Data management unit and critical indicators for institutional performance evaluation

Defining quality in higher education is not trivial, since the concept of quality itself can have different meanings in different contexts. Despite the conceptual and methodological flaws that involve university rankings, they are a reality and have come to stay. They need data on the most diverse dimensions of university life, but the lack of specific metrics and the measurement of impacts themselves are enormous challenges. The purpose of this work is to discuss the conceptual bases for a unified data management system among federal institutions of higher education (IFES in Portuguese). We suggest the creation of intelligence units capable of ensuring and deepening institutional self-knowledge through the monitoring of indicators and dissemination of data to support the permanent and necessary dialogue within and, mainly, extra walls. To this end, we discuss two fundamental aspects: the importance of governance and the intrinsic operational aspects of a data management unit at each IFES. Concerning governance, we discuss the mission and role of the actors involved; and regarding operationalization, we discuss the definition of concepts, the instruments of data collection and analysis, the creation of critical indicators and the dissemination of information. The IFES already collect, store and provide structured institutional data to several auditing and funding agencies. However, the dispersal of sources and formats, incompleteness and temporal discontinuity and the lack of structuring of data in the different systems limit their interoperability. The establishment of a unit that promotes the curation and processing of strategic data based on autonomy and fast and simple access to the information is, therefore, fundamental.

Automated summary

Defining quality in higher education is complex and university rankings, despite their flaws, are an unavoidable reality. The establishment of a unified data management system among IFES is crucial for institutional self-awareness and fostering communication both within and outside the walls. Governance and operational aspects are key to building this system.