This report draws on the first two years' experience, findings, and research of the seven strands of the Raising Quality and Achievement (RQA) Program to draw general conclusions about issues being addressed, progress made, and challenges remaining for colleges in the United Kingdom. It defines quality and achievement, describes the national…

With the nationwide implementation of managed care and the eroding financial base for children's services, social service agencies need new organizational systems to survive. This handbook provides an overview of one new system, Total Quality Management (TQM), as it relates to the child welfare field. The book's chapters are: (1) "Total…

This booklet discusses issues to consider when using instructional media in higher education. Section 1 highlights quality control, discussing such key questions as how accountability and responsibility for creating instruction are determined and what the faculty's role is in determining how courses are to be adapted and delivered. Section 2…

The revised edition of "How good is our school?" (HM Inspectorate of Education 2002) has been widely welcomed in schools and authorities. This document is one of a series of guides to self-evaluation that builds on the advice given in "How good is our school?" The materials are designed for staff who have responsibilities…

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:…

Discusses the need to bring consistency and quality to the way U.S. higher education institutions, and the system in general, relate to the rest of the world. Considers problems faced by institutions establishing educational programs abroad. Presents one proposed set of standards for U.S. institutions offering credit-bearing programs abroad. (MSE)

Discusses (1) the history of document delivery; (2) the delivery process--end-user request, intermediary request, vendor reference, citation verification, obtaining document and source relations, quality control, transferring document to client, customer service and status, invoicing and billing, research and development, and copyright; and (3)…

Discusses limitations and possibilities of the service quality model, originally developed in a commercial environment, for academic libraries. Examines ways in which the model can be adapted to library reference services, access services, document delivery, and collection development. (62 references) (Author/AEF)

Analyzes inspection results for 22 English and Welsh secondary schools to explore the nature of, and responses to, OFSTED (Offices for Standards in Education) inspectors' recommendations about using internal monitoring and evaluation to improve classroom practice. In their action plans, some schools respond with bureaucratic procedures, while…

In several countries, university purposes and functions are being renegotiated as governments insist on a certain kind of "product" and careful measures of university "productivity." Identifies immediate consequences for university culture, particularly displacement of academic leadership by a culture of "management." Argues that the university is…

The evolution of the Internet and World Wide Web are chronicled briefly, and the challenges and opportunities they offer for college campus planning are discussed. Three issues are discussed: how institutions can use these resources to further their aims of instruction, research, recruitment, public information, and financial strength; assurance…

An approach to quality in college instruction at a French technical institute, based on the industrial model of quality assurance, is outlined, and four separate initiatives are described. They include a group organized to implement the approach in a civil engineering department, undergraduate curriculum reform, redefinition of objectives in…

Changes in values and practices in Mexican higher education in the 1990s are examined, including economic recovery from the 1980s, new funding mechanisms, curriculum development, increased support for research and graduate study, and institutional restructuring. The trend is viewed as moving away from the social welfare model of higher education…

Reports on the results of a survey of 87 library and information science journal editors that investigated manuscript review processes, acceptance rates, and availability of instructions to authors. Topics include the proliferation of journals; assessing the quality of journals; and implications for faculty promotion and tenure decisions. (LRW)