This document reports Stage 1 of a study of quality assurance in nonadvanced further education in England and Wales. Stage 1 involved: (1) an assessment of the influence of external agencies and national examining bodies via a review of published documents and interviews with key personnel; (2) an exploration of the expectations and perceptions of…

This guide aims to help rehabilitation facilities develop effective self-evaluation systems to improve quality assurance for supported employment. The guide proposes that quality be measured by emphasizing direct outcomes that meet consumers' specified needs and concerns in terms of decision making, determination of quality, and access to choice.…

The AMSCO culture survey instrument was developed to obtain specific information about the changing employee values resulting from the implementation of the new quality programs at AMSCO, Rice Lake, Wisconsin. The culture dimensions measured in the survey included job evaluation/job satisfaction, work efficiency, training and development,…

This monograph addresses key issues in the current discussion between accreditation and the federal government relative to accountability and higher education. The reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) now being discussed in Congress is driving this issue to the top of the academic agenda. The paper describes some of the accountability…

Indiana's Comprehensive Action Plan (I-CAP) provides a framework for program excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement in adult education. The action plan includes guiding principles and benchmarks for quality programs. Adult education programs are evaluated annually on these 10 established principles of program quality: educational…

This report is the first in a series of policy papers on the education of educators. It offers a comprehensive analysis of the university-based programs that educate the majority of the nation's school principals and superintendents. Of the approximately 250,000 school administrators employed in the United States, nearly all were trained at…

Nine European Community Member States (Belgium, Germany, France, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and United Kingdom) conducted national studies that involved case studies of quality assurance in continuing education. Analysis of findings indicated that many firms regarded continuing training as a central instrument for achieving…

Multiple qualitative methodologies were used to describe and analyze the Maternal and Child Health Training Program (MCH), including a review of FY1999 continuation applications for all 101 projects; site visits to 31 training projects; focus groups with state Title V program staff and federal regional MCH consultants; and interviews with 110…

Implementation of the Total Quality Management approach in the Maricopa County Community College District (Arizona), a large 10-campus system, is described. The program's current early stages are reported noting the serious administrative commitment and thorough training, seen as key factors in potential success. (MSE)

This article describes the activities of a national group of assistive technology professionals known as the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology Services (QIAT) Consortium. The work of the Consortium is discussed and the current set of indicators is included. Processes used in the development of the indicators are described. (Contains…

This paper explores the implications of government funding for postgraduate research in English universities. Specifically, it focuses upon the funding model introduced recently by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The suggestion in the paper is that the operation of this model will seriously disadvantage certain parts of…

Quality measures were originally developed for research aimed at describing the settings that children spend time in and identifying the characteristics of these environments that contribute to children's development. They were also developed to guide improvements in practice. Increasingly, however, measures of quality are being used for further…

A project was conducted by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation to review and update the standards for automobile, collision repair and refinishing, and medium and heavy truck technician training programs. The standards include a task list, tools and equipment requirements, program hour requirements, instructor qualifications,…

This digest, based on a larger report of the same title, summarizes principles for improving quality in higher education institutions. Emphasis is on the effect of the principles when they are used holistically to create a culture of academic excellence. The quality principles are based on the conceptual framework of total quality management (TQM)…

This conference proceedings presents 17 papers which examine quality assurance and evaluation in higher education, including methodologies, procedures, and ideas from various nations. The papers include: (1) "Quality Assurance in Higher Education" (Malcolm Frazer); (2) "Academic Standards Panels in Australia" (Kwong Lee Dow);…