation of the strong body and the motive force of social development,are the key issues to be discussed by universities all over the world under the new situation.Since the 1980 s,Australian colleges and universities have been carrying on the reform of research evaluation,and the system has been gradually improved.Research Quality Framework(RQF)and Excellence in Research for Australia(ERA)as the main discussions of research evaluation,are the continuous driving force and institutional guarantee for the promotion of research strength of Australian universities,pointing out the direction of development for colleges and universities,and creating an excellent academic environment.At the same time,it also brings a wealth of information and research results to all walks of life in Australia.The advantages and effects of research evaluation in Australian universities can be proved and deliberated.The study of its target concept,index system and reform idea is of great significance for the construction and improvement of China's research classification evaluation system and the construction of first-class universities and disciplines.Starting with the historical evolution of research evaluation in Australian colleges and universities,this paper applies the methods of literature research,historical analysis,comparative analysis,etc.,to study the key points of RQF and ERA's reform,including evaluation objectives,evaluation institutions,evaluation procedures,evaluation indicators,information platform,and analyzes and summarizes the characteristics and motivation of Australian colleges and universities'research evaluation reform,so as to provide beneficial reference for the development of Chinese universities'research evaluation.The paper can be mainly divided into five parts.The first part includes the introduction and the first chapter.After systematically introducing the research reasons,research methods and research status at home and abroad,it summarizes the development process of research evaluation in Australian colleges and universities.According to the purpose of research evaluation,the development process is divided into two stages: allocation of government funds and pursuit of scientific research quality.The second part is the second chapter,which illustrates the RQF and ERA's evaluation target,evaluation process,evaluation method and index system construction and so on.By comparing and summarizing the reform key points,ERA inherited RQF's evaluation purpose,subject classification and world standards,and has made some improvements on top of this,such as the adjustment of the evaluation unit,the reform of assessment methods,the change of the evaluation criteria.On the one hand,it is beneficial to understand the dynamic law of its scientific research evaluation reform.On the other hand,it is helpful to explore the important factors that promote the reform of research evaluation.The third part includes the third chapter,which uses the factor analysis method to study the motivation of the reform of Australian colleges and universities' research evaluation,combining with the track of research evaluation development,taking the change of political and economic environment and the influence of research evaluation in British universities as the external motivation,and taking the commercialization of scientific research in colleges and universities and the better ERA system as the internal motivation.The fourth part corresponds to the fourth chapter.On the basis of the comparison between RQF and ERA mentioned above,it summarizes the characteristics of research evaluation reform in Australian colleges and universities from the aspects of evaluation subject,evaluation object,evaluation process,evaluation result,evaluation method and evaluation index.The fifth part,chapter five,is the foothold of this research.It summarizes the enlightenment brought by Australian colleges and universities' research evaluation reform to Chinese,and draws the following conclusions.First of all,we should establish the purpose of research evaluation,taking into account thebenefits and quality;secondly,we should set up independent evaluation institutions to ensure norms and fairness;thirdly,we should expand the evaluation index system,basing on the domestic and aiming at international;Then,we should implement classification evaluation method,unifying pertinence and pluralism;finally,we should build evaluation data platform,strengthening management and enhancing efficiency.