Valutare la qualità dei corsi di lifelong learning in America Latina Alcune riflessioni teoriche e metodologiche sul disegno valutativo utilizzato nel progetto AlfaIII Trall

Abstract

The article presents the structure of the evaluation design used in the project of international cooperation between Europe and Latin America called AlfaIII -Trall (Transatlantic Lifelong Learning. Rebalancing Relations). The design implemented meets the need to evaluate the quality of lifelong learning courses promoted by 14 Latin American universities, partners of the project, and aims to trigger virtuous circles of progressive improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness of the various training courses realized. Starting from the analysis of the theoretical and methodological framework that currently characterizes the field of educational evaluation research, the evaluation design of the Trall courses has gradually defined itself as a systemic "model", which aims to connect – from an ecological perspective - multiple indicators of the quality: input, in context, in the process, output. The evaluation design – built through discussion and sharing of many partners in the project – is also proposed as a system of formative and democratic evaluation, where the analysis of gathered information is an opportunity, within each university context, to achieve collective moments of intersubjective interpretation of data among the different training 'actors', to identify potential improvements  and to make democratic decisions about the redesign of the courses.