With the passage of the 1992 Further and Higher Education Act the British system of higher education formally moved from a binary to a unitary structure. However, ever since successive governments have argued for a diversified model of higher education within which institutions should pursue contrasting goals. This article offers an interpretation…

This report summarizes the major changes to higher education in the United Kingdom as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992. These changes include the creation of new universities and new arrangements for the assessment and assurance of quality in higher education. Due mainly to the upgrading of polytechnics to university…

This book reflects some of the debate following publication of the 1991 Further and Higher Education Bill, and it also draws on preliminary findings of a national research project funded by a partnership of government, business, and higher education that was designed to develop and test quality assessment methods. Chapters are organized in three…