While much research on quality assurance in higher education has centred on issues related to the impact on teaching and learning and academic staff, there is a significant gap in the area of quality assurance and academic governance. Within Australia the roles of university academic boards (also known as academic senates or faculty senates) have…

English language proficiency and how it can be improved have been keenly debated issues in Australian universities. The debate has become more intense in the context of the marketing of international education and Australia's increasing share of international students. One reaction has been to raise the minimum English language levels for…

Self-evaluation is supposed to be a valid, reliable and easy-to-use instrument to commit professionals to external quality assurance. The writing of a self-evaluation report is the first step in most higher education accreditation systems all over the world. Research on accreditation in the Netherlands and Flanders shows that professionals…

A review of the performance of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA) was undertaken in 2005-2006. It was commissioned by AUQA and the review report was published in May 2006. This article explores whether the AUQA review can be regarded internationally as an exemplar and thus used with confidence by governments or other principals as a…

This article debates whether the concept of satisfaction as a measurement of quality in higher education supports the goal of enhancing transformative learning. As higher education is about transforming people, not just their knowledge, it is argued that learning challenges the identities of students, and even questions their personal integrity.…

This paper proposes a practical framework for key skills that can be used or adapted for use in any discipline at university level. The paper begins by reviewing the arguments for and against integrating key skills into higher education. Although the skills agenda has been widely criticised on several fronts, this paper argues that key skills need…

Barring the devout vegetarian, most people will not refuse a sizzling steak, especially when the stomach is empty. Even in fairly well developed economies, an education deficit is there. Why should countries then be hesitant or skeptical about transnational education delivered to their doors? Could it be that there are just too many bones in this…

In the context of a project aimed at studying and assessing the impact that self- evaluation may have produced in Chile since the beginnings of the 1990s, both in the academic management practices and the academic culture, this paper examines the mission component of self-evaluation processes. The paper rests on the basic assumption that a highly…

Previous research provides evidence of grassroots academics adopting a variety of behaviours in response to quality-led change initiatives in higher education. Although administrators may seek answers to the question "when will academics learn about quality?", perhaps there is a need to address a more fundamental question: "How do academics…

There are a several lenses through which quality in higher education can be viewed. One views quality improvement at the macro or university level, another focuses at the micro or educational-delivery level. One sees quality assessment as an administrative "check-off", the other sees quality as a continuous improvement in educational delivery. One…

Proposes a holistic model for quality management in higher education which incorporates both service and academic functions. Discusses the crucial role played by organizational culture in implementation of any quality strategy, and asserts that ideal organizational behavior embodies the "learning communities" concept. (EV)

Analyzes the concept of "employability" and critiques the prevailing tendency to create employability measures based on outcomes. Asserts that the outcome approach results in employability being construed as an institutional achievement rather than the propensity of individual students to get employment. Outlines an alternative approach based on…

Elaborates a cogent alternative to the skills agenda as an approach to graduate employability--the graduate identity approach. Using a conceptual and theoretical examination of the key notion of performance, presents the twin concepts of practices and identity as significant for understanding human behavior. Offers suggestions for curriculum…

Addresses employability as a performance indicator in higher education. Raises questions about the values behind seemingly neutral indicators of value, and whether the same employability attributes have similar economic and professional values for different social groups. Asserts that employability is a socially decontextualized signifier, and…

Argues that it is essential to introduce alternatives to the traditional assessment approaches (usually examinations) used in Norwegian higher education. Proposes that the focus should be on the basis for selecting assessment methods, rather than on the methods themselves and that methods that empower students such as portfolio assessment should…