Evaluación y acreditación de la educación superior en Ecuador: La Universidad de Cuenca como caso de estudio

Abstract

This work is framed in the field of studies on Higher Education and particularly, on evaluation and accreditation policies in Latin America, focusing on Ecuador. Particularly, the study was developed with the purpose of understanding the different aspects that structured the institutional evaluation and accreditation process in the University of Cuenca between 2013-2017. For this purpose, a qualitative approach was used as a methodological strategy, relying on the tradition of case studies with emphasis on politics; based on the understanding that implementation processes and institutional changes constitute a privileged subject of analysis. Documentary and bibliographic analysis and literature review were used as a strategy for information gathering, as well as 12 in-depth interviews with strategic actors who intervened in the process. The study reveals that the University of Cuenca discovers in the political will of its au- thorities, the commitment and involvement of its university community, as well as the review and organization of its processes, the best strategies to face the institutional evaluation and accreditation processes.