Internal evaluation and its contributions to improvement in the quality of higher education institutions

This article examines the effects of internal evaluation on higher education system, identifies its role in strengthening the institutional management, and surveys its use. The internal evaluation as a mechanism for defining the quality of inputs (students, faculty members, etc.), process (teaching, learning), and outputs (employment of· graduates, etc.) plays a vital role in higher education institutions. The internal evaluation of higher education makes it easier to identify major problems, to assess progress towards achievement of goals, and to devise appropriate programmes to increase efficiency and effectiveness. However, the assessment of quality depends on how such quality is defined. This matter is determined in some respect by individual judgments. In general, it is related to the extent to which the overall targets have been reached. The author draws a distinction- familiar in the general literature on performance measurements in higher education in particular - between the internal and external forms of evaluation, and surveys their use in a number of countries. Finally, a framework for the internal evaluation of higher education institutions - on the basis of general criteria needed for fulfilling the evaluative role - is presented in the article.