The aim of this paper is to develop knowledge about assessments of educational expertise within a specific evaluation practice, connected to appointment processes when hiring senior lecturers after a public posting at a Swedish university. The paper draws on an evaluation perspective, suggesting that these assessments of educational expertise are part of an evaluation practice (Scriven, 2003). Further, educational expertise should be understood as an aspect of academic proficiency, discursively constructed in peer reviewers’ written statements.

Evaluating peers, commonly known as peer review, on the basis of academic proficiency is a common task undertaken by faculty members. The different contexts within which these tasks are performed have increased in importance and scope (Langfelt & Kyvik, 2011). Massification and marketization of higher education in Europe and worldwide have increased the importance of skills in research, teaching and public outreach (see e.g. European University Association, 2015). Consequently, many universities have developed policy and reward system to strengthen the value of multiple competencies in recruitment and promotion. These processes of selection and recognition are high-stake for the individual and the institution as well as the society. The gate-keeper function of quality and relevance make these evaluation processes both interesting and legitimate as research object.  

Compared to peer review of for example grant proposals peer review in appointment processes in academia has a longer tradition in Sweden, as well as worldwide. In some countries these evaluation practices are conceived as rather mysterious and opaque (Van den Brink, 2010; Weiser, 2012). In Sweden, however, they are reasonably available due to the principle of public access to official records. Notwithstanding, they have received quite little academic attention. Since appointment in public operations involves an exercise of public authority it is of vital importance to put these processes under scrutiny.

Previous research on peer review has mainly taken an interest in assessments of scholarship of discovery and research expertise, i.e. research evaluation. This might not be too surprising since the primary cause of the peer review system was to assure research of high quality (Weiser, 2012). In focus of this paper is, however, the assessment of educational expertise (sometimes referred to as teaching excellence, teaching skills or scholarship of teaching, see e.g. Gibbs & Coffey, 2004; Kreber, 2002). This aspect of academic proficiency has been even more neglected in research and educational expertise is most often downplayed in relation to research expertise, and this calls for further academic scrutiny. Of specific interest, is how educational expertise is constructed in peer reviewers’ assessments when appointing senior lecturers. Guiding questions for this paper are:

1) What diverse comprehensions of educational expertise are manifested in reviewers’ written statements?

2) How are educational expertise and various aspects of it valued?

3) How is educational expertise valued compared to other aspects of academic proficiency?

Specific attention will be payed to: differences related to disciplines (i.e. the discipline to which the announced position pertain); the affiliation of the reviewer; references to policy and guidelines; references to higher education research on teaching and learning; any special assignment given to the reviewers (some reviewers are selected to specifically evaluate educational expertise in addition to research expertise); and what dis-/qualifies candidates in terms of eligibility and final ranking by means of articulations in peer reviewers written statements.

Evaluating faculty performance is a global phenomenon albeit procedures for this and academic cultures might differ. As part of a broader research project this paper further constitutes a contribution to the wider understanding of to what extent different evaluation practices impact and lay down diverse conditions for educational expertise and its assessment.

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