Discusses a process of total quality management (TQM) that will help define objectives, develop criteria for measuring accomplishments, and identify what has to be done to get an organization from where it is to where it wants to be. Explains the characteristics of a good TQM needs assessment. (JOW)

This brief guide to total quality management (TQM) includes definitions, a review of the history of the concept, profiles of five principle experts, and a discussion of TQM jargon. (SK)

Control chart principles that are commonly used to monitor performance in manufacturing and service systems are explored for use in monitoring performance of university faculty. Concepts are reviewed, and examples are presented to illustrate their use. Both superior and poor performances can be identified through control charts. (SLD)

Asserts that, since most states now have counselor licensure, the National Board for Certified Counselors and the National certification process itself may be obsolete. Authors question whether the National Counselor Exam differentiates between effective and ineffective counselors and question why only 8% of American Counseling Association members…

Includes information about the U.S. textile industry, including apparel, careers, management, marketing, manufacturing, research and development, and quality control. (JOW)

Describes how schools are investigating single-ply roofing systems for new and retrofit construction. Discusses some of the considerations in seaming together a single-ply roof, steps in choosing roofing material and a roofing contractor, warranty advice, and the importance of keeping records on roof maintenance. (RJM)

This paper reviews several cases of external evaluations of external quality assurance (EQA) agencies. The characteristics, methodology and findings of six such evaluations from three continents are discussed and similarities and differences are analysed. The lessons drawn from these six cases show that external evaluation of agencies is a…

Quality assurance in higher education is a mess: the "problem" of quality is embedded in complex sets of interacting issues that are of concern to many and varied stakeholders. Developing higher education systems that have responded to issues of quality through a "best practice" model of external quality assurance has produced…

Issues relating to the introduction of accreditation and a regulatory framework in Hong Kong for sub-degree and vocational courses, which encompasses both public and private funded institutions, are examined. This is a milestone development that seeks to introduce comprehensive quality assurance and consistency in standard and nomenclature for…

The following paper contains the principles for good practice for quality assurance agencies agreed by delegates at the INQAAHE Conference in Dublin, 2003.

A model of gradual reputation formation through a process of continuous investment in product quality is developed. We assume that the ability to produce high-quality products requires continuous investment and that as a consequence of informational frictions, such as search costs, information about firms' past performance diffuses only gradually…

As automated scoring of complex constructed-response examinations reaches operational status, the process of evaluating the quality of resultant scores, particularly in contrast to scores of expert human graders, becomes as complex as the data itself. Using a vignette from the Architectural Registration Examination (ARE), this article explores the…

The strong link between teacher quality and student learning outcomes calls for effective systems of teacher accountability. School systems in all Australian states have established policies and practices to raise levels of teacher accountability, but it remains doubtful whether they have the capacity to deliver on teacher quality assurance or…

There have been calls to increase the autonomy of higher education institutions in Europe for a number of years. They have been counterbalanced by demands for increasing accountability and a European quality assurance system. In London in 2007, the European ministers of education decided to implement a European register of accredited quality…

Academic freedom and the protection of human research subjects are central tenets of American universities. Academic freedom protects the rights of tenured professors to conduct autonomous research; human subject protection ensures that research causes as minimal a risk as possible to study participants. Although the two principles are mutually…