Outlines a study to develop methods to assess the quality of digital reference services, test and refine measures and quality standards to describe digital reference services, and to produce a guidebook that describes how to collect and report data for these measures and standards. (Author/AEF)

Discussion of the use of self-instructional materials (SIMs) in distance learning at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and State Open Universities (SOUs) in India. Focuses on the need for Correspondence Course Institutes in conventional Indian universities to transform printed course materials into SIMs. Discusses revision and…

Continuous quality improvement efforts are vital to high-quality early intervention services. This article describes an ongoing quality improvement project within an infant mental health-based Early Head Start program. Both strategies and challenges in implementing issues and lessons learned in the initial 2-year phase of the quality improvement…

Universities have several approaches for attracting student feedback, both qualitative and quantitative, and this paper describes three processes as they affect postgraduate students. The paper considers whether the issues that postgraduate students state need improvement are consistent with those issues contained in the recommendations made by…

The emergence of the Internet has changed the way we teach and learn. This paper provides a general overview of the state of the quality of virtual education environments. First of all, some problems with the quality criteria applied in this field and the need to develop quality seals are presented. Likewise, the dimensions and subdimensions of an…

With increasing importance being placed on the development of generic skills in higher education, institutions are espousing, as part of their mission and objectives, which generic skills their graduates achieve, and teachers are being required to document how their courses and programs support the development of those skills and attributes. The…

This paper explores the idea that conceptualizing academic supervision (at Honours or graduate level) as a fiduciary relationship can assist supervisors in enhancing student learning through quality decision-making. In this paper I reflect on my conceptions of supervision in the light of the growing scholarship on supervision. My conceptions of…

This paper outlines the preponderant approaches to external quality evaluation, including the purpose, focus, object, rationale, and methods of external evaluations. Accountability, compliance and, in some countries, control are much more frequent rationales for external monitoring than improvement. Research on the impact of quality monitoring is…

Many Latin American countries have started actions to promote a higher education quality assurance system. Central America appears as a regional effort that includes universities from all seven countries under the initiative of Central American University Higher Council (CSUCA). After focusing in quality management and self-study processes, CSUCA…

The Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) and an 'in-house' questionnaire, the Personal and Educational Development Inventory (PEDI), were administered in a postal survey of graduates who had been awarded the first BA/BSc (Hons) named degrees of the Open University and comparison samples of graduates awarded the pre-existing 'unnamed' degrees. The…

The publication of A-level examination results in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has become one of the major diary items in the news media's calendar. This paper is based, in part, upon the findings of an inter-disciplinary study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). It explores two key questions about the relationship…

As an analysis of context and rationale, and of the changing strategies and practice since the early 1990s, this article identifies the major arrangements for assuring and enhancing educational quality and touches on their characteristics, with a focus on the Japanese national universities. The effects of, and issues raised by, current strategies…

In an era of heightened accountability, remarkably little is known empirically about the quality of social work services. This article applies insights from health services research to propose a research agenda on the quality of care in the social services. The agenda calls for studies that address the definition of quality service, variations in…

Quality improvement (QI) activities, designed to enhance program evaluation efforts and to improve quality of care, have become increasingly important in children's services research. QI activities examine outcomes and provide accountability data that can be very useful for telling the story of the development, implementation, and effectiveness of…

This article describes a comprehensive model of clinical peer review that was established at a large behavioral healthcare organization serving children, adolescents, and adults with developmental disabilities. The purpose of peer review is to provide routine evaluation of practice standards that will produce the highest quality of habilitative…