Presents, in order of frequency of occurrence, critical comments apparent in multiple reviews of 58 manuscripts received from April 1997 to April 1998 by Teaching and Teacher Education, thus identifying the breaches of canon most frequently identified in reviewers' critical comments. There are 13 broad categories of criticism. The one outstanding…

Describes the college accreditation processes in the United States within the larger context of state, federal, and institutional accountability and reviews some of the continuing debates over ways to improve accreditation. Notes key issues (gathering evidence and using expert judgment) receiving attention by accrediting agencies in recent years.…

Systematic staff appraisal/performance management has been assumed to be an important part of quality management in higher-education institutions, but past approaches to it have had confused purposes and have made minimal contributions to enhancing institutional performance. For performance management to be relevant, it must focus on leadership of…

Chronicles development and implementation of a performance-management system for nonfaculty employees at Wittenberg University (Ohio). The initiative featured principles of continuous quality improvement. Seven key lessons learned are presented for other institutions, including selection of the design team, changing the status quo, defining and…

Responds to the debate on how evaluation processes can reward individual differences, and at the same time ensure quality-control across the board. A review is provided of types of evaluation and suggestions are offered for the development of successful, institutionally appropriate evaluation plans. (Author/VWL)

Examines guidelines for conducting quality Internet searches, highlighting subject catalogs, annotated directories, annotated directories with ratings or reviews, subject directories with ratings, subject guides, and information gateways. Discusses variable quality; evaluation criteria: metainformation, credibility, timeliness; quality assurance;…

Since a large, underfunded urban Colorado district initiated ISO 9000 reforms, administrators and staff have reviewed 14 central-office departments' processes to improve efficiency and enhance student outcomes. Jefferson County has saved $900,000 annually on purchasing processes, developed a quality curriculum-development process, and improved…

In response to a paper on Translation Quality Assessment and the training of translators, it is argued that too much emphasis is given to the role of psycholinguistics, functionalism, and quality assessment and too little on the development of student translators as the complex readers and writers that translators should be. Focus is on literary…

A response to a paper on the training of translators criticizes assertions made about the layperson's view of translation and about the relevance and consistency of professional training, and identifies misconceptions in the author's understanding of specific theories and approaches, particularly the functionalist approach to translation and…

Considers the need for reliable, scholarly access to the Web and suggests that the Association for Research Libraries, in partnership with OCLC and the Library of Congress, develop a so-called scholar's portal. Topics include quality content; enhanced library services; and gateway functions, including access to commercial databases and focused…

The evolution of an award-winning Total Quality Management (TQM) program for administrative and academic staff development at Oregon State University is chronicled. Special attention is given to application of TQM for faculty and corporate interaction, instructional improvement, and curriculum development. Special challenges for implementation of…

Discusses how to improve library reference service, especially the effective delivery of accurate answers, based on a program at Wichita State University (Kansas) that used concepts of quality from business and organizational management. Topics addressed include customers and customer service, and methods of reference service evaluation. (Contains…

A study on the use of performance indicators within a quality assurance system in higher education in the Netherlands is reported. The case study of seven departments of economics shows the attention paid to structural aspects of the curriculum instead of the declared object of the program evaluation. (SLD)

Efforts to improve the quality of academic programs in the United Kingdom, United States, and Netherlands have followed three general approaches: the logic of competitive markets; application of incentives; and professional self-regulation. Strengths and weaknesses of these approaches for improving academic quality are examined through the lens of…

Drawing on experience in the United States and United Kingdom, two educators discuss the practice of quality assessment in higher education. Distinguishing between formative and summative assessment, they identify characteristics that support quality learning, observing that practice falls short of these ideals and noting that it is risky for…