About ten years ago, concerns were expressed about quality and standards in some universities of applied sciences (UAS) in the Netherlands. In response, a HBO report outlined a series of measures to improve the quality of assessment practices in UAS. This study provides recent analysis of lecturer perceptions of assessments of UAS with a view to…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the roles of quality managers at community colleges, their experiences balancing accountability and improvement and their insights into the future of quality assurance. Design/methodology/approach: This phenomenological, qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with eight community college quality…

This article addresses policy transfer in international development activities in vocational education and training. Ownership has been identified and established as a key factor for sustainability of transfer activities in different fields of development cooperation. While the concept has been targeted from a macro-level perspective of…

As the online higher-education market continues along its trajectory of steady growth, it becomes increasingly competitive. Since quality sets online programs apart in the current competitive market, it is a priority for higher-education institutions. Consequently, presidents/chancellors and provosts at many U.S. higher education institutions have…

Purpose: Unless higher education institutions ensure that first-rate academic programme offerings are supported with the provision of high-quality services, student satisfaction, retention, enrolment and ultimately, viability of the institutions will be adversely affected (Canic and McCarthy, 2000). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the…

The article highlights the importance and challenges of identifying program-level outcome assessment strategies for associate's degree psychology programs. We discuss the value of such program outcomes for quality assurance, improved teaching and learning, and efficient transfer. However, as we document, there is little uniformity in the…

Since the groundbreaking report "To Err is Human," there has been an increased focus on outcomes and quality improvement (QI) in healthcare. This focus has resulted in a change in nursing education. Nursing programs and nurse educators have been directed to integrate QI into nursing curriculum using innovative teaching methods. However,…

The increased demand for online courses correlates to increased workloads for faculty, staff, and leadership. Hiring, staffing, and other logistical matters often trump the emphasis on course quality. This paper introduces a strategic framework for creating and sustaining a successful distance education model. Tarrant County College Connect Campus…

Higher education in the United States is regulated by a triad of the federal government, state governments, and private accreditors. Rather than relying on bureaucrats to ensure quality, federal policy defers such assurance to accrediting agencies. This empowers accreditors to determine which colleges can access financial aid and establishes their…

Purpose: Academics and administrators frequently lament the bureaucracy in higher education, which diverts attention from teaching and research. Heightened monitoring of institutions as a result of dominant neoliberal ideologies shapes perceptions of accreditation as a bureaucratic burden rather than a value-added tool for continuous quality…

Bologna process is a framework that commenced in 1999, aiming at making the higher education systems of countries more attractive. While many studies have been carried out on undergraduate and graduate levels, the studies on associate degree are scarce. This study is aimed at investigating the current state of associate degree child development…

Interstate Passport is a program that serves a national network of member institutions and states to facilitate block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on student learning outcomes rather than on specific courses and credits. A student who is awarded a Passport for completing the general education courses specified by…

Two trends in the evolution of quality assurance in Canadian postsecondary education have been the emergence of outcomes-based quality standards and the demand for balancing accountability and improvement. Using a realist, process-based approach to impact analysis, this study examined four quality assurance events at two universities and two…

Distance education quality assurance is a concern throughout the literature. Standards such as the Quality Matters (QM) Higher Education Rubric, 5th edition, are meant to support course design quality assurance. Professional development is associated with quality assurance initiatives, including the goal to transform faculty's instructional…

Changes in the credentialing market have produced a complex, multilayered ecosystem with a demand for shorter credentials that are focused around job market competencies. Community colleges are well positioned to lead this emerging market for three reasons. (1) Their dual mission to offer both traditional degrees and workforce development programs…