An initial inquiry of program evaluation framework for tourism higher education in Taiwan

As the number of tourism programs in higher education dramatically increases in Taiwan, program evaluation is one of the effective tools to monitor education quality. The program evaluation framework constructed with standards, dimensions, and indicators should be established according to the profession of different programs. This study mainly presents the framework for the program evaluation of tourism education in Taiwan. Through the processes of document analysis, three focus groups, one on-site trial, and reliability and validity tests, the study results proposed the conceptual framework containing seven standards, 20 dimensions, and 74 indicators. The seven standards are program's aims and strategies of self-improvement, curricula, teaching and learning, resources, faculty, student, and administrative management. The evaluation standards represent not only a holistic view of the tourism program in the higher education system but also a continual improvement mechanism for the higher education institutions providing tourism programs.