Discusses, in the context of the National Research Council's next study of research-doctorate programs, arguments over continuing use of reputational surveys as the primary measure of program quality, as opposed to more objective measures of research performance. Eleven tables rank institutions for specific fields by reputation, citation density,…

Examined how English special schools, which had been inspected, judged inadequate, and put under special measures, made progress. Data from documentary analysis and case studies in special schools indicated that progress related to the conduct of certain planning-related activities following inspection. Whether these activities happened depended…

The Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award (MBNQA) framework for defining organizational quality is widely accepted in for-profit organizations. A study examined the validity of the proposed relationships among MBNQA dimensions using data from higher education. The empirical results help identify a modified model that has implications for…

Describes how overseas collaborative activity has been particularly popular with many United Kingdom higher education institutions over the past decade, with the Quality Assurance Agency creating an audit agenda to measure the quality of such partnerships. Asserts that existing collaborative audit approaches lack cultural sensitivity and are open…

Discusses quality assurance and evaluation at institutions of higher education in Africa. Notes driving forces behind this trend, including declining financial resources; accountability to stakeholders; and massification, internationalization, and globalization of education. Notes establishment by many institutions of internal and external quality…

Reports on a pilot project which examined the feasibility of introducing a quality assurance system, originally developed in the United Kingdom, in Turkish universities. Although a convergence between systems was observed, there emerged significant cultural, structural, political, and technical issues that affected the transfer fo the UK system to…

Examined performance funding, specifically one common performance measure--student persistence--at three institutions within a single state: a flagship university, a historically black university, and a regional, comprehensive institution. Sought to determine if the outcomes were those intended by policy makers. Uncovered variables that affected…

Teacher education faculty members, state certification officers, and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) staff share what they have learned from their NCATE-state joint review and accreditation visits, noting dilemmas concerning the joint review (e.g., proactive versus reactive measures, issues of partnership versus…

Stung by a negative accreditation review, Los Angeles City College established an administrative position and a planning process that is successfully creating a culture of continuous improvement. At the core of this success is a "plan-act-check" reinforcing systems loop that links planning, budgeting, and institutional research. (Contains 2…

The development of various national and supra-national accreditation systems is currently being discussed as a possible response to an increasingly internationalized and deregulated higher education sector. However, the establishment of such procedures may have unintended consequences, not least with respect to limiting the diversity of higher…

The article analyses the issue of indefiniteness of higher education quality management as a specific area of quality management. It analyses the participation of staff in the development of quality culture. It investigates the perceptions of university and college staff of their responsibilities to participate in quality management. On the basis…

This article analyses institutional evaluations of higher education in England and Finland through the concept of legitimacy. The focus of the article is on the institutional tendencies of legitimacy. This author's hypothesis is that evaluation is legitimate when the evaluation process is of a good quality and accepted both morally and in practice…

Early approach to research in industrial and organizational (I/O) psychology was oriented towards quantitative techniques as a result of influences from the social sciences. As the focus of I/O psychology expands from psychological test development to other personnel functions, there has been an inclusion of qualitative methods in I/O psychology…

Academic research, statewide reports, and regional report cards describing K-12 student achievement on standardized tests have become commonplace throughout the US. Incorporating outcomes assessment in higher education is proceeding more slowly. Faculty and staff at colleges and universities have not embraced the assessment movement, and many…

Values and realities may have difficulty coexisting on a college campus. What is expressed in an institution's mission and what actually occurs may be far apart. In some instances, the academic values incorporated within a mission and the realities of implementation operate in completely separate channels and rarely interact. In other cases, the…