Higher education curricular evaluation models: a Library Science perspective

Curricular evaluation carried out to enhance quality has been discussed widely over the last decade. Beyond the divergences in opinion regarding outcomes, curricular evaluation is a proven, efficient and effective practice for optimizing strengths in infrastructure within a given institution and identifying other opportunities in specific fields of academic development and research. In Mexico, the Comites Inter-institucionales para la Evaluacion de la Educacion Superior, (CIEES) (Inter-institutional Committees for Evaluating Higher Education) are charged with evaluating the curricula of more than 3,400 technical vocational schools and colleges at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The CIEES employs methodologies and strict assessment frameworks that are similar to the standards employed in scientific research. In Mexico, Library Science curricula have been subjected to the CIEES inter-institutional assessment processes. These efforts have resulted in substantial improvements in those programs submitted for review. Moreover most of these programs now enjoy independent recognition of their academic quality. Students learning within these curricula have benefited from improvements in the teaching, equipment and facilities, and from academic exchange programs. That most students have secured employment before graduation is ample evidence of the value of curricular evaluation efforts. This article shares the author's experiences in the unfolding process of curricular evaluation.