0000342937 00000 n Productive interactions, which can perhaps be viewed as instances of knowledge exchange, are widely valued and supported internationally as mechanisms for enabling impact and are often supported financially for example by Canadas Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, which aims to support knowledge exchange (financially) with a view to enabling long-term impact. 8. 2007). There has been a drive from the UK government through Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Research Councils (HM Treasury 2004) to account for the spending of public money by demonstrating the value of research to tax payers, voters, and the public in terms of socio-economic benefits (European Science Foundation 2009), in effect, justifying this expenditure (Davies Nutley, and Walter 2005; Hanney and Gonzlez-Block 2011). Hb```f``e`c`Tgf@ aV(G Ldw0p)}c4Amff0`U.q$*6mS,T",?*+DutQZ&vO T4]2rBWrL.7bs/lcx&-SbiDEQ&. The first attempt globally to comprehensively capture the socio-economic impact of research across all disciplines was undertaken for the Australian Research Quality Framework (RQF), using a case study approach. Systems need to be able to capture links between and evidence of the full pathway from research to impact, including knowledge exchange, outputs, outcomes, and interim impacts, to allow the route to impact to be traced. 1.3. In endeavouring to assess or evaluate impact, a number of difficulties emerge and these may be specific to certain types of impact. Definition of Evaluation by Different Authors Tuckman: Evaluation is a process wherein the parts, processes, or outcomes of a programme are examined to see whether they are satisfactory, particularly with reference to the stated objectives of the programme our own expectations, or our own standards of excellence. Many times . Evaluation of impact in terms of reach and significance allows all disciplines of research and types of impact to be assessed side-by-side (Scoble et al. 0000004692 00000 n The definition problem in evaluation has been around for decades (as early as Carter, 1971), and multiple definitions of evaluation have been offered throughout the years (see Table 1 for some examples). 0000348082 00000 n Gathering evidence of the links between research and impact is not only a challenge where that evidence is lacking. In designing systems and tools for collating data related to impact, it is important to consider who will populate the database and ensure that the time and capability required for capture of information is considered. As part of this review, we aim to explore the following questions: What are the reasons behind trying to understand and evaluate research impact? This raises the questions of whether UK business and industry should not invest in the research that will deliver them impacts and who will fund basic research if not the government? This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Measurement assessment and evaluation also enables educators to measure the skills, knowledge, beliefs, and attitude of the learners. When considering the impact that is generated as a result of research, a number of authors and government recommendations have advised that a clear definition of impact is required (Duryea, Hochman, and Parfitt 2007; Grant et al. different things to different people, and it is primarily a function of the application, as will be seen in the following. , . To allow comparisons between institutions, identifying a comprehensive taxonomy of impact, and the evidence for it, that can be used universally is seen to be very valuable. It is concerned with both the evaluation of achievement and its enhancement. Even where we can evidence changes and benefits linked to our research, understanding the causal relationship may be difficult. Enhancing Impact. The Payback Framework systematically links research with the associated benefits (Scoble et al. Thalidomide has since been found to have beneficial effects in the treatment of certain types of cancer. % What is the Difference between Formative and Summative Evaluation through Example? The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of 3D rendering of the mandibular condylar region obtained from different semi-automatic segmentation methodology. The current definition of health, formulated by the WHO, is no longer adequate for dealing with the new challenges in health care systems. evaluation of these different kinds of evaluands. There are a couple of types of authorship to be aware of. Published by Oxford University Press. From 2014, research within UK universities and institutions will be assessed through the REF; this will replace the Research Assessment Exercise, which has been used to assess UK research since the 1980s. It is time-intensive to both assimilate and review case studies and we therefore need to ensure that the resources required for this type of evaluation are justified by the knowledge gained. Throughout history, the activities of a university have been to provide both education and research, but the fundamental purpose of a university was perhaps described in the writings of mathematician and philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1929). If impact is short-lived and has come and gone within an assessment period, how will it be viewed and considered? This involves gathering and interpreting information about student level of attainment of learning goals., 2. 2007; Grant et al. 5. Assessment refers to a related series of measures used to determine a complex attribute of an individual or group of individuals. 0000342958 00000 n We take a more focused look at the impact component of the UK Research Excellence Framework taking place in 2014 and some of the challenges to evaluating impact and the role that systems might play in the future for capturing the links between research and impact and the requirements we have for these systems. The Value of Public Sector R&D, Assessing impacts of higher education systems, National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, Through a Glass, Darkly: Measuring the Social Value of Universities, Describing the Impact of Health Research: A Research Impact Framework, LSE Public Policy Group. 0000007307 00000 n One of the advantages of this method is that less input is required compared with capturing the full route from research to impact. These metrics may be used in the UK to understand the benefits of research within academia and are often incorporated into the broader perspective of impact seen internationally, for example, within the Excellence in Research for Australia and using Star Metrics in the USA, in which quantitative measures are used to assess impact, for example, publications, citation, and research income. The Author 2013. It is important to emphasize that Not everyone within the higher education sector itself is convinced that evaluation of higher education activity is a worthwhile task (Kelly and McNicoll 2011). "Evaluation is a process of judging the value of something by certain appraisal." Characteristics of evaluation in Education Below are some of the characteristics of evaluation in education, Continuous Process Comprehensive Child-Centered Cooperative Process Common Practice Teaching Methods Multiple Aspects Continuous Process only one author attempts to define evaluation. Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning. To understand the socio-economic value of research and subsequently inform funding decisions. Any information on the context of the data will be valuable to understanding the degree to which impact has taken place. Scriven (2007:2) synthesised the definition of evaluation which appears in most dictionaries and the professional literature, and defined evaluation as "the process of determining merit, worth, or significance; an evaluation is a product of that process." . For example, following the discovery of a new potential drug, preclinical work is required, followed by Phase 1, 2, and 3 trials, and then regulatory approval is granted before the drug is used to deliver potential health benefits. Assessment refers to the process of collecting information that reflects the performance of a student, school, classroom, or an academic system based on a set of standards, learning criteria, or curricula. Authors from Asia, Europe, and Latin America provide a series of in-depth investigations into how concepts of . Organizations may be interested in reviewing and assessing research impact for one or more of the aforementioned purposes and this will influence the way in which evaluation is approached. The RQF pioneered the case study approach to assessing research impact; however, with a change in government in 2007, this framework was never implemented in Australia, although it has since been taken up and adapted for the UK REF. As Donovan (2011) comments, Impact is a strong weapon for making an evidence based case to governments for enhanced research support. Indicators were identified from documents produced for the REF, by Research Councils UK, in unpublished draft case studies undertaken at Kings College London or outlined in relevant publications (MICE Project n.d.). In the UK, the Russell Group Universities responded to the REF consultation by recommending that no time lag be put on the delivery of impact from a piece of research citing examples such as the development of cardiovascular disease treatments, which take between 10 and 25 years from research to impact (Russell Group 2009). RAND selected four frameworks to represent the international arena (Grant et al. Definitions of Performance Appraisal - By McGregor and Dale Beach . In 200910, the REF team conducted a pilot study for the REF involving 29 institutions, submitting case studies to one of five units of assessment (in clinical medicine, physics, earth systems and environmental sciences, social work and social policy, and English language and literature) (REF2014 2010). 0000001325 00000 n The basic purpose of both measurement assessment and evaluation is to determine the needs of all the learners. In the Brunel model, depth refers to the degree to which the research has influenced or caused change, whereas spread refers to the extent to which the change has occurred and influenced end users. The risk of relying on narratives to assess impact is that they often lack the evidence required to judge whether the research and impact are linked appropriately. Definitions of Evaluation ( by different authors) According to Hanna- "The process of gathering and interpreted evidence changes in the behavior of all students as they progress through school is called evaluation". working paper). The university imparts information, but it imparts it imaginatively. However, there has been recognition that this time window may be insufficient in some instances, with architecture being granted an additional 5-year period (REF2014 2012); why only architecture has been granted this dispensation is not clear, when similar cases could be made for medicine, physics, or even English literature. 0000008241 00000 n The Economic and Social Benefits of HRB-funded Research, Measuring the Economic and Social Impact of the Arts: A Review, Research Excellence Framework Impact Pilot Exercise: Findings of the Expert Panels, Assessment Framework and Guidance on Submissions, Research Impact Evaluation, a Wider Context. In the majority of cases, a number of types of evidence will be required to provide an overview of impact. Table 1 summarizes some of the advantages and disadvantages of the case study approach. For example, the development of a spin out can take place in a very short period, whereas it took around 30 years from the discovery of DNA before technology was developed to enable DNA fingerprinting. Professor James Ladyman, at the University of Bristol, a vocal adversary of awarding funding based on the assessment of research impact, has been quoted as saying that inclusion of impact in the REF will create selection pressure, promoting academic research that has more direct economic impact or which is easier to explain to the public (Corbyn 2009). Capturing data, interactions, and indicators as they emerge increases the chance of capturing all relevant information and tools to enable researchers to capture much of this would be valuable. Wigley (1988, p 21) defines it as "a data reduction process that involves the . The first category includes approaches that promote invalid or incomplete findings (referred to as pseudoevaluations), while the other three include approaches that agree, more or less, with the definition (i.e., Questions and/or Methods- Impact is derived not only from targeted research but from serendipitous findings, good fortune, and complex networks interacting and translating knowledge and research. This is particularly recognized in the development of new government policy where findings can influence policy debate and policy change, without recognition of the contributing research (Davies et al. A Review of International Practice, HM Treasury, Department for Education and Skills, Department of Trade and Industry, Yes, Research can Inform Health Policy; But can we Bridge the Do-Knowing its been Done Gap?, Council for Industry and Higher Education, UK Innovation Research Centre. This transdisciplinary way of thinking about evaluation provides a constant source of innovative ideas for improving how we evaluate. Recommendations from the REF pilot were that the panel should be able to extend the time frame where appropriate; this, however, poses difficult decisions when submitting a case study to the REF as to what the view of the panel will be and whether if deemed inappropriate this will render the case study unclassified. Why should this be the case? Also called evaluative writing, evaluative essay or report, and critical evaluation essay . The University and College Union (University and College Union 2011) organized a petition calling on the UK funding councils to withdraw the inclusion of impact assessment from the REF proposals once plans for the new assessment of university research were released. Impact is not static, it will develop and change over time, and this development may be an increase or decrease in the current degree of impact. However, the Achilles heel of any such attempt, as critics suggest, is the creation of a system that rewards what it can measure and codify, with the knock-on effect of directing research projects to deliver within the measures and categories that reward. Dennis Atsu Dake. %PDF-1.3 Perhaps the most extended definition of evaluation has been supplied by C.E.Beeby (1977). In this article, we draw on a broad range of examples with a focus on methods of evaluation for research impact within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The verb evaluate means to form an idea of something or to give a judgment about something. 0000001883 00000 n For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription. What are the methodologies and frameworks that have been employed globally to assess research impact and how do these compare? From an international perspective, this represents a step change in the comprehensive nature to which impact will be assessed within universities and research institutes, incorporating impact from across all research disciplines. In developing the UK REF, HEFCE commissioned a report, in 2009, from RAND to review international practice for assessing research impact and provide recommendations to inform the development of the REF. There are standardized tests involved in the process of measurement assessment and evaluation to enable the students to make better use of the data available in the daily classroom. Other approaches to impact evaluation such as contribution analysis, process tracing, qualitative comparative analysis, and theory-based evaluation designs (e.g., Stern, Stame, Mayne, Forss, & Befani, 2012) do not necessarily employ explicit counterfactual logic for causal inference and do not introduce observation-based definitions.

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