Abstract:

Assessment of higher education institutions is systemic process that uses empirical data to evaluate the study programs and to improve student learning. The aim of the assessment is not only to evaluate the scientific outcomes and compare it with other institutions, but also to increase universities’ accountability to the public.

In Slovakia the Academic Ranking and Rating Agency (ARRA) systematically evaluates research and educational performance of higher education institutions. ARRA selected a number of indicators and classified them into five groups: teachers and students, applications for study, publications and citations, PhD. studies and grant successes. ARRA’s evaluation of research and educational performance is based on a system of relative assessment scale which uses the highest value of indicators as a benchmark. The total score of evaluated faculty is given by the average number of points for all five groups.

In our paper we use data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the efficiency of selected faculties in 2015. We compare results obtained by DEA analysis with the results of ARRA assessment. The DEA approach is more flexible than system of relative assessment scale because it specifies the optimal weights of indicators for each evaluated faculty. As a result, it identifies the set of faculties that are performing efficiently. Moreover, for each faculty that is not in this efficient set, the so–called target values are also calculated: the values of the indicators that the faculty should achieve in order to get into the efficient set.

Keywords:

DEA analysis, Assessment of higher education institutions, Efficiency.