This article considers the relevance and implementation of European approaches to quality assurance in the context of the Russian educational system. It covers the issues of transformation of the higher education system during the post-Soviet period, specific features of the state accreditation system, the impact of the European Standards and…

In many European countries and in North America, home education is a viable alternative for education at school. Parents who want to home school their child are legally allowed to do so, although some countries impose rather strict conditions. This article concentrates on the way authorities supervise or inspect the quality of home education. A…

This article focuses on recent trends in quality assurance initiatives, analyses how the European Higher Education Area promotes quality enhancement mechanisms and their implications for quality cultures in universities. It presents and discusses two approaches towards quality enhancement both at the institutional and programme level: 1. Quality…

This article reflects on the development of the European approach towards quality and quality assurance in vocational education and training (VET) and its relevance for VET reforms in the European Training Foundation (ETF) partner countries. The analysis is based on an ETF project conducted in 2007-2008 in the Mediterranean partner countries to…

The emergence of the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG) for Quality Assurance has been seen as an important step towards realising the European Higher Education Area by creating more transparency and accountability in the area of quality assurance. The ESG also include standards as to how quality assurance agencies should be reviewed. In a…

Romania is reforming its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system and introducing a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and a National Quality Assurance Framework (NQAF) to create a new and comprehensive national quality assurance system for qualifications. These reforms have their origins in the social and economic…

The theoretical premise of this article is that policy is constructed and presented discursively. The Bologna process presents us with an example of such a policy construction process where the quality policy goals are set jointly in transnational settings, requiring different kinds of negotiations and discursive strategies. Discourse analysis of…

The absence, until very recently, of widespread debate on policy concerning quality assurance in German higher education is attributed to the fact that, historically, German education has been highly standardized and those standards were presumed to persist even with mass higher education. Current expansion and economic crises have stimulated…

In both Britain and France, evaluation has been seen as one element of national strategies to internationalise higher education (HE), with the spread of evaluation indicating policy convergence. However, there are dangers in describing the cross-national adoption of evaluation as an instance of policy transfer in higher education. This article…

A study of the current program evaluation system in Dutch higher education consisted of a survey of institutions concerning their quality control and enhancement activities and 12 case studies of the experiences of universities and vocational institutions while conducting required self-evaluations and undergoing external evaluation. (MSE)

European higher education policies that were first developed as an empirical, short-term response to financial difficulties at the start of the decade have now assumed a long-term strategic character that affects the relationships between government and higher education and between society and higher education. (MSE)

A discussion of Dutch higher vocational education (HVE) looks at the place of HVE in the overall postsecondary system, its system of governance, its role in the reorganization of higher education, and efforts at innovation. Part-time programs are seen as a likely way to serve needs and cut costs. (MSE)

Concern about the legitimate role of the government in evaluating higher education institutions has developed as a result of a 1985 Dutch proposal for decentralization that combines a formal national quality control system with increased institutional autonomy through self-regulation. The issues are outlined. (MSE)

Discusses higher education quality and its evaluation in Europe from historical and political perspectives, tracing the concept of quality control from medieval university models to the modern research university. Examines recent changes in the political context of European education and analyzes their consequences in three national contexts:…

This paper argues that the quality evaluation trend in European higher education reflects the state's effort to gain greater control over higher education. First, performance indicators are imposed, and then this technical form of evaluation is used to steer the higher education system toward the labor market. (MSE)