A diverse society has created a diverse education system, which in turn requires diverse and complex mechanisms of quality control. The diversity and complexity of the industrial, service, and knowledge-based economy, with its vast variety of occupations and dynamic labor markets, heavily influences the curricular structures and academic profiles…

This article outlines a methodology for characterising features of programme-level assessment environments so that the relationship between features of the assessment environment and students' learning response can be studied. The methodology was developed through the detailed case study of nine undergraduate degree programmes: one in each of…

Community colleges in a number of states are expanding their roles to include baccalaureate degree programming. While the lower cost for delivery of these programs is often a motivating reason for community college baccalaureate, other factors also make these programs attractive alternatives. This article reports the findings of a case study that…

This handbook describes the principles, policies, and procedures governing the accreditation work of the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. The "Introduction" reviews the meaning and purposes of accreditation and the evolution of the Commission's evaluative principles, and describes the mission, operations, and services of…

A project was conducted at La Montana Regional College, a two-year institution in the central mountain region of Puerto Rico, to design a system by which solid, empirical evidence of institutional goal achievement could be collected. The project involved four components: a study of the literature on institutional goal achievement and the…

The Accrediting Council on Education for Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC) is the only agency that accredits college and university advertising programs. Its accrediting committee consists of 10 educators and seven professionals who base the accrediting process largely on how well an advertising unit or sequence meets the objectives and…

Evaluation client characteristics are outlined, based on experiences of the Office of Instructional and Management Services, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and contract evaluators for industry and other higher education institutions. Objectivity, expertise, sensitivity to client needs, standardized data presentation,…

Defends the validity of the methodology and findings of a previously published report which ranked university Black Studies departments by achievement. Argues that the future of Black Studies depends upon its ability to impose standards of excellence upon itself. (KH)

A performance audit is a comprehensive examination of an organization or activity conducted by an independent evaluator to assess efficient use of resources (management audit) or effectiveness (program audit). (SK)

This paper examines the role of systems thinking in higher education, explaining that university examples provide a sense of what systems thinking entails when applied within large, complex organizations. It shares insights provided by the system dynamics approach for approaches to organizational leadership in education. A system dynamics approach…

This report presents the final recommendations of the Performance Indicator Advisory Committee to the Illinois Board of Higher Education with regard to statewide and common institutional indicators that can be used to assess progress toward meeting the goals of "The Illinois Commitment" for higher education. Also addressed are the…

A model for simulating college and university operations, finances, program investments, and market response in terms of applicants, acceptances, and retention has been developed and implemented using the system dynamics approach. The Model for University Strategic Evaluation (MUSE) is a simulation of the total operations of the university,…

This is the second publication in an annual series providing performance indicators relating to higher education in the United Kingdom. The report is based on data from the academic years 1997-98 and 1998-99. The indicators are provided for the 169 publicly funded institutions of higher education in the UK and are presented in 7 tables. Indicators…

Presents an approach to the development and use of a planning, evaluation, and improvement model for schools and districts, which involves three phases: establishing goals and priorities; the School-Improvement Evaluation Process of the North Central Association; and follow-up response. (AYC)

Reviews the origins and development of accreditation, focusing on the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Reviews modifications in the Commission's accreditation process, including abandonment of fixed quantitative standards; emphasis on institutional development, monitoring and policing; open sharing of recommendations; broadening of…