Validation of the academic management evaluation instrument based on principal component analysis for engineering and technological courses

Abstract

In recent years, the expansion of higher education in Brazil has led to a series of demands related to aspects concerning training at the college level. These processes relate to: academics, professionals, entering in the labor market, among others. In this context, an important aspect is the quality of the courses. Thus, the evaluation becomes a critical diagnostic process of reality and starting point for possible interventions to be put in practice by the coordinators of the programs. This article presents the results of a questionnaire administered at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), especially to Systems & Digital Media and Engineering Programs professors. This research aims to identify how the professors from each department see the administrative procedures developed by the departments and also investigate the possibility of using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) as a support for management of the higher education training. The methodology included the implementation of Likert scale questionnaire and subsequent mathematical treatment with PCA. The results indicate the potential application of PCA to support the management of higher education; it was possible to extract preliminaries inferences related to management methods and their characteristics. This suggests the possibility of developing the Educametrics field.