Contextual adaptation of the Personnel Evaluation Standards for assessing faculty evaluation systems in developing countries: the case of Iran

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Faculty evaluations can identify needs to be addressed in effective development programs. Generic evaluation models exist, but these require adaptation to a particular context of interest. We report on one approach to such adaptation in the context of medical education in Iran, which is integrated into the delivery and management of healthcare services nationwide.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a triangulation design, interviews with senior faculty leaders were conducted to identify relevant areas for faculty evaluation. We then adapted the published checklist of the Personnel Evaluation Standards to fit the Iranian medical universities' context by considering faculty members' diverse roles. Then the adapted instrument was administered to faculty at twelve medical schools in Iran.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The interviews revealed poor linkages between existing forms of development and evaluation, imbalance between the faculty work components and evaluated areas, inappropriate feedback and use of information in decision making. The principles of Personnel Evaluation Standards addressed almost all of these concerns and were used to assess the existing faculty evaluation system and also adapted to evaluate the core faculty roles. The survey response rate was 74%. Responses showed that the four principles in all faculty members' roles were met <it>occasionally </it>to <it>frequently</it>. Evaluation of teaching and research had the highest mean scores, while clinical and healthcare services, institutional administration, and self-development had the lowest mean scores. There were statistically significant differences between small medium and large medical schools (p < 0.000).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The adapted Personnel Evaluation Standards appears to be valid and applicable for monitoring and continuous improvement of a faculty evaluation system in the context of medical universities in Iran. The approach developed here provides a more balanced assessment of multiple faculty roles, including educational, clinical and healthcare services. In order to address identified deficiencies, the evaluation system should recognize, document, and uniformly reward those activities that are vital to the academic mission. Inclusion of personal developmental concerns in the evaluation discussion is essential for evaluation systems.</p

POD Northeast Regional Conference

On May 29 and 30, the first POD Northeast Regional Conference took place at Northeastern University\u27s Warren Center in Ashland, Massachusetts. The main goal of the conference was to provide a forum for instructional, organizational, and personal development specialists from the region to share information on their recent work

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¿Qué Hacen los Mejores Maestros Universitarios

New directions for teaching and learning

Publ. comme no 78, summer 1999 de la revue New directions for teaching and learningBibliogr. à la fin des textesIndex: p. 111-11

New directions for teaching and learning

Publ. comme no 43, fall 1990 de la revue New directions for teaching and learningBibliogr. à la fin des textesIndex: p. 133-13

New directions for institutional research

Publ. comme no 109, spring 2001 de la revue New directions for institutional researchBibliogr. à la fin des textesIndex: p. 103-10

Promoting Dialogue and Action on Meta–Professional Skills, Roles, and Responsibilities

Collecting and using information about faculty skills can serve as an organizational development activity to guide faculty evaluation and professional development policy and practice with the goal of leading to improved teaching and learning. This chapter presents findings from a study with international, local, quantitative, and qualitative components. Readers are encouraged to explore data patterns and consider courses of action that these imply, and to reflect on the potential usefulness of the Meta-Profession model for furthering reflection, dialogue, and action on development and evaluation processes on their own campus

The Student Ratings Debate: Are They Valid? How Can We Best Use Them?

This volume of New Directions for Institutional Research is devoted to student ratings, a topic that continues to occupy a central role in post secondary education. Student ratings of instruction are widely used on college and university campuses in North America and increasingly throughout the world as sources of feedback on instructional effectiveness. They serve as tools for instructional improvement, as evidence for promotion and tenure decisions, as the means for student course selection, as one criterion of program effectiveness, and as the continuing focus of active research and intensive debate. The present volume offers a summary of key issues surrounding student ratings and some provocative suggestions for new directions for research and practice. Our hope is that it effectively blends the new with the old, that it provides an insightful and refreshing approach to the subject, that the consistency of the experts\u27 judgement is evidence of the clarity of the conclusions that can be drawn, and that the different emphases the contributors provide will prove useful in future research and practice