Homo academicus and the adding machine: university professors and quantitative evaluation of academic merit

This article analyzes the process of quantification of academic merit. The case of the Metropolitan Autonomous University (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), which was a global forerunner in the use of quantitative evaluation methods for professors, is examined in depth. Data was obtained by exami...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Vera, Héctor
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:México
Institución:UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTÓNOMA DE MÉXICO
Repositorio:Perfiles Educativos
Idioma:español
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.pkp.sfu.ca:article/58107
Acceso en línea:https://perfileseducativos.unam.mx/iisue_pe/index.php/perfiles/article/view/58107
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Evaluación cuantitativa
Universidades
Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana
Profesores
Administración universitaria
Quantitative evaluation
Universities
Metropolitan Autonomous University
Professors
University administration
Descripción
Sumario:This article analyzes the process of quantification of academic merit. The case of the Metropolitan Autonomous University (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana), which was a global forerunner in the use of quantitative evaluation methods for professors, is examined in depth. Data was obtained by examining the listing tables employed by the university to quantity academic products, and by semi-structured interviews and a voluntary survey among full time professors. The article details the changes in the instruments of evaluation used by the university and the impact that those have had on faculty performance. It also describes how quantitative evaluations allow university administrators to legitimate the evaluations and facilitate the comparability of the evaluated subjects; on the other hand, quantitative evaluations let faculty commensurate their different academic products and give them certainty about the possible outcomes of the evaluation process.