Evaluation

Hcéres reinforces its integrated evaluation system

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At the launch of its new evaluation campaign for 2018-2019 (Group E), the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (Hcéres) restated its objective of carrying out coherent overall evaluations of clusters and those of their institutions that are subject to evaluation.

The integrated evaluation system is organised in two phases

A strong focus of the Hcéres 2016-2020 strategic plan, the structuring of the integrated evaluation of clusters and their institutions is being pursued in Group E. This system, which involves Hcéres’ four evaluation departments and the Science and Technology Observatory (OST), is henceforth based on two successive phases:

  • an evaluation phase with the production of evaluation reports for each institution evaluated within the cluster;

  • a phase compiling these evaluations for each of the three aspects of clusters: Institutions, Research and Study Programmes. This phase culminates in the production of a final integrated evaluation summary report including the bibliometric analysis carried out by the OST.

The objective of this system, whose cornerstone is the evaluation of the cluster’s strategy, is to focus evaluations more on the ability of the evaluated institution to implement its strategy adequately. The requirements relating to self-evaluation are thus strengthened.

Evaluation standards revised and completed 

Hcéres has completed its methodological documentation by publishing a new standard for external evaluation specific to research bodies. The standards dedicated to clusters and to institutions more precisely reflect the fundamentals of institutional evaluation, focused on the implementation of the institution’s strategic project.

In the field of study programmes, we are continuing to simplify the evaluation process and the investigation phase of accrediting the study programme provision of an institution is being consolidated. Introduced during the previous campaign, this phase reinforces the evaluation of study programmes by having the experts visit the institution and ends with an opinion on accreditation of the study programme provision.

The standard for the evaluation of research units has been enriched with guidelines on the evaluation of research activities and their products, written by sub-field in consultation with the communities concerned.

These developments, taken together, contribute to highlighting regional dynamics in terms of higher education and research.

FURTHER INFORMATION: 

The 2018-2019 evaluation campaign (Group E) concerns the clusters and institutions in the Paris and Hauts de France regions.