In the post-Apartheid era South Africa's universities have faced serious questions about the quality of their student learning in the face of near impossible challenges. The University of Cape Town, widely seen as the country's leading higher education institution, has shown remarkable resilience, however, in the range of initiatives it has…

This dissertation considers the effects of national rankings, specifically the 2010 National Research Council (NRC)'s Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs, on higher education institutions' behavior. National research studies of graduate education require significant resources and data, yet it is uncertain how universities make…

This study seeks to identify factors influencing East Asian international students' choices of Canadian graduate schools, to assess the strengths and dynamics of the factors influencing enrolment decisions, and to describe possible implications both for the Canadian government and for Canadian universities offering graduate education. The research…

The extent to which current concern with teaching quality in British universities will enhance serious pedagogical development is examined. Recent government initiatives for faculty development from the Department of Employment are seen as useful but not a replacement for rigorous intellectual training, and improved incentives and funding. (MSE)

This book presents college and university education as a quality-oriented service with students, parents, and legislators as customers demanding quality. It attempts to blend the concept of strategic management of quality in industry with the latest thinking on the administration of higher education. The first chapter discusses the importance of…

A recently implemented program of institutional evaluation in Spanish universities, designed with the intention of improving the quality of teaching, research, and administration, is discussed. Objectives and mechanisms for assessment in each of these areas are detailed. (MSE)

A survey of graduating university students (n=165) investigated factors influencing their satisfaction with their majors. Career-related learning, communication skills, and parental influence in choice of major were the best predictors of satisfaction with major. Perceived quality of instruction and career opportunities/services were also highly…

This book discusses how major changes in society have created significant implications for the delivery of higher education and reveals that it is not possible to educate students with any degree of success while operating under the same assumptions and the same models that were successful in the past. The author shows the significance of…

The quality assessment process for Australian universities is examined, including its impact on quality improvement, whether judging quality at the institutional level is too coarse a measure to give accurate results, some alternatives, and whether the whole institution approach may lead to greater external interference in institutional affairs.…

This paper examines the background and implementation of the recent Australian decision to move from a binary to a unitary system of higher education based upon the universities and how the federal government's economic and efficiency goals for higher education greatly accelerated the demise of the dual structure. (GLR)

This document offers administrators a concise approach to the various theories of total quality management (TQM) and the tools necessary to implement these theories at postsecondary educational institutions. The book is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 introduces the principles of TQM by briefly: (1) reviewing the ideas of TQM leaders; and…

The search for indicators of quality for colleges and universities was initiated during the past decade and many variants of these efforts have emerged in Europe, Australia, and on the North American continent. In the financial squeeze of the 1980s and 1990s, demands for quality and excellence in the conduct of higher education have continued to…

This paper addresses issues generated by the British government's decision to abolish the binary division between university institutions of higher education and other postsecondary institutions. Sectoralization of British higher education in a post-binary system has created some problematics, two of which appear especially noteworthy: (1) student…

This book offers a synthesis of practices and policies in collegiate quality assurance, examining a range of contemporary approaches that include accreditation, student feedback, professional licensure, college rankings and ratings, and other measures of academic quality. A quality assurance model is offered that links principles of good practice…

This book provides a comprehensive bibliography of higher education in India. It constitutes a resource for scholars, policymakers, planners, and administrators concerned with higher education in India. The book contains 2,485 entries arranged under 50 themes. Each theme is classified into four types of material: books; articles; annotated…