INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL EVALUATION OF FRENCH UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Bologna process, which launched numerous structural reforms in higher education in France, also induced significant quality assurance changes in its higher education institutions. The French educational quality assurance system has undergone many different transformations over the last decade. The article analyses the evolution of the internal and external evaluation and institutions in charge of evaluating (The National Committee for the evaluation of public institutions of a scientific, cultural and professional nature; The Evaluation Agency for Research and Higher Education; The High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education) in France over the last few decades. The author provides a detailed look of the internal and external quality assurance identifying their strengths and weaknesses. Considering the debates about internal and external quality control, it is evident that both government and higher education institutions recognize importance of these assessments. Internal and external evaluations have their varied uses. On the one hand, external evaluation continues to be the key means of quality assurance in France as it is the main source of independent evaluation of institutions, research units, higher education programs and degrees. On the other hand, internal evaluation carried out by the educational institution is implemented with the intention to teach universities not to conceal their shortcomings, but to promote their elimination by recognition.