Quality is a multidimensional and transversal concept also in the field of higher education. This and other considerations revealed some problems during application of quality principles to study programmes, emerged from the first accreditation experience in Italy. The objective of this article is to provide a simple self-assessment tool for…

The article explores the organisational impact of evaluation and control mechanisms on universities from the point of view of accountability. Three case studies are analysed with the aim of understanding the significance of these systems both at corporate governance level and in relation to their influence on the behaviour of the academic staff.…

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai has developed an innovative system of quality assurance designed to ensure that the appropriate international standards are being maintained through this cross-border method of delivery. This paper describes and provides the strategic rationale for this new model of "validation" and…

Since 1994, the South African higher education system, fragmented and divided along racial lines during the years of apartheid, has been subject to a wide range of initiatives directed at bringing about the "transformation" necessary for a more equitable dispensation and, ultimately, a new social order. One of the "levers"…

This article examines an external evaluation of the quality assurance system at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) conducted by The Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (NOKUT). The external audit report along with internal reports provided by the seven faculties of the university served as the major…

Using the Affiliations Unit of the University of Botswana as a case study, this paper explores how the operational milieu of an External Quality Assurance Agency (EQAA) impacts on its role and function. This milieu is described and selected frame factors are identified and evaluated, including the size of the country; the role of a hegemonic…

There are a several lenses through which quality in higher education can be viewed. One views quality improvement at the macro or university level, another focuses at the micro or educational-delivery level. One sees quality assessment as an administrative "check-off", the other sees quality as a continuous improvement in educational delivery. One…

Applies empirical data from case studies of assessment to illustrate the student-stakeholder viewpoint of assessment within a fitness-for-purpose approach. Finds students identify purposes for assessment in terms that are educationally sound, such as its effects on learning and motivation, extent of openness and clarity, and feedback and guidance…