A prActicAl guide Benchmarking in european Higher education

A STEP BY STEP APPROACH
There is currently no database or European tool to support partners search
for such exercises. However, attention should be paid to the development of
the classification project of higher education institutions CEIHE (in a later
phase called UMAP) (http://www.utwente.nl/cheps/research/projects/ceihe/).
This project aims to develop an instrument to make the diversity of higher
education institutions more transparent. Such a tool will have multiple
purposes, and will among others be of great support in identifying partner
institutions for benchmarking purposes. Higher education institutions have
also formed smaller networks with similar institutions to progress together
with joint actions. Examples are ECIU (http://eciu.web.ua.pt), the Coimbra
Group (www.coimbra-group.eu), UNICA (www.ulb.ac.be/unica), the IDEA
League (www.idealeague.org) and LERU (www.leru.org); some of these
networks are more open to new members than others.
To become familiar with benchmarking approaches, as well as to identify
benchmarking partners, it is advisable to explore existing benchmarking
programmes offered by national or European associations and groupings
with open membership that benchmark themes in line with the interest
expressed by their members. This gives the chance to gain experience with
benchmarking concepts and practices in a monitored group of institutions. In
existing groups, the choice of partner institutions is given from the beginning.
Through experience, gradually the most similar institutions among the
group may be identified, who would make good partners for future benchmarking
exercises.
64 A Practical Guide - Benchmarking in European Higher Education