The Australian Government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's (TEQSA's) role is to assure that quality standards are being met by all registered higher education providers. This paper explains how TEQSA's risk-based approach to assuring higher education standards is applied in broad terms to a diverse sector. This explanation is…

This paper will focus on the island of Tobago and indicate what practical solutions are best suited for administrators to manage quality and access at higher educational institutions on the island. The key areas to managing quality identified are the inclusiveness of a quality plan, administrators desire to see quality as an institutional culture…

There are increasing demands for higher levels of data assurance in higher education. This paper explores some of the drivers for this trend, and then explains what stakeholders mean by the concept of data assurance, since this has not been well defined previously. The paper captures insights from existing literature, stakeholders, auditors, and…

The fundamental concepts of Achieving the Dream--using evidence to develop and evaluate strategies for improving student learning and success--are also important to successful efforts to meet accreditation requirements. Following the Achieving the Dream approach can help community colleges organize and document improvement efforts in ways that are…

Academic freedom and the protection of human research subjects are central tenets of American universities. Academic freedom protects the rights of tenured professors to conduct autonomous research; human subject protection ensures that research causes as minimal a risk as possible to study participants. Although the two principles are mutually…

The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has served as a voice for quality assurance and promulgation of standards in higher education for over 25 years. CAS was established to promote inter-association efforts to address quality assurance, student learning, and professional integrity. CAS includes membership of over…

The direction quality assurance and its ancillary practices is taking in the transformation process in South Africa is discussed in this article. The article argues that it is incorrect to suggest that the higher education system has been captured by managerialism. While efficiency is an important driver of the system, the imperatives of redress…

Discusses Total Quality Management (TQM), benefits to libraries, and possible barriers to its adoption. An overview is provided of 13 articles included in this issue on (1) library approaches to TQM; (2) implementing a TQM program; (3) supporting TQM efforts; and (4) learning from the experience of others. (EAM)

This article on the University of Michigan Information Technology (IT) Division's implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles describes TQM premises, the implementation process, and initial effects (e.g., increased use of concepts of customer needs and quality indicators). The particular relevance of the TQM approach for IT…

Discussion of Total Quality Management (TQM) highlights its history in business and industry, explains its use in higher education settings, and describes recent quality efforts in library services. Topics addressed include a history of quality; barriers to quality control; examples at Pennsylvania State University; and learning opportunities for…

Examines the Total Quality Management (TQM) activities at a federal government agency (i.e., the Defense Fuel Supply Center) using the following criteria established by the Federal Quality Institute: top management leadership and support; strategic quality planning; customer focus; training and recognition; employee empowerment and teamwork; and…

Provides a review of the total quality management movement and process, and advocates applying it to higher education as a solution to current problems. Customer emphasis, continuous improvement, developing human resources, and using tools for process development are described; and examples from specific academic institutions are included.…

Describes the Total Quality Management (TQM) effort undertaken three years ago by Jackson Community College (JCC), in Michigan. Discusses the history of JCC, its early TQM efforts, the basic tenets of TQM, steps taken by JCC to integrate TQM practices into its evaluation methods, and benefits of TQM. (MAB)

Describes Yoji Akao's concept of quality function development (QFD), a strategic tool that translates the customers' quality requirements into organizational language. Examines how El Camino College's (California) application of QFD matches constituent needs to college functions. Includes an 11-item bibliography and lists El Camino College's…

Examines the use of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the federal government setting. Topics covered include federal corporate culture, benefits to employees, early programs in productivity improvement, governmentwide implementation, the information network on TQM applications maintained by the Federal Quality Institute, and barriers to…