ABSTRACT

Interest in the quality of higher education provision has been steadily increasing over the last twenty years. This has been driven largely by the international creation of explicit policies and reporting requirements to review, audit and evaluate provision. The interest is associated in many countries with the granting by governments of greater autonomy to higher education institutions. This, crucially, comes bound with increased requirements for accountability in the exercise of such power. Enhancing provision, promoting innovation, cultivating exploration and adopting information-led approaches to practice are at the very heart of higher education. As such quality enhancement comes in many guises and is under constant scrutiny.

Enhancing Quality in Higher Education looks critically at recent developments in higher education, taking snapshots of changing practices around the world and analysing the varied theoretical perspectives of quality enhancement that are emerging. The opening section draws upon this theoretical base, whilst the second section contextualises it through the analysis of a diverse range of international case studies. The concluding section considers future prospects for the enhancement agenda in the light of the international pressures facing all systems of higher education in the future. Policy will inevitably be shaped by the historical contexts within which national systems are located.

The book draws on a wide range of international case studies, examined by a host of contributing experts. The movement towards quality enhancement can be seen as stimulating action at the grassroots of the academy to self-generate improvement. It is a counter to the prevalent view that change in higher education is essentially about the institutional response to increasing societal pressure and state control and, as such, is a welcome contribution to the literature. This comprehensive volume is essential reading for anyone involved in higher education and educational policy.

chapter |9 pages

Introduction

part |51 pages

Theorising Enhancement

chapter |15 pages

Meanings of Enhancement

chapter |11 pages

Quality Culture at What Cost?

Pursuing Educational Excellence in Straitened Times

part |194 pages

Enhancement in Context

chapter |16 pages

Quality Enhancement in England

From Funded Projects to Student-Led Demand

chapter |13 pages

‘To See Ourselves as Others See Us'

The Scottish Approach to Quality Enhancement

chapter |12 pages

Enhancing Quality

A Finnish Perspective

chapter |12 pages

Quality Enhancement

The Australian Scene

chapter |12 pages

The Portuguese Case

Can Institutions Move to Quality Enhancement?

chapter |12 pages

Enhancing the Quality of Higher Education in the Czech Republic

Past, Present and Future Challenges

chapter |12 pages

Enhancement or Transformation?

The Significance and Dimensions of Quality Enhancement in Higher Education in South Africa

chapter |12 pages

The Four-Year Degree in Hong Kong

An Opportunity for Quality Enhancement

chapter |14 pages

The Impact of Quality Improvement on University Work

An Overview in Seven Ibero-American Countries

part |18 pages

Conclusion

chapter |16 pages

Enhancing the Future

Context and Fidelity