A Study on the Outcomes of Internal Evaluation on the Planning for Quality Improvement in Iranian Universities

This article studies the outcomes of internal evaluation (IE) implementation on the planning for the quality improvement (PQI) in the academic departments(ADs) of Iranian public universities affiliated to the ministry of science, research and technology. A random selection of the control and the test groups has been selected through all departments based on implementing or not implementing the IE from 2001 till 2006. The article concludes that the IE implementation in the departments of Iranian universities has influenced performing the “interactional model” of PQI. Although the rate and attributes of PQI are less predictable through implementing or not implementing the IE than the contextual status in the ADs. The FQI is affected by the following factor: i) Organizational culture/ Department climate, ii) Strategic consciousness in the department members, iii) The sphere of thinking and working together and the mutual trust, iv) The culture of evaluation and quality, and v) Social interactions of the department. This is the first impact study of IE in Iranian ADs, and its results have been compared with the findings of other researches in the world. The discussion indicates that the IE is more complex in the Humanities and Social Sciences than the Natural Sciences and Engineering Departments.