Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty

Lili Lu; Caiyun Sun

doi:doi:10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

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Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty

Lili Lu, Caiyun Sun^*

Published in Higher Education Research (Volume 11, Issue 1)

Received: 21 December 2025 Accepted: 20 January 2025 Published: 31 January 2026

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Abstract

The strategic advancement of digital pedagogy presents a pivotal opportunity to resolve enduring contradictions within university teaching evaluation, specifically its administrative overemphasis and the consequent marginalization of developmental objectives. In response to national policy directives advocating for educational digitalization and Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development, this analysis critically deconstructs the constraints inherent in conventional evaluation frameworks. These limitations pertain to the homogenization of evaluators, simplification of evaluation content, superficial application of data, and a predominant managerialist orientation. The study aims to formulate a novel paradigm for developmental evaluation, intrinsically powered by digital technologies and fundamentally oriented toward the sustained professional growth of instructors. By architecting a synergistic framework incorporating multi-source evidence aggregation, intelligent diagnostic analytics, and personalized feedback loops, the model institutes a recursive, ascending cycle of “evaluation, diagnosis, enhancement, and re- evaluation.” This structure enables a foundational transformation in the evaluation paradigm, shifting its core function from selective judgment to developmental guidance. The Findings indicate that a digitally-empowered developmental evaluation system can effectively catalyze professional self-directedness among faculty. It achieves three critical transformations: from singular judgment to pluralistic development; from static appraisal to dynamic growth; and from external constraint to internal motivation. The study contributes both theoretical and practical scaffolding for the reform of instructional evaluation in higher education. It enriches teacher development theory by integrating an educational evaluation perspective and offers an actionable framework for resolving the long-standing tension between evaluation and development. Future research should explore deeper AI applications, disciplinary adaptability, and the ethical governance of evaluation data to further refine this paradigm.

Published in	Higher Education Research (Volume 11, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
Page(s)	20-26
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Digital Education, Teacher Professional Development, Teaching Evaluation, Developmental Evaluation, Artificial Intelligence

References

[1]	Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, et al. "Opinions on Accelerating the Digitalization of Education." Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 15 Apr. 2025, http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A01/s7048/202504/t20250416_1187476.html
[2]	General Office of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. "Notice on Organizing and Implementing the Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development." Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 3 July 2025, www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A10/s7034/202507/t20250704_1196586.html
[3]	Li, Jianlong, and Zhendong Niu. "Research on AI-Enabled Teaching Evaluation in Higher Education Under the 'Technology-Education' Mutual Construction Framework." Chinese Higher Education Research, no. 11, 2025, pp. 15-23. https://doi.org/10.16298/j.cnki.1004-3667.2025.11.03
[4]	Lu, Yuanyuan, et al. "Research on the Application Framework of Intelligent Technologies to Promote Teachers' Classroom Teaching Behavior Evaluation." Modern Educational Technology, vol. 32, no. 12, 2022, pp. 76-84.
[5]	Ji, Yilong, et al. "Intelligent Technology Empowering Teacher Teaching Evaluation: Theoretical Framework and Practical Directions." Contemporary Educational Science, no. 2, 2024, pp. 71-80.
[6]	Yan, Hanbing, Yi Chen, and Shuzhen Yu. "Unobtrusive Evaluation for Teacher Development: Connotation Elucidation, Value Examination, and Practical Approach." China Educational Technology, no. 10, 2024, pp. 1-8.
[7]	Wang, Mengke, et al. "Design and Application Effect of a Multimodal Interactive Teaching Evaluation Framework Supported by Intelligent Technology." Modern Educational Technology, vol. 34, no. 9, 2024, pp. 91-101.
[8]	Yang, Shiyu, Liyan Liu, and Shuo Li. "Construction of an Evaluation Indicator System for University Teachers' Teaching Ability: An Investigation and Analysis Based on the Delphi Method." Higher Education Exploration, no. 12, 2021, pp. 66-73.
[9]	Niu, Fengrui. "The Reform Dilemma and Its Tensions of the University Teacher Evaluation System." Journal of National Academy of Education Administration, no. 4, 2022, pp. 52-60.
[10]	Liu, Bangqi, and Huanhuan Yin. "Artificial Intelligence Empowers the Improvement of Teachers' Digital Literacy: Strategies, Scenarios, and Evaluation Feedback Mechanisms." Modern Educational Technology, vol. 34, no. 7, 2024, pp. 23-31.
[11]	Zhou, Ling, Xinyi Wang, and Huiting Zhang. "The Logical Dilemma and Value Return of Developmental Teacher Evaluation in Universities." Journal of Education of Renmin University of China, no. 2, 2024, pp. 33-53+4.
[12]	Darling-Hammond, Linda. Empowered Educators: How High-Performing Systems Shape Teaching Quality Around the World. Jossey-Bass, 2022.
[13]	State Council of the People's Republic of China. "Opinions on Carrying Forward the Spirit of Educators and Strengthening the Construction of High-Quality and Professional Teaching Staff in the New Era." Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China, 6 Aug. 2024, www.gov.cn/zhengce/2024-08/06/content_7008981.htm
[14]	Li, F., Wang, C. Artificial intelligence and edge computing for teaching quality evaluation based on 5G-enabled wireless communication technology. J Cloud Comp 12, 45 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13677-023-00418-6
[15]	Liu, Lisha, et al. "Exploring the current status and influencing factors of Scholarship of Learning and Teaching (SOTL) among Chinese university faculty in centers for learning and teaching." Higher Education Research & Development, 2025, pp. 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2025.2548276

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APA Style

Lu, L., Sun, C. (2026). Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. Higher Education Research, 11(1), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

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ACS Style

Lu, L.; Sun, C. Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. High. Educ. Res. 2026, 11(1), 20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

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AMA Style

Lu L, Sun C. Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. High Educ Res. 2026;11(1):20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

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@article{10.11648/j.her.20261101.13,
  author = {Lili Lu and Caiyun Sun},
  title = {Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty},
  journal = {Higher Education Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {20-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.her.20261101.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20261101.13},
  abstract = {The strategic advancement of digital pedagogy presents a pivotal opportunity to resolve enduring contradictions within university teaching evaluation, specifically its administrative overemphasis and the consequent marginalization of developmental objectives. In response to national policy directives advocating for educational digitalization and Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development, this analysis critically deconstructs the constraints inherent in conventional evaluation frameworks. These limitations pertain to the homogenization of evaluators, simplification of evaluation content, superficial application of data, and a predominant managerialist orientation. The study aims to formulate a novel paradigm for developmental evaluation, intrinsically powered by digital technologies and fundamentally oriented toward the sustained professional growth of instructors. By architecting a synergistic framework incorporating multi-source evidence aggregation, intelligent diagnostic analytics, and personalized feedback loops, the model institutes a recursive, ascending cycle of “evaluation, diagnosis, enhancement, and re- evaluation.” This structure enables a foundational transformation in the evaluation paradigm, shifting its core function from selective judgment to developmental guidance. The Findings indicate that a digitally-empowered developmental evaluation system can effectively catalyze professional self-directedness among faculty. It achieves three critical transformations: from singular judgment to pluralistic development; from static appraisal to dynamic growth; and from external constraint to internal motivation. The study contributes both theoretical and practical scaffolding for the reform of instructional evaluation in higher education. It enriches teacher development theory by integrating an educational evaluation perspective and offers an actionable framework for resolving the long-standing tension between evaluation and development. Future research should explore deeper AI applications, disciplinary adaptability, and the ethical governance of evaluation data to further refine this paradigm.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty
AU  - Lili Lu
AU  - Caiyun Sun
Y1  - 2026/01/31
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
T2  - Higher Education Research
JF  - Higher Education Research
JO  - Higher Education Research
SP  - 20
EP  - 26
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-935X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
AB  - The strategic advancement of digital pedagogy presents a pivotal opportunity to resolve enduring contradictions within university teaching evaluation, specifically its administrative overemphasis and the consequent marginalization of developmental objectives. In response to national policy directives advocating for educational digitalization and Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development, this analysis critically deconstructs the constraints inherent in conventional evaluation frameworks. These limitations pertain to the homogenization of evaluators, simplification of evaluation content, superficial application of data, and a predominant managerialist orientation. The study aims to formulate a novel paradigm for developmental evaluation, intrinsically powered by digital technologies and fundamentally oriented toward the sustained professional growth of instructors. By architecting a synergistic framework incorporating multi-source evidence aggregation, intelligent diagnostic analytics, and personalized feedback loops, the model institutes a recursive, ascending cycle of “evaluation, diagnosis, enhancement, and re- evaluation.” This structure enables a foundational transformation in the evaluation paradigm, shifting its core function from selective judgment to developmental guidance. The Findings indicate that a digitally-empowered developmental evaluation system can effectively catalyze professional self-directedness among faculty. It achieves three critical transformations: from singular judgment to pluralistic development; from static appraisal to dynamic growth; and from external constraint to internal motivation. The study contributes both theoretical and practical scaffolding for the reform of instructional evaluation in higher education. It enriches teacher development theory by integrating an educational evaluation perspective and offers an actionable framework for resolving the long-standing tension between evaluation and development. Future research should explore deeper AI applications, disciplinary adaptability, and the ethical governance of evaluation data to further refine this paradigm.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Lili Lu

Center of Faculty Development and Teaching Evaluation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China
Caiyun Sun

Center of Faculty Development and Teaching Evaluation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, China

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APA Style

Lu, L., Sun, C. (2026). Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. Higher Education Research, 11(1), 20-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

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ACS Style

Lu, L.; Sun, C. Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. High. Educ. Res. 2026, 11(1), 20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Lu L, Sun C. Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty. High Educ Res. 2026;11(1):20-26. doi: 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.her.20261101.13,
  author = {Lili Lu and Caiyun Sun},
  title = {Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty},
  journal = {Higher Education Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {1},
  pages = {20-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.her.20261101.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.her.20261101.13},
  abstract = {The strategic advancement of digital pedagogy presents a pivotal opportunity to resolve enduring contradictions within university teaching evaluation, specifically its administrative overemphasis and the consequent marginalization of developmental objectives. In response to national policy directives advocating for educational digitalization and Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development, this analysis critically deconstructs the constraints inherent in conventional evaluation frameworks. These limitations pertain to the homogenization of evaluators, simplification of evaluation content, superficial application of data, and a predominant managerialist orientation. The study aims to formulate a novel paradigm for developmental evaluation, intrinsically powered by digital technologies and fundamentally oriented toward the sustained professional growth of instructors. By architecting a synergistic framework incorporating multi-source evidence aggregation, intelligent diagnostic analytics, and personalized feedback loops, the model institutes a recursive, ascending cycle of “evaluation, diagnosis, enhancement, and re- evaluation.” This structure enables a foundational transformation in the evaluation paradigm, shifting its core function from selective judgment to developmental guidance. The Findings indicate that a digitally-empowered developmental evaluation system can effectively catalyze professional self-directedness among faculty. It achieves three critical transformations: from singular judgment to pluralistic development; from static appraisal to dynamic growth; and from external constraint to internal motivation. The study contributes both theoretical and practical scaffolding for the reform of instructional evaluation in higher education. It enriches teacher development theory by integrating an educational evaluation perspective and offers an actionable framework for resolving the long-standing tension between evaluation and development. Future research should explore deeper AI applications, disciplinary adaptability, and the ethical governance of evaluation data to further refine this paradigm.},
 year = {2026}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Digital Empowerment: Reconstructing the Developmental Evaluation Model for University Teachers’ Teaching Faculty
AU  - Lili Lu
AU  - Caiyun Sun
Y1  - 2026/01/31
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
T2  - Higher Education Research
JF  - Higher Education Research
JO  - Higher Education Research
SP  - 20
EP  - 26
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2578-935X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.her.20261101.13
AB  - The strategic advancement of digital pedagogy presents a pivotal opportunity to resolve enduring contradictions within university teaching evaluation, specifically its administrative overemphasis and the consequent marginalization of developmental objectives. In response to national policy directives advocating for educational digitalization and Digital Empowerment Action for Teacher Development, this analysis critically deconstructs the constraints inherent in conventional evaluation frameworks. These limitations pertain to the homogenization of evaluators, simplification of evaluation content, superficial application of data, and a predominant managerialist orientation. The study aims to formulate a novel paradigm for developmental evaluation, intrinsically powered by digital technologies and fundamentally oriented toward the sustained professional growth of instructors. By architecting a synergistic framework incorporating multi-source evidence aggregation, intelligent diagnostic analytics, and personalized feedback loops, the model institutes a recursive, ascending cycle of “evaluation, diagnosis, enhancement, and re- evaluation.” This structure enables a foundational transformation in the evaluation paradigm, shifting its core function from selective judgment to developmental guidance. The Findings indicate that a digitally-empowered developmental evaluation system can effectively catalyze professional self-directedness among faculty. It achieves three critical transformations: from singular judgment to pluralistic development; from static appraisal to dynamic growth; and from external constraint to internal motivation. The study contributes both theoretical and practical scaffolding for the reform of instructional evaluation in higher education. It enriches teacher development theory by integrating an educational evaluation perspective and offers an actionable framework for resolving the long-standing tension between evaluation and development. Future research should explore deeper AI applications, disciplinary adaptability, and the ethical governance of evaluation data to further refine this paradigm.
VL  - 11
IS  - 1
ER  -

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