External Quality Assurance In Higher Education

External quality assurance (EQA) has become an important item on the policy agendas of higher education systems across the world. This publication discusses the different options available. This publication can be used for identifying issues and concerns of policy-makers in the area of quality assurance.--Publisher's description.

This book analyses the external quality assurance system of higher education in China. It brings together scholarship on this topic by renowned Chinese experts, reporting and discussing recent policy developments and research. This volume was originally published as a special issue of Chinese Education and Society.

The significant growth of number of students enrolled in tertiary education institutions in the recent past decades has caused an unprecedented expansion of higher education systems. The rapid and constant social, economic and technological mutations and international competition make the importance of qualitatively well-educated citizenry and labor forces very decisive. Globalization has developed a powerful impact on the development of higher education and imposes new challenges for the organization (standards, financing, regulations). Systems of higher education tend to detach from the national models and adopt a more "global" orientation. The implementation of quality assurance is one of the recent and most decisive transformations of higher education. Different higher education systems are trying to develop assessment tools (internal and external) to improve the quality of teaching, research and extension activities, and these are either based on experiences of selected countries or are extensively country specific. The quality assurance procedures that were often dependent on national directorial traditions have gradually tended to converge and led to a setup of common tools and standards. Countries under a centralized system tend to impose a uniform and general model while decentralized systems give greater freedom to universities to set up their own quality. International rankings of universities also contribute to impose a set of transnational standards and values, which is also being considered as indicative by the stakeholders. The present book tries to look at the quality assurance mechanism, international rankings and its impact in both absolute and comparative fashion in context of 11 countries from different parts of the world.

Introduction: The background for and the ambitions of the current book -- PART 1. The Global Study. External quality assurance: The landscape, the players and developmental trends -- Quality assurance: Legitimacy, efficiency and control issues -- External quality assurance: Comparative reflections -- Institutional quality management: Comparative reflections -- PART 2. Regional Studies. QA in higher education in Africa: A synoptic view -- The Arab States: Quality assurance trends in higher education -- Internal and external quality assurance of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region -- Eastern Europe: Quality assurance trends and challenges -- Latin America and the Caribbean: Quality assurance trends and challenges -- Northern America: Quality assurance trends and challenges -- Western Europe: Quality assurance trends and challenges.

This Book, Which Discusses The Issue Of Assessment And Accreditation In Three Leads-Policies, Prospects And Challenges, Will Provide The Basic Information On Eqa Process As Conceptualised And Practised In The Indian Context And Will Prove To Be A Useful Source Of Reference To Those Interested In Quality Education.

Whilst external quality audits have been in place for more than a decade in some countries, limited research exists on the extent to which such audits have been effective in improving systems and processes for quality assurance in higher education institutions, and the extent to which such audits have improved academic standards, outcomes and student experience. External Quality Audit looks at the experience of countries where external quality audits have been established by governments, and provides analyses of their effectiveness in improving quality assurance in universities and other higher education institutions. Brings together the experience of academics and administrators in higher education institutions Examines international experience on the extent to which external quality audits have improved quality assurance at national, institutional and faculty levels Gives perspective from a variety of higher education institutions

By bringing together leading experts on quality assurance in higher education from seven countries (from Europe, the USA and South Africa), this volume intends to go several steps further than most publications on the same subject. Containing comprehensive discussion of the most relevant trends in quality assurance regulation, translation and transformation, researchers and policy makers will find an engaged, academic reflection on how quality assurance is embedded in higher education and in a dynamic way to assess its impacts and potential improvements.

The Global Trends in Higher Education Quality Assurance: Challenges and Opportunities in Internal and External Quality Assurance provides a comprehensive coverage of the trends and developments in higher education quality assurance as they refer to legitimacy/trust, efficiency and relevance.