The assessment of faculty in higher education: characteristics and challenges

Abstract

The assessment of faculty members is a topic that concerns to the whole scholar community; its results are used for the betterment of the teaching process, learning, and the design of content topics, mainly. Assessing faculty performance means to conduct a rigorous work with the purpose of taking the necessary steps to strengthen the tasks in a learning environment and, therefore, in the quality indicators related to this aspect for university teaching in the management of operations. The criteria, as well as the models and tools to assess faculty performance may vary; this depends on different factors: the methodology used for the study— online or regular—since the mediation changes when technology is used as an agent of change between the instructor and the learner; the administrative interests of the institution; or the defend culture of quality, among others. This review focuses on the discussion of the faculty evaluation carried out by the student body as an invitation to review and strengthen this process in higher education institutions with the aim to implement a culture of assessment. The bibliographic review was conducted between 2016-2019, emphasizing mainly on scientific articles that make reference to faculty evaluation from specific and general perspectives which include both qualitative and quantitative work.