University Performance Evaluation: The Business Of Research

Abstract

The study examines the impact of national research assessment exercises for the visual arts discipline in a university structure. It encompasses issues of evaluation, benchmarking, performance management, performance indicators and explanatory factors. We find that whilst the definition of research is broad enough to include most of the activities of visual arts academia. The actual operationalisation of the measurement models may well exclude many current activities. The need to clearly demonstrate quality peer review is the largest hurdle. Analysis is also made of the impact of a ‘national research quality assessment exercise’ such as the New Zealand and UK initiatives (Tertiary Education Commission. 2004; RAE, 2001). Whilst visual arts academia research performance activity was ranked low in both countries, we find that their position on the need for quality and peer assessment offers a potentially broader and more accurate depiction of activity. Obtaining a balanced broader assessment of both traditional performance measures such as research publications along with the more creative elements of visual arts such as exhibitions is paramount.

The national assessment exercises show that visual arts academics are struggling to compete with their academic brethren in other disciplines. We argue the need for national assessment exercises engenders an acceptable peer review system to better assess their broad research activities for non-traditional areas. We also make calls for more research presentation training for the visual arts discipline to assist them in the recognition of quality research productivity. The implementation of a national research assessment system which focuses more on quality output and outcome measures instead of input measures such as research income will engender this debate.