FOLEC Virtual Seminar on Scientific Evaluation: a space for reflection and learning in full development
The Virtual Seminar of the School for Evaluators, organized by CLACSO through the Latin American Forum for Scientific Evaluation (FOLEC), has begun, establishing itself as a key space for rethinking and transforming academic evaluation practices. This initiative, with a strong focus on strengthening South-South cooperation, seeks to critically review current tools and perspectives on scientific evaluation, and features a top-tier faculty.
With 650 participants from over 20 countries in the region, this FOLEC initiative has been a resounding success. CLACSO's conviction regarding the need to discuss and reformulate scientific evaluation systems led them to offer this seminar free of charge. It is hoped that this training will have a positive impact on higher education institutions and science and technology centers throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, fostering a significant shift in evaluation approaches.
The seminar began with an inaugural lecture by Judith Naidorf and Karina Batthyány and has continued with two in-depth sessions. In the second lecture, Dr. Fernanda Beigel addressed "Evaluative Cultures, Excellence, Quality, and the Legitimacy Crisis of Scientific Evaluation," discussing key concepts such as merit, prestige, and the challenges of the internationalization of science. The third lecture, given by Dr. Saray Córdoba González, focused on "Evaluation and Open Science," exploring the policies and infrastructures related to this emerging trend. This week (October 14, 2024), Dr. Armando Alcántara Santuario will address "Responsible, Situated, and Relevant Evaluation."
The seminar will continue exploring crucial topics for contemporary scientific evaluation, such as the performative nature of evaluation, the need to deconstruct notions of excellence and quality, the social relevance of research, and the impact of its application. Other topics include the participation of non-academic stakeholders, technological and social transfer, geographical equity, the use of bibliometric indicators, and the quantitative-qualitative debate in academic evaluation.
Among the upcoming instructors are renowned specialists such as Dante Castillo Guajardo, Judith Sutz, Ismael Rafols, Arianna Becerril García, Alberto Riella, and Juan Piovani, who will delve into these fundamental topics. With this approach, the seminar seeks to create a critical and proactive space that contributes to the development of a fairer, more contextualized evaluation system aligned with the realities and needs of the Global South.
