An experimental program at the University of Woollongong (Australia) identified a quality management framework, developed indicators of institutional performance, created a database for user-defined information needs, and provided access to information at all institutional levels. The project explored use of performance indicators and demonstrated…

A Victoria University of Technology (Australia) project designed to harness the interdisciplinary and collegial culture of the institution to implement Total Quality Management principles is reported. The successful project stressed the value of culture binding through transformative processes in quality improvement. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the role of publishers in terms of access to electronic information and copyrights. Highlights include the evolution of copyrights, new economic models and methods of transaction for the transfer of information, editorial guidance and quality control, and future roles in the information industry. (AEF)

Discusses the background of the Scottish Newspapers Microfilming Unit: its establishment in 1993, support by the Mellon Foundation, and project progress. Project highlights include: technical processes used in microfilm production, preservation functions of microfilm, quality control procedures, storage recommendations, types of collections that…

Increasingly, budget pressures and rapid technological change are causing colleges to consider "outsourcing" for computer operations management, particularly for administrative purposes. Supporters see the trend as similar to hiring experts for other, ancillary services. Critics fear loss of control of the institution's vital computer systems.…

It is suggested that current Australian higher education policy focuses more on quality control than improvement. The way "quality" is presented in current federal policy documents is examined, and it is argued that an improvement approach could be used to generate new practices while meeting external pressures for accountability. (MSE)

The current conceptualization in the mental retardation-developmental disability field regarding quality of life, quality enhancement, and quality assurance is summarized. Implications of these issues for program planning and evaluation are discussed, with attention to management and a framework for quality assurance. (SLD)

With its inadequate training methods and disregard for teaching and learning knowledge base, Wendy Kopp's Teach for America (TFA) program continues a long tradition of devaluing urban students and deprofessionalizing teaching. One elementary school principal found that recruits lacked teaching skills and were not really dedicated to meeting…

A survey of 48 United States dental schools investigated the degree and type of program evaluation conducted. Results indicated a range of related activities, with evaluation and remedial action occurring in a majority of schools. However, establishment of criteria for specific quality assurance activities was found lacking. (Author/MSE)

Provides a personal account of experiences with producing newsletters for a nongovernmental organization in Sri Lanka involved in rural development. The role of newsletters is discussed (particularly for communicating development information), production techniques are suggested, costs are addressed, and quality and content are considered. (LRW)

This response to previous symposium papers (EC 604 155-161) concerning regulations and quality assurance in Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) sees regulations as the bureaucratization of values, identifies paradoxes implicit in regulatory controls, and urges reform of the current developmental disability service…

The arrival of the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach in higher education has brought both support and skepticism. Although consultants are busy selling tool-driven, seven-step workshops, it is not yet clear what the academic version of the approach will be or how it will evolve. (MSE)

Although the Total Quality Management (TQM) system offers an admirable goal and offers promise of organizational improvement, the process it recommends is not a panacea and may only forestall the conflict inevitably arising from decision making, individual accountability, and organizational change. The approach is being abandoned by some. (MSE)

Although traditional surveys are a valuable tool for college institutional researchers and others gathering data to support quality improvement programs, focus groups offer another technique for understanding university community members' needs and opinions by probing areas of special interest. University of Miami (Florida) experience illustrates…

The conception and development of a unit at the College of Saint Mark and Saint John (England) to support improvement of instructional quality are described. Issues addressed include the meaning of "quality," organizational structure, the unit's role in program and faculty evaluation, establishment of objectives, and operational…