Quality assurance in higher education has become a global activity. In the European Higher Education Area, cross-border quality assurance has been heavily encouraged by the European Commission. Behind this, lies the belief that encouraging competition among quality assurance bodies and introducing a liberal 'market' logic into the sector would…

The Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), founded in 1997, is dedicated to improving academic degree programs for professional educators--those who teach and lead in schools, pre-K through grade 12. TEAC accredits undergraduate and graduate programs, including alternate route programs, based on (1) the evidence they have that they…

In an attempt to move, if not balance, the scales of activity toward increasing scientific capability across a diverse national population, U.S. federal funding agencies are purposefully linking research funding to broad national impact. Among United States federal agencies, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has led the way in the integration…

Post-graduate courses are periodically evaluated in accordance with not always very clear criteria by CAPES (Co-ordinating Committee for Teaching Staff Improvement). These criteria try to measure, among other things, academic productivity (including quantity and quality of scientific production), number of classes given by teachers, time to…

Information is provided to assist students seeking graduate study opportunities in physical education. Resources (directories) and questions that should be asked when evaluating programs are included. (CB)

Discusses standards and methods for evaluating graduate programs in speech communication, with emphasis on doctoral programs. Includes a discussion of characteristics of program quality and suggestions for internal and external review. (JMF)

After listing criticisms of previous rankings of doctoral programs in reading, a new ranking is suggested, based on results of the International Reading Association's Outstanding Dissertation Award. This ranking shows little correlation with previous studies using other methods. The University of Alberta has produced the largest number of award…

The Board of Regents (BoR) and State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (SBESE) selected four external consultants to review and evaluate redesigned graduate programs for educational leaders and teachers. In addition, personnel from the Louisiana Department of Education reviewed all K-12 undergraduate teacher preparation programs and…

Describes the opportunities available in summer workshops and graduate programs for music teachers. The impact of the workshops and programs on improving teacher effectiveness is evaluated. Criteria are included for evaluating program offerings for their usefulness to teachers. The author offers suggestions to workshop planners to improve the…

Despite the weaknesses of the accreditation process, it is suggested that nontraditional graduate programs should seek full accreditation. Some conditions leading to support of accreditation are discussed: (1) motivation to belong, (2) reasonable cost of accrediting, (3) governance structure, (4) qualitative standards, (5) effective administrative…

Limited resources and competing demands are forcing statewide planners and decisionmakers to become increasingly concerned with program approval and review. One new element is the review of existing programs as states find it necessary to consider program additions in concert with program terminations. The prospect of declining or stable…

This study, commissioned by the New York Board of Regents, concerns the evaluation of doctoral programs. Part one discusses critical problems in the assessment of excellence. Part two reviews a catalog of criteria and assessment techniques. Emphasis is placed on reputational studies, objective indicators of excellence, efficiency as an index of…

Internal program review is presented as one aid to decision-making. A brief report of the present financial situation of higher education is first given, followed by consideration of the role of state governing boards, the lack of clearly stated goals in higher education, and a proposed model for ranking existing graduate programs and establishing…

This paper describes selected issues and concerns facing students who are deciding upon a masters or doctoral program in instructional technology. Issues of recognition, program identification, and environment are considered to help students trying to choose a program from the nearly 200 masters level and over 60 doctoral level programs offered by…

An interest in the comparative quality and prestige of academic programs is illustrated by the number of recent rating studies. Most recently, ratings have been made of graduate programs in various fields. These studies are generally of four types: (1) those using subjective evaluation; (2) those using objective indicators; (3) those using a…