Monitoring and Evaluation of Higher Education in Islamic Republic of Iran

This study analyzes the monitoring and evaluation of higher education in the field of higher education development program, evaluation and monitoring procedures and standards, including the different actions taken by evaluation and monitoring agencies and association in Islamic Republic of Iran (governmental and nongovernmental). In an indirect process for determining the eligibility of higher education institutions to participate in state development higher education programs it has directed that institutions are eligible for participation if they meet two fundamental conditions: 1. Be able to evaluate, monitor, analyze and predict fundamental changes in science and technology in order to keep abreast of the global fundamental changes in science and technology. 2. Be able to develop priorities to plan and organize technological activities of the country to reengineer nationwide development of science and technology and to provide a sustainable structure for higher education developmental program. It emphasizes the choices made by monitoring and evaluation agencies at different times as how they would conduct evaluations and what standards they would use. This issues and circumstances are surrounding the initial development of evaluation and monitoring and major changes in procedure and standards. Also attention is given to some of the challenges that presently are posing for evaluation procedures as growing complexity, globalization and advances in instructional uses of electronic technology allow new forms of higher education provision to emerge. The existing policies need to be re-examined, and new policies be developed. While higher education innovations must be recognized, it is also true that monitoring agencies have greatly assisted their career. In this process monitoring agencies serve as a public brain system to advocate changes that will improve higher education practice.