Introduction: Five years after the establishment of the National Observatory for Assessment--now called National Committee for the Assessment of the University System--(L. 509/99), a critical analysis of the indicators chosen in relation to the aim suggested by the law itself becomes necessary.
Objective: To analyse the assessment system of the University Campus Bio-Medico as it has changed through time, in order to highlighten possible trends which have allowed a real improvement of the entire educational system. In these years our University has endeavoured to answer appropriately to the National Committee exhortations by creating its own system of self-assessment. This has strengthened the inner motivation to improve of all stakeholders of the educational process (students, teachers, tutors). The predominance of inner motivations on external ones is the essential feature in an university system which grants an educational model based on personal freedom and its related responsibility. This system, created and managed by the Department for Educational Research (DIE) of the University Campus Bio-Medico, is organized in three wider phases: planning of assessment tools and their administration; preparing the focus groups which address targeted groups of people so to evaluate the results and prepare new tools.
Results and conclusions: In our University assessment process certain values have acquired the structure of tracks along which it is possible to find concrete features: educational independence and planning governance as well as joint responsibility and cooperation. These are the key concepts which show the uniqueness and foundation of the entire educational system.