Institutional assessment and improvement of educational quality at three private universities in Argentina

Abstract

This article studies the changes produced in the educational quality of private universities in Argentina and their connection with the institutional assessment process. It is a qualitative research with a descriptive-evaluative focus based on the study of comparative cases. A documentary analysis was performed of self-assessment reports and external assessments of three universities that carried out their institutional assessment from 2000-2005 and in 2011 semi-structured interviews with the rectors were implemented. The article underlines the impact produced by graduate course accreditation processes required by the government that motivated the universities to accelerate the processes to improve the educational quality in order to comply with the established standards.