Internal Evaluation in the Higher Education System: A Case Study in Iran

This paper aims to report on the implementation of internal evaluation in the departments of the college of human sciences (theology, Persian language and literature, and accounting and economics) in Ilam University, Iran, in order to improve educational quality. This paper points out the findings obtained from a case study of implementing internal evaluation, encompassing 12 steps, in the departments of a university in Iran. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to collect data from the heads, faculty members, students, alumni, and library staff of the departments, as well as the immediate managers of the alumni. The methods of data collection included interviews, group discussions, questionnaires, and checklists. The results of the study show that two departments, Theology and Persian Language and Literature, were desirable in terms of the quality of the seven criteria under evaluation (department management and structure, faculty members, students, alumni, teaching and learning processes, implemented courses, equipment and resources of libraries), and the Department of Accounting and Economics was quite desirable in this respect. The study also indicated that there were differences among the departments in terms of the quality of the factors under evaluation.