Importance of criteria and indicators of evaluation and accreditation of lecturers in the public university in the distinct UNESCO fields of knowledge

The aim of this descriptive study was to analyze the importance of different criteria and indicators used for the assessment of university lecturers in Spain, as well as the accreditation standards for university lecturers (Spanish acronym: PTU) and university chairs (Spanish acronym: CU) in the UNESCO fields of knowledge. A representative sample of Spanish university lecturers, 1,294 participants, filled in a questionnaire on the relevance of 42 teaching and research assessment criteria. Results showed that the most important criteria were related to research and teaching experience; articles published in journals indexed in the Journal Citation Reports get the highest score, followed by subjects on accredited studies. The results are discussed to clarify assessment criteria and to obtain a more objective assessment procedure, crucial as a key to reach the international standards for European convergence.