Quality Rating System (QRS) initiatives define levels of quality based on research and then support providers with funding and technical assistance to increase their quality. Each program is assessed and given a number of "stars" to indicate to parents what level of quality the program has reached. In this article, the author describes…

This is a book about quality and how to control quality through deliberate actions on the part of the professionals developing and implementing the instances of instruction available at an organization. Quality control theory favors no particular learning philosophy and is only directed towards aspects of how, what, where and when measurements are…

Both academic and non-academic institutions, such as businesses, have increasingly been interested in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to support learning, otherwise termed e-learning. This interest has been fuelled by the new developments in ICT, such as multimedia and the Internet with its World Wide Web. Other…

Over the past few decades there has been a rise in the number of federally funded large scientific research initiatives, with increased calls to evaluate their processes and outcomes. This article describes efforts to evaluate such initiatives in one agency within the U.S. federal government. The authors introduce the Evaluation of Large…

This essay addresses the question, "What is quality in higher education?" In so doing it raises many interesting and vexing questions in relation to education. For example, is "quality" in higher education the same as, for example, "quality" with reference to the quality of clothing or the quality of meat in local…

The "Guidelines of Good Practice" are specifically addressed to quality and assurance agencies. The purposes of the "Guidelines" is the following: (1) To promote professional development among external quality assurance agencies (EQAAs) and their staff; (2) To be used as part of the criteria in the self and external evaluation of EQAAs; (3) To use…

While scholars have been peripatetic since the creation of the very first universities, a phenomenon of more recent years is the mobility of education, where it is the educational provision rather than the scholar that crosses national borders. This is termed "transnational" or "cross-border" education. Attendant on this new…

Since the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 states have experienced continual change in how they define and implement alternate assessments. A subset of 16 states was randomly selected to determine how each state is implementing alternate assessments and achievement standards for students with the most significant cognitive…

The University of Southern Queensland's Centre for Further Education and Training, which offers distance teaching and training courses to a wide range of mature students, developed a quality assurance framework to guide its efforts to improve the quality of its distance courses for teachers and trainers with little or no training in educational…

Editorial practices revolving around tests of statistical significance are explored. The logic of statistical significance testing is presented in an accessible manner--many people who use statistical tests might not place such a premium on them if they knew what the tests really do, and what they do not do. The etiology of decades of misuse of…

This project investigated the use of external examiners by institutions accredited by the Open University Validation Services (OUVS) in England. The investigation involved visiting 18 accredited institutions and interviewing 10 external examiners. The study found widespread approval of the contribution made by external examiners. Reasons given for…

This publication is an annotated bibliography of articles and key organizational sources on Total Quality Management (TQM) in higher education. The list was developed through searches of local and national data bases including Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Public Affairs Information System (PAIS), Wilson Indexes to Journal…

Two instruments have been developed to aid teachers and other educators in evaluating educational software and courseware: the "Courseware Description" form and the "Courseware Evaluation" form. Complete instructions for using both forms are provided in this guide, along with the forms themselves. Prior to the instructions is…

Through the Clean Air Act of 1970 the Federal government established ambient air quality standards while allocating to the states the responsibility of implementation. State plans must be modified to ensure maintenance of the standards after attainment has been achieved and to maintain standards in areas threatened by pollution. (MR)

Remarks prepared for educational Marketers' Day, Tarrytown, New York, June 20, 1974. (Author)