SELF-EVALUATION IN THE INSTITUTE OF EDAPHOLOGY: AN ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE

摘要

Self-evaluation is considered one of the ways to reach institutional improvement. This institutional evaluation strategy is characterizad by self-reflection, organisational actor participation, peer review and prospective analysis. As a consequence of self-evaluation processes, it is possible to generate more and better knowledge about institutions as well as organisational learning processes. Knowing the organisation's strengths and weaknesses make it possible to start and conduct changes in academic and administrative programmes, in order to increase academic quality and the social pertinence of Higher Education Institutions. Within this conceptual framework, the process of self-evaluation in the Institute the Edaphology was developed. This paper describes the entire process: objectives, phases, the methodological approach, data gathering instruments and results. During the process, the conceptual and axiological framework of the Institute's research activities, during the last ten years, were examined as well as the productivity, quality and social pertinence of the investigation carried out by Institute researchers. In addition, organisational culture characteristics were established. The study allowed us to detect problems in the Instiute's organisational structure and its institutional potencial so as to become a leader in its research field. Furthermore, the self-evaluation process itself and its implications were analysed in order to establish its strenghts and weaknesses and the benefits obtained from it, not only for the Institute but also to the Universidad Central de Venezuela.