Arvioinnit ammattikorkeakoulujen ja yliopistojen kehittämisen tukena
Keywords:
Evaluation, universities of applied sciences, enhancement led evaluation, impactAbstract
The purpose of national evaluations of higher education institutions is to support the development of universities of applied sciences and universities. This article examines the methods used in the-matic evaluations of higher education institutions and their impact on developing universities of applied sciences and universities. The theoretical framework of the article comprises the principles of enhancementled evaluation put forward in the field of evaluation research, which are juxtaposed with the objectives of national evaluation activities. The higher education institutions’ views of the impact of evaluations are examined on the basis of feedback received from higher education institutions having taken part in thematic evaluations. In the feedback collected by the Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council, the higher education institutions reflected upon the effectiveness of the manner in which the evaluations were conducted and the impact of evaluation methods and reporting on supporting the development of higher education institutions. The article aims to produce a metaevaluation of the implementation of thematic evaluations and use it to highlight the strengths and development areas of the evaluation methods. Finally, the article discusses ways in which national evaluation activities could in the future better meet expectations related to the impact and usability of evaluations.
