Receipt date: 09/15/2021 / Revision date: 01/14/2022 / Acceptance date: 07/27/2022

Introduction

The evaluation of the performance of teaching and modules (disciplines) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is similar to the evaluation of the performance of any professional in the various fields of action and in the various systems and production processes and in various other organizational aspects. It has a fundamental importance for the professional development of teachers and institutional growth, contributing to ensure the achievement of qualitative and quantitative objectives expected by students and HEIs.

Education professionals are nowadays under pressure from an increasingly competitive society that addresses Educational Institutions (HEIs), demanding results that are not only framed in a perspective of efficiency as a social control of the investment made. In fact, the current demand goes beyond this vision and the effectiveness of HEIs is expected to be hyper-efficiency, forming citizens endowed with a set of competencies and skills that allow them to do everything or almost everything. The apparent passage from the idea of the specialized individual to the idea of the individual specifically capable of doing many things is not so simple and involves another educational engineering, as far as formal education is concerned, the school. To understand this phenomenon, it is necessary to integrate the various factors involved in the formal educational process in a model of analysis that allows us, in complementary and successive approaches, to scrutinize the real and effective role that the various actors play in the process of curriculum development in the school (Nobre, 2015).

This study is driven by the need to know the assessment that the master's students of this institution make of the teaching and learning process in this module in reference but to strictly follow the evaluation indicators already foreseen. Although not formal, it is understood that practices of this nature can improve the teaching and learning process, especially in the 2nd cycle courses that are taught intensively. For the institution (Catholic University of Mozambique in Gurué) and the master's students, the evaluation will help in the accountability¹ of the work developed by the professor of the public management module, thus providing the managers of the institution and the master's students and other interested persons with a greater demand in the improvement of the work of this(ese) professional(s), so that the improvement of quality in the teaching process can be glimpsed.

Evaluation is an "increasingly indispensable scientific field and social practice for identifying, understanding, disseminating, and improving a wide range of problems affecting contemporary societies, such as the quality of education and teaching, health care delivery, resource distribution, and poverty" (Fernandes, 2006, p. 5).

For Hadji (1994), there is a consensus in the literature that evaluation is interested in collecting useful information, but the purposes for which the information is used constitute a point of divergence among various conceptions of educational evaluation. It is a dilemmatic process that becomes very complex when it comes to the evaluation of the performance of educational actors, "academic development in the case of students and professional development in the case of teachers and other personnel involved in educational practice" (p. 74).

In Caldas (2014), the purpose of evaluation is to improve the performance, accountability, and responsibility of teachers; to improve practices and procedures in educational institutions; to understand the experiences of those involved in a given social practice. The purposes are achieved, in general, with systematic or formal evaluations framed in a given theoretical model, but informal evaluations are also used, which exist among themselves and drive certain studies and reflections.

For Scriven (1994),

“Teacher evaluation is part of staff evaluation. Connections are made between all practice areas to link them together. The principles, approaches, and contents of student learning assessment need not be different from those we use in teacher evaluation, school evaluation, or program evaluation while safeguarding some contextual specificities. Some scientific communities deny the existence of a science of assessment (p. 7).”

In agreement with Scriven (1994), when he states that performance evaluation (PE) "is a difficult process to conceive and implement, and a complex social construction given the diversity of those involved in the process, and consequently the diversity of visions of teaching, of each educational institution, of education, or of the present society" (p.12). But PE can be a powerful process in the service of improving pedagogical quality and the quality of teachers' teaching, generating environments conducive to innovation, professional development, and improved student learning (Scriven, 1994).

In Teaching Institutions, teacher performance evaluation has been used to assess/verify the level of student satisfaction in relation to the subject content, the teacher's tasks, and the teaching and learning process (Santo & Santos, 2010).

According to Santo and Santos (2010), the teaching evaluation process can be based on the evaluations made by the students, the direction and pedagogical coordination of the course, and the self-evaluation of the teachers, using evaluation instruments in order to assess the teacher's work in the classroom (students' evaluation), the performance in the institution (direction and pedagogical coordination), and to analyze the teachers' perception of the work they develop in the classroom and in the institution (teachers' self-evaluation). For this research, the evaluation was carried out only by the students, which in some way can be configured as one of the limitations of this research.

It is perceived that performance evaluation is a mechanism or process that companies or organizations, including those of education, as in this case study, use to verify the level of execution of tasks by employees, with the purpose of achieving the previously mentioned indicators (constructivist perspective) and not necessarily with the objective of punishing employees.

In addition to this introductory note, the article includes methodological procedures, presentation, analysis and discussion of the results, and final considerations.

Methodological procedures

The quantitative approach was chosen to carry out the study. The questionnaire was used as the data collection tool. This approach is characterized by objectivity, probabilistic criteria for sample selection, structured instruments for data collection, and statistical techniques for data processing. The generalization of results is sought (Vergara, 2008).

In nature, the study is exploratory-descriptive. In exploratory research, it is possible to obtain familiarity with the problem, while the descriptive study allows the creation and structuring of specific ways of measuring information about the practices of a given group (Gil, 2010; Anderson, Black, Hair Jr.& Tathan, 2005). 

The research was conducted at UCM-Gurué, located in the province of Zambézia, central Mozambique, a private institution of higher education belonging to the Episcopal Conference of Mozambique, with headquarters in the city of Beira. The study population consisted of all students of the Master's Degree in Public Administration in the discipline of public management, with a total of 14, which in turn constituted the sample, considering the small number of the study population.

The data collection instrument was a questionnaire designed to meet the overall objective (to evaluate the teaching process of the Public Management Module). Sending the questionnaire prepared in Google Forms to the respondents was used to administer the questionnaire. Some questions were based on the Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5 with the following classification: (1) totally disagree; (2) partially disagree; (3) neither agree nor disagree (neutral); (4) partially agree; and (5) totally agree. Data processing was done through Google forms. 

One limitation was the narrowing of the data collection instrument, which left out some questions that respondents were to ask. The study has a minimal scope (Gurué Extension); however, it can be replicated in other courses in other educational institutions.

Presentation, analysis, and discussion of results

This part presents the results of the study. The results show that of the respondents, 57.1% are men and 42% are women, which highlights the predominance of men in the master's degree class in Public Administration taught at the Gurué Catholic University Extension. As can be seen in Graph 1.

Has the course (module) achieved its objective?

We sought to understand whether the module achieved the stated objectives, and all respondents indicated that it did. In other words, 100% of the respondents stated that the module achieved the objectives they had set. The responses to this question are summarized in Figure 2.

Has the established program been fully developed?

Regarding compliance with the established syllabus, all respondents responded positively. That is, all 14 respondents, with a weight of 100%, were unanimous in stating that the subject syllabus was fully complied with. Graph 3 shows the responses on the aforementioned topic.

Was the practical approach sufficient?

When asked if the practical approach was sufficient for learning, all 14 students responded that yes, it was sufficient. In this practical approach, the discussion forums and the privilege of the student-centered methodology, which provides a space for debates and discussion of ideas and points of view, stand out. Graph 4 shows the results on the practical approach of the course. This result agrees with the statements of Caldas (2014), who reasoned that each teacher should create their own learning environments as a personal task; should induce strategic thinking in students through different activities; should develop the ability to issue personal opinions; should implement group/team work and project development; should encourage the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs); should accept criticism and alternative opinions from students; should share work and experiences; should engage and monitor innovative projects.

Were the resources used adequate?

On the adequacy of the resources used in the teaching process, 7.7% of the participants in the study said they partially agreed, and 92.3% of the respondents said they fully agreed, i.e., they stated that the resources used were adequate. As advocated by Souza (2007), "the didactic resources used in the classroom should help students in the future to deepen, apply their knowledge, and produce others from it" (P. 113). Silva, Soares, Alves, and Santos (2012) argue that, for this to happen, it is necessary for the teacher to give significance to the content being taught, showing the student practical applications of the content in their daily life, so that, from a scientific perspective, they can interfere in their environment in a positive and conscious way, thus characterizing meaningful learning. 

Figure 5 presents the results on the adequacy of the resources applied.

Performance of master's students in the course module

When asked if the students considered their performance to be good, 38.5% said that their performance was partially good, and 61.5% said that they totally agreed with their performance. In view of these results, it can be stated that the Master's students assume a good use of the course. It should be noted that this question was answered by 13 master's students.

Do you think you will be able to apply the knowledge acquired during the course in your professional practice?

Regarding the applicability of the knowledge acquired in the course, 13 master's students answered that they fully agree that the knowledge acquired will be very useful in their professional activities, and 1 did not answer this question. However, knowledge in itself is not enough to guarantee its use (application). For knowledge to acquire social relevance and respond to the needs of the organization, the commitment of both its holders (in this case the master's students) and stakeholders, such as public managers, is necessary. From the holders, in the sense of transforming this knowledge into practical and useful applications for society, and from public managers, as well as other interested institutions, in the sense of planning and evaluating the formulation of programs to operate the social use of the knowledge produced (Marteleto, 2009).

As can be seen in Figure 6.

Was the teacher clear and objective in his or her presentation of the subject?

Regarding clarity and objectivity in the presentation of the topics, all 13 respondents indicated that there was clarity and objectivity. In the teaching and learning process, it is important to have clarity and objectivity in the presentation of topics to facilitate understanding. Graph 7 shows the results of this questionnaire.

Was the teacher skilled in the use of teaching methods and techniques?

Of the 13 respondents to this question, 7.7% (1 respondent) said they partially agreed with the statement, and 92.3% said they strongly agreed with the statement that the teacher had skills in using teaching methods and techniques. Figure 8 presents the responses:

The teacher has demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter

When asked if the teacher showed mastery of the subject matter, of the 14 respondents, 13 categorically (strongly agree) stated yes, and 1 person did not answer the question.

What could be improved in the programmatic contents of the module?

We tried to understand what could be improved in the program contents of this module. 11.1% answered that they would like to incorporate topics with a legal basis (more grounding in law), 55.6% answered that they would like to study Mozambican public management and not general management as it currently appears in the contents and because of the time of the Master's modules, it is sometimes difficult to create spaces for more debates on the historical evolution of national public management. Another 11.1% said they would like the module to incorporate field activities, and finally the remaining 22.2% pointed to contents linked to the decentralization models underway in the country. It is important to note that of the 14, only 9 responded to this question.

General comments on the teaching process and the class of the Public Management module 2021

This question was intended to provide a space for master's students to comment on the teaching of the module in question. It was found that aspects related to time (1 month), digital literacy (use of digital platforms), and Internet quality had a negative influence on this process, as can be seen in the speeches of some respondents.

Respondent 1 (R1). "The programmatic contents were broad. This is because it was possible to make a triangulation in a brief way, between other realities, the Mozambican reality, and our vision (students/observers/curious). Otherwise, a little more time would be necessary to allow the reduction of our degree of abstraction and open space for a perfect fit between science and our current reality because it was all very rushed. A less important fact that deserves to be highlighted is precisely the dynamism of the professor, who made the classes basically interactive. Our biggest enemy was the oscillation of the Internet, which unfortunately is a reality not attributable to any of the participants in this teaching and learning process, but not for that reason, we lost the rhythm because it is a reality imposed by the pandemic."

"I suggest that group classes be extended to Saturdays" (R2).

R3. "The module was well presented; the professor was really well prepared to moderate the contents; I was able to achieve the objectives of the module; I learned a lot about what it is to be a good manager both public and private; what I can do to work with a team and achieve the expected results in both public and private organization."

"The chair of Public Management certainly constituted the expectation that I will make use of in the exercise of my duties in the workplace. The classes were interactive between the students and the professor" (R4).

Concluding remarks

From the results, it can be concluded that the evaluation of the professor and the module by the students of the master's degree is positive. Respondents indicated that the contents were clear and objective, that there was assimilation of knowledge, and that they could apply it in their professional activities. Weaknesses pointed to poor digital literacy of master's students, poor internet, and environments not conducive to online studies as factors for improvement. As mentioned above, the study is applicable internally and in one course and one module, and it can be replicated for other realities. The data collection instrument was limited and limiting, and another one could be made capable of incorporating more questions also in future research. Comparisons of disciplines and the use of evaluation indicators already identified in the various literatures can be made and include the evaluation of the management of the course or educational institution.

¹ Accountability process (one of the topics covered in this discipline).

Referencias

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