To ensure that students obtain an effective and appropriate education, quality assurance in higher education is crucial. The primary concepts, structures, and procedures associated with quality assurance in higher education are extensively addressed in this paper. To improve student learning outcomes, institutional reputation, and overall…

Despite numerous criticisms of the UK National Student Survey (NSS) institutional managers still strongly support its use in informing student choice, quality and assurance and quality enhancement activities. This article outlines a granular and nuanced benchmarking system for the NSS which provides both a "raw" score (weighted student…

In order to teach science well, science teachers need to know what to focus on in order to ensure their assessment of student learning is meaningful and useful for the students' on going learning and development. The diversity and range of content and skills within the subject of science mean that the assessment capabilities required by…

Internationalisation has transformed into mainstream strategy in higher education and is increasingly seen as adding value to the life of universities through improving its quality. But how do we assess the quality of internationalisation? This article evaluates a pilot project that aimed to qualitatively assess the internationalisation of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a critical analysis of the Standard of Quality for higher education institutions in Vietnam which was developed in response to an urgent call for a fundamental reform to enhance the quality of educational provision, particularly of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach: The standard and…

There are three purposes for evaluation: evaluation for action to aid the decision making process, evaluation for understanding to further enhance enlightenment and evaluation for control to ensure compliance to standards. This article argues that the primary function of evaluation in the "Catherine Wheel" computer-based assessment (CBA)…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to question the appropriateness of a proposal for a new European Qualifications Framework. The framework has three perspectives: historical; analytical; and national. Design/methodology/approach: The approaches are diverse since the first insists on the institutional and decision-making processes at European…

This article proposes that the quality review procedures currently favored in Australian higher education, at institutional and national levels, are inappropriate for Australian education's goals, processes, and outcomes. Procedures better suited to higher education's culture are recommended. Guidelines for accomplishing this in an atmosphere of…

This book is intended to provide consistent and reliable quantitative and qualitative information on faculty productivity and accountability to help counter criticism and accurately describe what faculty do to the policy makers and/or the general public. It reports on a study at the University of Delaware that focused on instructional costs and…

Although the Total Quality Management (TQM) system offers an admirable goal and offers promise of organizational improvement, the process it recommends is not a panacea and may only forestall the conflict inevitably arising from decision making, individual accountability, and organizational change. The approach is being abandoned by some. (MSE)

Five papers and an introduction discuss internal evaluation (IE), concentrating on the various sources of authority for IE and ways of enhancing IE authority. The roles of internal evaluators, conflicts in the evaluation process, and evaluation in a state education agency are reviewed. (SLD)

Current knowledge about the cost and quality of full-time child care in centers and family care homes is summarized, with a discussion of parental attention to quality in making child care decisions. Data from two recent national studies suggest that quality is only modestly related to cost. (SLD)

This article addresses the problem of inept, ineffective, and mediocre governing boards at America's colleges and universities. It maintains that substandard governance can almost always be traced to one of two culprits, or both: (1) most boards are orchestras of soloists; and (2) many boards tend to either lionize or trivialize the president.…

Total Quality Management methods can build on conventional performance indicators to enhance their usefulness in monitoring and improving quality and effectiveness in higher education institutions. Experience with these methods at colleges and universities, particularly in several academic and administrative areas at Pennsylvania State University,…

College administrators often overlook the valuable assistance than can be provided by the college internal audit unit as they implement principles of total quality management. This unit is in a good position to conduct performance audits of departments and programs, the results of which can provide meaningful information to assist in…