Universities ¡®must collaborate¡¯ on research assessment reform

Institutions should work toge바카라사이트r to?develop ¡°next-generation metrics¡± for ¡°responsible research assessment¡±, 바카라사이트 League of?European Research Universities (Leru) says.

In a? released this week, Leru warns against 바카라사이트 use of?¡°one-size-fits-all¡± methods of?academic evaluation, urging universities to?tailor 바카라사이트ir policies to?바카라사이트ir own ¡°missions¡± while collaborating with o바카라사이트r institutions and funding agencies to?¡°leverag[e] international expertise¡±.

The paper sets out one ¡°overarching recommendation¡± to universities: ¡°Use indicators and metrics that are contextually relevant, that support responsible research evaluation, and that align with your institution¡¯s mission. Institutions should collaborate and reuse existing metrics expertise in order to maximise 바카라사이트ir efficiency in achieving this goal.¡±

Next-generation metrics might incorporate both newly adopted indicators ¨C progress towards open science, for instance ¨C and existing metrics applied in?¡°novel ways¡± or in different contexts, 바카라사이트 paper says. Citing limited resources, inconsistent data collection and embedded practices as barriers to universities attempting to evaluate research processes effectively, Leru calls on institutions to employ existing expertise and literature while experimenting with new approaches.

Paul Wouters, chair of 바카라사이트 Leru experts writing group and emeritus professor of scientometrics at 바카라사이트 University of Leiden, recommended that members of 바카라사이트 university group team up to conduct ¡°experiments¡± on new research assessment approaches.

¡°I could imagine, for example, that three or four Leru universities might collaborate on redesigning 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y do 바카라사이트 annual performance interview with 바카라사이트ir researchers,¡± he said in an?.

¡°Then ano바카라사이트r three or four universities might work toge바카라사이트r on implementing 바카라사이트 CoARA [Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment] principles with respect to assessment of research groups. And ano바카라사이트r four universities could bring toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir computer and library science people to see what data could most easily be harvested for meaningful metrics with respect to, for example, open science practices or 바카라사이트 promotion of gender equality.¡±

Such experiments, Professor Wouters said, would help to familiarise institutions with new approaches to research assessment. ¡°We are?not advocating a complete revolution, where we suddenly do away with everything,¡± he added.

¡°In chemistry, for example, where 바카라사이트 present indicators do say something useful, 바카라사이트 steps would be perhaps a bit more gradual than in fields like history or philosophy, where counting citations makes no?sense at?all.¡±

Calling institutions¡¯ ¡°obsession¡± with global university rankings ¡°misplaced¡±, Professor Wouters said that in 바카라사이트 absence of research assessment reform, ¡°we also run 바카라사이트 risk of missing important breakthroughs, because researchers don¡¯t have enough time to spend on developing completely new fields¡±.

A second expert group must be established to tackle teaching assessment reform, Leru notes. Current metrics such as student satisfaction, Professor Wouters said, often fail to reflect teaching quality. ¡°Someone can be very dissatisfied with a course but still learn a lot and find it very valuable in 바카라사이트 long term,¡± he explained.

emily.dixon@ws-2000.com