Concepedia

Abstract

Abstract Latin America does not have a tradition of higher education evaluation. However, several countries are exploring quality assurance processes, some of which include external monitoring. The case of Chile is becoming a reference in this respect in the 1990s. The article focuses on the main effects or impact of external evaluation and validation procedures on institutional improvement that are in progress. Particularly, the compulsory ‘new private’ university accreditation as well as the ‘traditional and State‐supported’ University of Concepción auto‐evaluation processes are discussed. So far, an overall balance shows positive effects and signs that changes in the ‘institutional culture’ are occurring.