From the theoretical point of view there is a strong tension between two international assessment trends, homogenization and differentiation, which form part of the evaluation systems of Higher Education adopted in several countries and seem to be contradictory. It is very important to understand the relations between the two models and the two international trends, especially when it comes to an analysis which is not only theoretical, but also based on the evaluation practices of national systems in two countries - Brazil and Portugal - that have taken different paths, though presenting similarities with respect to this topic. This research aims to analyze and compare the higher education evaluation systems in both countries and identify common and different aspects, especially concerning the characteristics of universality and specificity in the evaluation practices. In order to perform this analysis, a bibliographic study was conducted and qualitative information was collected under a relatively open, flexible planning approach, by means of semi- structured interviews. Eighteen interviewees participated, nine from Brazil and nine from Portugal, a case study was carried out so patterns of similarities and differences could be identified, considering that categories of analysis selected. The main results indicate that standardized evaluation has become an important tool for the implementation of the educational agenda in both countries, to the detriment of appraisals of institutional differentiations.
Higher education; Evaluation in higher education; Evaluation in higher education in Brazil; Evaluation in higher education in Portugal.Portuguese and Brazilian evaluation systems; Comparative study
