Quality assurance and accreditation: a glossary of basic

Quality Assurance andAccreditation

A Glossary of Basic Termsand Definitions

compiled byLaz r VL SCEANU Laura GRUumlNBERG

andDan PAcircRLEA

Bucharest2007

EditorsMelanie Seto Peter J Wells

Editing AssistantViorica Popa

ISBN 92 9069 186 7 92-9069-186-1copyUNESCO 2007

Revised and updated editionUNESCO CEPES 2007First edition 2004

Contents

Preface 9

Introduction 11

Terms and Definitions 25

ACCREDITATION 25Institutional AccreditationRegional Accreditation (USA)Specialized AccreditationDuration of AccreditationAccreditation of Prior LearningAccreditation StatusAccreditation SurveyPortfolio for AccreditationAccreditation Body

ASSESSMENT29

AUDIT 31Institutional AuditInstitutional ReviewAudit ReportEvaluation ReportAssessment

ReportInternal AuditManagement Audit

BENCHMARK33Benchmark InformationSubject BenchmarkSubject Benchmark

StatementsCourse Development Benchmarks

BENCHMARKING34Internal Benchmarking(External) Competitive BenchmarkingFunctional (External Collaborative)

BenchmarkingTrans Institutional BenchmarkingImplicit BenchmarkingGeneric BenchmarkingProcessndashBased Benchmarking

BEST PRACTICE 41

CERTIFICATION42

CODEOF PRACTICE 42

CODEOF (PROFESSIONAL) ETHICSCONCERNINGQUALITY ASSURANCEANDACCREDITATION INHIGHEREDUCATION 44

COMPETENCIES45Cognitive CompetenciesAttitudinal CompetenciesProfessional Competencies

CREDITS 47Accumulation of Study CreditsECTS (European Credit Transfer and

Accumulation System)

CRITERIA 49Performance Criteria

CULTUREOF EVIDENCE50

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)52Descriptors (Qualification)

EFFECTIVENESS (EDUCATIONAL) 54

EFFICIENCY (EDUCATIONAL)55

EVALUATION 56External EvaluationInternal EvaluationSelf evaluation

EXTERNAL REVIEW57

HIGHEREDUCATIONINSTITUTIONORGANIZATION (HEI) 57

INDICATORS 59Performance IndicatorsSimple Indicator

LICENSING62

OUTCOMES63Outcomes AssessmentStudent Learning Outcomes

PEER REVIEWEXTERNAL REVIEW66

QUALIFICATION67Qualifications FrameworkEuropean Qualifications Framework

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)70Quality AssessmentQuality ReviewQuality AssuranceQuality ControlQuality ManagementTotal Quality Management (TQM)Quality AuditQuality CultureQuality Planning

RANKINGLEAGUE TABLES79

RECOGNITION82Academic RecognitionMutual RecognitionProfessional RecognitionRecognition of Prior Learning

REGISTER OF EUROPEANHIGHEREDUCATIONQUALITY ASSURANCEAGENCIES (REHEQA)86

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STANDARDS89Content StandardsEducational StandardsPerformance StandardsEuropean standards

STUDENT EVALUATIONOF TEACHERS93

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

Accreditation and Quality AssuranceOrganizations in Europe the United Statesand Canada 99

INDEX 117

Preface

The present publication is a revised and updated versionof the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Glossary of BasicTerms and Definitions which was published in 2004 Theinitiative to produce such a glossary was undertaken in thecontext of the Invitational Roundtable on ldquoIndicators forInstitutional and Programme Accreditation in HigherEducationTertiary Educationrdquo (3 8 April 2003 Bucharest)that was organized in the framework of the UNESCOCEPES project ldquoStrategic Indicators for Higher Educationin the Twenty First Centuryrdquo1 The need to improve thequantitative assessment of higher education at system andinstitutional levels the main objective of the project hasbeen complemented by this effort to compile in a succinctand easily accessible format main terms and definitions inthe areas of quality assurance and accreditation in highereducation

Even if its elaboration required a thorough analysisand diligent search of appropriate sources the mainpurpose of this glossary is a pragmatic one ndash to facilitateunderstanding of various terms applied in the fields ofquality assurance and accreditation It may also be used asa reference tool to understand the connotations of theterms in circulation This revised and updated version alsoreflects new developments in quality assurance andaccreditation Thus the present version as such includes

a series of new terms and sub terms have beenintroduced such as Code of professional ethicsCompetencies Typology of higher educationinstitutions National and European Qualification

1 The project was implemented within the Japanese-Funds-in-Trust for the Promotion of International Co-operation and Mutual Understanding with assistance offered by the German Academic Exchange Service ndash DAAD Bonn Germany More details are available at wwwcepesro

Preface 10

Framework European Register of External QualityAssurance Agencies European standards Studyprogramme etc

a number of entries has been revised taking newdevelopments and due attention to clarity ofdescription

new documents that were published since 2004(mainly linked to the implementation of qualityassurance and accreditation within the BolognaProcess) have been used and introduced asdefinition sources

the list of accreditation and quality evaluationbodies in Europe the United States and Canadahas been updated

This project being the result of teamwork I would liketo thank all UNESCO CEPES staff members who havecontributed to its realization particularly Laz rVl sceanu Laura Gruumlnberg and Dan Pacircrlea

Like its earlier version it is my conviction that evenmore so this revised version of the glossary will be foundby its user a very useful tool facilitating dealing with avery complex very pertinent but increasingly complex ndashthat of quality assurance and accreditation which is one ofthe underlying principles of the Bologna Process anddevelopments in higher education in general

Jan SadlakDirector of UNESCO CEPES

Introduction

There has always been an individual and social need toimprove the quality of life of people including the qualityof what they learn over many years of organizedschooling how they learn it and why they learn itConcerns about the quality of higher education are alsonot recent being an intrinsic part of any discussion on thesubject Over the years various developments have takenplace relative to the assessment monitoring andimprovement of the quality of different components ofhigher education (its governance its contents its forms ofpedagogy the services offered etc) What is new refers tothose developments which are related to quality assuranceand its management Concepts such as ldquoqualityassessmentrdquo ldquoquality evaluationrdquo and ldquoqualityassurancerdquo are widely used today within the widerprocesses of managing quality Frequently used theseconcepts are also frequently misused

Many other attempts have been made to prepare suchglossaries as the references listed for the present glossaryindicate Among these most are national sub national orregional with only few of global relevance To propose aglossary meant to include a more universal set ofmeanings while preserving a certain level of national andregional relevance has thus been a challenging and riskytask We nevertheless embarked on such an endeavourconvinced of the need to compile not so much a diversitybut a commonality of meanings The implication was thatof observing how specific meanings are shared and howthey operate in different contexts

We have encountered many expected and unexpecteddifficulties in producing this glossary The task proved tobe challenging as we discovered many contradictions andparadoxes in the literature surveyed for this purpose thus

Introduction 12

we decided to reveal and publicly share some of theproblems encountered in the preparation of this glossary

In exploring the vocabulary of the field we wereconfronted with a domain called ldquoQuality Assurancerdquowhich was inflated with concepts terms and definitions Itwas clear however from what we found that this domainis also seeking a language of its own not simply onesubstituting for a number of national sub regionallanguages Indeed in order for a domain to exist to haveidentity and autonomy to be fully respected andrecognized it needs a language of its own so as to expressitself as widely and efficiently as possible It needs arevolution of the dictionary

It seemed to us that we were in the midst of such arevolution The ldquoparadox of densityrdquo as described by MDogan and R Phare (1990) that the more ldquocrowdedrdquo agiven academicscientific domain is the less creativity onewill find in it and the more confusion and repetition willbe present seems all too applicable to the field of qualityassurance Following the ldquoinfancy stagerdquo during whichcreativity and innovation could be described as ldquooverproductiverdquo the domain then presented itself as matureas living ldquoits adulthoodrdquo and as being surrounded by anoverwhelming diversity of terms and concepts Thisevolution justifies the need of the domain for somestability coherence order and certainties Thus the field isseeking or should be seeking a more generalcollectivelanguage of expression and operation

Introduction 13

In the context of the domainrsquos need to create its ownlanguage the following questions arise What is thepresent state of affairs Has the ldquodictionary revolutionrdquoended Are the main terms and concepts about the qualityof education consistently defined How are their meaningsshared Is there a minimal consensus among specialists asto what they are discussing How are they using termsand concepts within particular on going educationalreforms It seems that the answer to all these questions forthe time being at least is a resounding ldquonordquo As Dirk VanDamme said ldquodespite the widespread use of the term[quality] a more or less agreed upon definition has not yetmaterialized Rather a multitude of meanings andconceptual confusion are the resultrdquo (Van Damme 2003)There are of course others who might have a contraryview and they would not refrain from asserting their pointof view as the one universally valid2

The ldquorevolutionrdquo has not yet run its course owing to aset of problems that we discovered when surveying majorspecialized literature A lsquolinguistic baroque worldrsquo exists inthe field of quality assurance There are many floweryingredients a very rich linguistic creativity without anldquoedificerdquo into which they can be incorporated In thefollowing we will address a number of issues based on a

2 Lee Harvey in lsquoUnderstanding Qualityrsquo in FROMENT Eric KOHLEREric PURSER Juumlrgen and WILSON Lesley ed EUA Bologna Handbook Making Bologna Work Berlin Dr Josef Raabe Verlag 2006 Chapter B41 p 15

Introduction 14

selection of surveyed literature that illustrate (notdemonstrate) the process of identification of certain trends

Confusion There is an obvious lack of consensus in thespecialized literature Many authors mention variousmeanings for the same concept and at the same timeindicate that certain terms lack any consistentdefinition One regularly reads statements such as

ldquoIn much contemporary discourse on educationthe word quality is frequently mentionedalthough it is rarely definedrdquo

ldquoAssessment has manymeanings and usesrdquo

ldquoStandards and criteria [are among] the mostconfusing termsrdquo

ldquoA performance standard is a specific result orlevel of achievement that is deemed exemplary orappropriate But confusion abounds The word issometimes used in education as a synonym forhigh expectations at other times lsquostandardrsquo is usedas a synonym for benchmark Often one can alsohear standards discussed as if they were generalguidelines or principles Often speakers confusecontent standards with performance standardsFinally standards are routinely confused with thecriteria for judging performancerdquo

ldquoQuality assessment quality measurement andreview of quality are all taken here to be

Introduction 15

synonymous with evaluation especially whenthere is an external element to the procedurerdquo

Ambiguity It is difficult not to question the abundanceof terms and concepts and to avoid thinking about theneed to ldquorestrictrdquo the vocabulary allowing it to bemore coherent and consistent Linguistic proficiencyseems to be more prolific than the creative generationof practices of improvementQuite frequently several terms are used within samesense ldquoStandardsrdquo are in fact interchangeably relatedto ldquocriteriardquo in the United States and these are verydifferent from criteria as defined in Europe ldquoQualitycontrolrdquo is often used interchangeably with ldquoqualityassurancerdquo and ldquoquality managementrdquo Qualityassurance is often considered part of qualitymanagement of higher education while sometimesboth are used synonymously An ldquoevaluation reportrdquois also called ldquoaudit reportrdquo or ldquoassessment reportrdquo AnldquoInstitutional auditrdquo is considered to be the same as anldquoinstitutional reviewrdquo and a ldquopeer reviewrdquo the same asa ldquoexternal reviewrdquoOne may also find ambiguities in sentences such asldquoThe criteria provide a framework to enable aninstitution to demonstrate that it is worthy of the statusthat it seeksrdquo

Circularity Sometimes circular reasoning is used indefining terms (eg ldquoindicators indicaterdquo or ldquostandardsstandardizerdquo) nevertheless avoiding circularity is abasic requirement for a good definition

Introduction 16

PoeticalLyrical Approaches Possibly one shouldsimply accept being postmodern in a postmodernworld thus accepting ambiguity and a sort ofdeconstructivist perspective like that of ldquomappingwithout routesrdquo ndash as is suggested in a quote selectedWhat we have labeled as ldquopoetic approachesrdquo areenjoyable subtle readings with regard to the topichowever we felt that they might also act as seriousimpediments in any attempt to clarify meanings Thefollowing quotations may illustrate this point

ldquoIf we all think alike we are not thinking We needto create a constructive ambiguity or provide[ourselves] with a map rather than a routerdquo

ldquoInstitutional audits are the reasonable ways inwhich we can assure reasonable accountabilitywhile maintaining reasonable institutionalautonomyrdquo

ldquoBenchmarking is the practice of being humbleenough to admit that someone else is better atsomething and wise [enough] to learn how tomatch and even surpass [us] at itrdquo

ldquoQuality assurance is a matter of awareness andcommitment which one might call quality culturerdquo

ldquoQuality assurance is at best a matter of mindhence pertaining to quality culturerdquo

Flowery language Here is a sample of what we meanby ldquofloweryrdquo ways of treating the topic

Introduction 17

ldquoAssessing minimum standards of quality is amatter of empiricism in that they are defined bywhat relevant stakeholders academics [have said]so far as academic quality is concerned andpotential employers for questions of subsequentemployability more or less unanimously agree onas being an utter and evident requirement that hasto be met by any academic study programmelaunched under that self proclaimed namepurpose and ambitionrdquo

Of course the passage in question is not a definitionand should not be judged as such But suchldquoessayisticrdquo ways of writing about quality assurancemay have various impacts on audiences and are morelikely to induce a sense of uncertainty than one ofstability There is also the question of balance Ifisolated such baroque language is ldquoharmlessrdquo anddefinitely charming If overused it can leave one out ofbreath It certainly cannot be helpful in inducing anycoherent meaning or understanding of the domainTendencies like these are consequences of certainalready acknowledged major problems that are dealtwith in the specialized literature They are evoked forfurther reflection

Definitions As there are many types of definitions fora given term or concept (descriptive with focus ongenesis origins implicitexplicit realnominalstructural etc) there are also many operationalmeanings in use Options in defining a term are made

Introduction 18

taking into consideration the operational necessitiesOften the contextual meaning attributed to the term isnot clear and the impression is that of a generaldefinition Normally and from the start there shouldbe both a theoretical and a technical or operationaloption for defining any concept Such is not always thecase when surveying the literature seeking appropriatedefinitionsNew Bureaucracy One should be reminded of thenumerous examples of how institutions found theirway out of the bureaucratic system by windowdressing while hiding away the ldquolitterrdquo As theAmerican sociologist E Goffman (1959) described thematter the front stage was dressed in such a brightlight that the back stage remained hidden in animpenetrable darkness No doubt the opposition ofglaring luminosity to pitch darkness is not necessarilythe most appropriate metaphor when dealing withgray areas Bureaucracy has entered into the field ofquality assurance in many ways with its advantages interms of control predictability and efficiency but alsowith its constraints imposing hierarchies of power interms of language or influences for the adoption of onedefinition and not another Bureaucracy has developedinstitutions and networks that work for the creation ofa lsquolanguage of its ownrsquo for the field Over time anoverspecialized jargon has been created surroundingthe topic with a certain mystic and separatingcommunities of research and practitioners in the field

Introduction 19

of higher education into sub domains thus makingcommunication between fields increasingly difficultLinguistics Linguistic problems are present within thegeneral context of the globalization of highereducation As far as the quality assurance field isconcerned translation is a serious barrier to thecreation of a truly shared vocabulary For instance thedistinction between ldquoassessmentrdquo and ldquoevaluationrdquohas no linguistic equivalence in the Latin languagesparticularly French Italian Spanish and RomanianSo the various different definitions of such Englishterms are if not meaningless at least not applicable inthe national contexts in questionBorrowing of terms Numerous terms and conceptshave been borrowed from outside the educational areaTheir adaptation and use in higher education isproblematic as they were mainly framed for a specificsector and then adapted to another radically differentone Benchmarking for example had roots first ingeology and then in certain private industrialcompanies being used first by the Xerox CorporationThe term was subsequently taken into the field ofeducation as a means of comparing and assistinguniversities in becoming competitive More recentlythe concept has been used at the level of a singlediscipline or subject The same could be said for othertermsldquoTechnicalrdquo Problems Defining quality is a question ofmeasuring human achievement technically a

Introduction 20

problematic task Those involved in the definition ofterms and thus in making decisions should be awareof and sensitive to the difficulties and implicitsubjectivity in defining and measuring achievementPolitics Assessment is in itself a socio politicalactivity Defining assessment procedures extractinginformation from the process and then takingdecisions ndash all these processes have social and politicalimplications and may have far reaching personal andsocial consequences intended and unintendedpositive and negative

These are some examples of problems many of theshareholders in the field of higher education should beaware of In our attempt to eliminate some of them wetried to introduce a certain systematization

When compiling the terms and definitions included inthis glossary a distinction was made between key termsand associated terms The key terms are those that in ouropinion open a wider area for theoretical and practicalexploration in the fields of quality assurance andaccreditation (eg benchmarking recognition etc) whileassociated terms are derived from the key terms and it ishoped contribute to further clarifications of theirmeanings It is also worth noting that most of the keyterms are closely related to one another and should thus beviewed as parts of the same integrated system

This glossary should be viewed as the result of aprocess of comparing developments in the fields of qualityassurance and accreditation It may also be viewed as an

Introduction 21

attempt to integrate meanings that are more often thannot context bound Cutting across the boundaries betweenthe contexts of a cultural or academic type proved to be adifficult task but it has become clear that only by agreeingon specific core definitions of the most important termsgenuine dialogue and substantive comparisons canbecome possible

The definitions proposed in this glossary have beencompiled from some of the most recent and representativesources nevertheless much attention has also been paid tothe history of specific developments and applications

There were several reasons for compiling this glossaryThe first was to put some order into the meanings attachedto various frequently used terms in the field of qualityassurance The second was to open up new possibilities ofrelating the terms Then too the hope was to reflect thecomplexity but also the weaknesses of certain existingconceptual frameworks Last but not least the attemptwas made to point out certain boundary meanings thatmight lead when and if considered thoroughly to theelaboration of a more consistent discourse in the field

However the completed glossary as it stands nowleads to the feeling that both accreditation and qualityassurance are at this stage too heavily loaded withcontext bound practices How global a glossary onaccreditation and quality assurance can really be remains aquestion for the future At present all that can be done isto reflect on a more integrated conceptual model that may

Introduction 22

provide for improved dialogue and compatibledevelopments

This glossary is structured to present key terms (inalphabetical order) each one associated when the casearises with specific derived terms Each key termpresentation is followed by certain related terms (themeanings of which assist in its further clarification) and bythe specific sources of information The list of terms anddefinitions is followed by a list of national accreditationand quality assurance bodies

As stated above we compiled this glossary with an eyeto commonalties rather than to differences in a search fora more universal approach to the domain of qualityassurance Its intention is not to contribute to theldquoMacDonaldizationrdquo of the field as George Ritzer (1995)might say but to contribute to efforts underway to create abasis of shared language (that will allow diversity to betterexpress itself)

We are aware that any definition is simply a workingtool of the mind and that defining a term does not preventthe underlying concepts from further development Weunderstand that quality assurance concepts will continueto develop presenting a permanent challenge for expertsand practitioners We hope that throughout this processthe vocabulary of quality assurance will becomeincreasingly shared and less disputed

Last but not least we would like to thank ourcolleagues from the Documentation Unit in particular

Introduction 23

Elisaveta Buic for their contribution to this revisedversion

Laz r Vl sceanu Laura Gruumlnberg andDan Pacircrlea

REFERENCES

DOGAN MATTEI AND PHARE ROBERT Creative Marginality Innovation at the Intersections of Social Sciences Boulder Colorado Westview Press 1990

GOFFMAN E The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Garden City New York Doubleday 1959

RITZER GEORGE The MacDonalization of Society An Investigation into the Changing Character of Social LifeRev ed Thousand Oaks California Sage Publications 1996

VAN DAMME DIRK ldquoStandards and Indicators in Institutional and Programme Accreditation in Higher Education A Conceptual Framework and a Proposalrdquo in L Vl sceanu and L C Barrows eds Indicators for Institutional and Programme Accreditation in HigherTertiary EducationBucharest UNESCO-CEPES 2004 pp 125-157

Terms and Definitions

ACCREDITATION

1 The process by which a (non )governmental orprivate body evaluates the quality of a highereducation institution as a whole or of a specificeducational programme in order to formallyrecognize it as having met certain pre determinedminimal criteria or standards The result of thisprocess is usually the awarding of a status (a yesnodecision) of recognition and sometimes of a licenseto operate within a time limited validity The processcan imply initial and periodic self study andevaluation by external peers The accreditationprocess generally involves three specific steps (i) aself evaluation process conducted by the faculty theadministrators and the staff of the institution oracademic programme resulting in a report that takesas its reference the set of standards and criteria of theaccrediting body (ii) a study visit conducted by ateam of peers selected by the accreditingorganization which reviews the evidence visits thepremises and interviews the academic andadministrative staff resulting in an assessmentreport including a recommendation to thecommission of the accrediting body (iii) anexamination by the commission of the evidence andrecommendation on the basis of the given set ofcriteria concerning quality and resulting in a final

judgment and the communication of the formaldecision to the institution and other constituencies ifappropriate

2 The instrument by which one institution without itsown degree awarding powers or choosing not to useits awarding powers gains wide authority to awardandor gains recognition of its qualifications fromanother competent authority and to exercise powersand responsibility for academic provision Thisauthority might be the State a government agencyor another domestic or foreign higher educationinstitution

Institutional Accreditation The terms refer to theaccreditation of an entire institution including all itsprogrammes sites and methods of delivery without anyimplication to the quality of the study programmes of theinstitution

Regional Accreditation (USA) Accreditation grantedto a higher education institution by a recognizedaccrediting association or commission that conductsaccreditation procedures in a particular geographic area(usually that of three or more states) The United States hassix regional accrediting commissions

Specialized Accreditation The accreditation ofindividual units or programmes (eg professionaleducation) by ldquospecializedrdquo or ldquoprogrammerdquo accreditingbodies applying specific standards for curriculum andcourse content

Duration of Accreditation Accreditation decisions arelimited in time The duration of validity of theaccreditation license is established by the accrediting bodywhich generally holds the right to suspend or to renew thelicense upon the satisfactory resolution of any identifiedissues

Accreditation of Prior Learning The process by whichindividuals are awarded credit toward qualificationsbased on their prior learning and (sometimes) experience(also called experiential learning) The credit is awardedupon clear evidence that the respective learning hasresulted in the student having achieved the appropriatelearning outcomes

Accreditation Status The formal recognitionbenefiting an institution or specialized programme formeeting the appropriate standards of educational qualityestablished by the accrediting body at a regional nationalor specialized level

Accreditation Survey The evaluation of an institutionto identify its level of compliance with the applicablestandards of the accreditation body and to makedeterminations concerning its accreditation status Thesurvey includes an evaluation of documents andinformation (evidence) provided by the personnel of thehigher education institution following on siteobservations by mandated visitors

Portfolio for Accreditation An accumulation ofevidence (record of achievement) about specific

proficiencies and the characteristics of an institution inrelation to a specific type of activity especially to learningstandards This operation can be performed either by theconcerned institution or by an external assessor

Accreditation Body A (non )governmental or privateeducational association of national or regional scope thatdevelops evaluation standards and criteria and conductspeer evaluations and expert visits to assess whether or notthose criteria are met It is entitled to accord formal statusand sometimes a license to operate to individual highereducation institutions or programmes following thesuccessful examination of the application and evaluationof the respective educational unit There are different typesof accreditation bodies (eg agencies councilscommissions etc) focused on general accreditationspecialized accreditation professional accreditationregional accreditation national accreditation distanceeducation accreditation etc Also one of the OECDUNESCO recommendations requests agencies to sustainand strengthen the existing regional and internationalnetworks

RELATED TERMS Assessment Criteria EvaluationQuality Quality Assurance Recognition Standards

SOURCES

Code of Good Practice for the Members of the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA) wwwecaconsortiumnetindexphpsection=contentampid=1

ERICHSEN H U Accreditation in Higher Education ndash An Introduction Meeting of the Directors-General and Chairpersons of the Rectorrsquos Conference Aveiro Portugal 3 April 2000

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education AreaHelsinki 2005

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY ldquoGlossaryrdquo in Commission on Colleges of the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Handbook Corvallis Oregon Oregon State University 1999 wwworegonstateedu accreditationhandbookglossaryhtml

US HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION OF THE NORTH CENTRAL ASSOCIATION Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions An Overview Washington DC Council for Higher Education Accreditation 2001 wwwncahigherlearningcommissionorgoverview

US OFFICE OF POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION Overview of Accreditation Washington DC 2002 wwwedgovofficesOPE accreditation

WESTERN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES Handbook of Accreditation Alameda California WASC 2001

ASSESSMENT

1 The process of the systematic gatheringquantifying and using of information in view ofjudging the instructional effectiveness and thecurricular adequacy of a higher educationinstitution as a whole (institutional assessment) orof its educational programmes (programmeassessment) It implies the evaluation of the core

activities of the higher education institution(quantitative and qualitative evidence ofeducational activities and research outcomes)Assessment is necessary in order to validate aformal accreditation decision but it does notnecessarily lead to an accreditation outcome

2 A technically designed process for evaluatingstudent learning outcomes and for improvingstudent learning and development as well asteaching effectiveness

Assessment of Individual Qualifications The formalwritten appraisal or evaluation of qualifications of anindividual by a competent authority in order to grant himor her recognition for future academic andor professionaldevelopment

RELATED TERMS Evaluation Accreditation OutcomesQuality Assessment

SOURCES

ACADEMIC INFORMATION CENTRE - LATVIAN ENICNARIC AND THE LATVIAN NATIONAL OBSERVATORY Glossarywwwaiclvdsglossaryhtm

AssessmentEvaluation Terminology A Glossary of Useful Terms httpimtcsambahctacaeqdgassessment_terminologyhtm

CAMPBELL CAROLYN AND ROZSNAY CHRISTINA Quality Assurance and the Development of Course ProgrammesBucharest UNESCO-CEPES 2002

COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION (CHEA) Glossary of Key Terms in Quality Assurance and Accreditation wwwcheaorginternationalinter_glossary01html

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION (INQAAHE) Clarification and Glossary wwwinqaahenldefinitiesdoc

LATVIAN ACADEMIC INFORMATION CENTRE Glossarywwwaiclvdsdownloadsglossarydoc

NATIONAL CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON EVALUATIONSTANDARDS AND STUDENT TESTING (CRESST) httpcresst96cseuclaeduCRESSTpagesglossaryhtm

NORTH CENTRAL REGIONAL EDUCATIONAL LABORATORY(NCREL)Glossary of Education Terms and Acronyms wwwncrelorgsdrsareasmiscglossaryhtm

QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATION (UK) Code of Good Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education Section 6 Assessment of Students

VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY WEAVE A Quality Enhancement Guide for Academic Programs and Administrative and Educational Support Units 2002 wwwvcueduqualitypdfsWEAVEManual2002pdf

The process of reviewing an institution or a programmethat is primarily focused on its accountability anddetermining if the stated aims and objectives (in terms ofcurriculum staff infrastructure etc) are met In the UnitedKingdom when an audit is an institutional process carried

out internally the process is described (since 2002) as anldquoinstitutional reviewrdquo process

Institutional AuditInstitutional Review Anevidence based process carried out through peer reviewthat investigates the procedures and the mechanisms bywhich an institution ensures its quality assurance andquality enhancement When it specifically addresses thefinal responsibility for the management of quality andstandards that rests with an institution as a whole theprocess is called an institutional review

Audit ReportEvaluation ReportAssessment Report(i) The document prepared following a quality assessmentpeer review team site visit that is generally focused oninstitutional quality academic standards learninginfrastructure and staffing The report about an institutiondescribes the quality assurance (QA) arrangements of theinstitution and the effects of these arrangements on thequality of its programmes The audit report is madeavailable to the institution first in draft form for initialcomments and then in its final official form It containsamong other things the description of the methodology ofthe audit the findings the conclusions of the auditors andvarious appendices listing the questions asked In Europethe document is often called an ldquoevaluation reportrdquo or anldquoassessment reportrdquo (ii) Such a report may also beprepared about an accreditation agency describing itsquality assurance arrangements and the effect of thesearrangements on the quality of the programmes in theinstitutions for which it is responsible

Internal Audit There are currently three main modesfor the provision of internal audit within higher education(i) in house teams employed as staff members by therespective institutions (ii) audit consortia (which mayprovide services to a number of clients both within andoutside the sector) and (iii) accountancy firms thatundertake internal audits

Management Audit A management audit reviews thegeneral management policy and policy making of a giveninstitution

RELATED TERMS Quality Quality Audit Peer Review

SOURCES

AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES QUALITY AGENCY Audit ManualMelbourne AUQA 2002 wwwauqaeduauquality auditauditmanualchapter04

THE QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONHandbook for Institutional Audit Gloucester QAA 2006 wwwqaaacukreviewsinstitutionalAudithandbook2006Handbook2006pdf

BENCHMARK

A standard a reference point or a criterion against whichthe quality of something can be measured judged andevaluated and against which outcomes of a specifiedactivity can be measured The term benchmark means ameasure of best practice performance The existence of a

benchmark is one necessary step in the overall process ofbenchmarking

Benchmark Information Explicit national statementsof academic standards or outcomes for individual subjectsSome countries (eg the United Kingdom) developbenchmarks of this type with regard to a certain group ofsubjects as part of their quality assurance process

Subject BenchmarkSubject Benchmark StatementsSubject benchmark statements provide means for theacademic community to describe the nature andcharacteristics of programmes in a specific subject and thegeneral expectations about standards for the award of aqualification at a given level in a particular subject areaThey are reference points in a quality assuranceframework more than prescriptive statements aboutcurricula

Course Development Benchmarks Guidelinesregarding the minimum standards that are used for coursedesign development and delivery

RELATED TERMS Criteria Evaluation Indicators QualityAssessment Standards

SOURCES See BENCHMARKING

BENCHMARKING

A standardized method for collecting and reporting criticaloperational data in a way that enables relevant

comparisons among the performances of differentorganizations or programmes usually with a view toestablishing good practice diagnosing problems inperformance and identifying areas of strengthBenchmarking gives the organization (or the programme)the external references and the best practices on which tobase its evaluation and to design its working processes

Benchmarking is also defined as

a diagnostic instrument (an aid to judgments onquality)

a self improvement tool (a quality managementassurance tool) allowing organizations (orprogrammes) to compare themselves with othersregarding some aspects of performance with aview to finding ways to improve currentperformance

an open and collaborative evaluation of servicesand processes with the aim of learning from goodpractices

a method of teaching an institution how toimprove

an on going systematically oriented process ofcontinuously measuring the work processes of oneorganization and comparing them with those ofothers by bringing an external focus to internalactivities

Benchmarking implies specific steps and structuredprocedures Depending on what is being compared or thetype of information an institution is gathering there aredifferent types of benchmarking strategic benchmarking(focusing on what is done on the strategies organizationsuse to compete) operational benchmarking (focusing onhow things are done on how well other organizationsperform and on how they achieve performance) or databased benchmarking (statistical bench marking thatexamines the comparison of data based scores andconventional performance indicators) There is alsointernalexternal and external collaborativetransindustryimplicit benchmarking Within different typesbenchmarking may be either vertical (aiming atquantifying the costs workloads and learningproductivity of a predefined programme area) orhorizontal (looking at the costs of outcomes of a singleprocess that cuts across more than one programme area)Some examples of benchmarking programmes are

1 The USA was the first country to introducebenchmarking activities into higher education inthe early 1990s The NACUBO (NationalAssociation of Colleges and University BusinessOfficers) Benchmarking Project has beenestablished longer than any other project in thefield It started in 1991 1992 and has had a statisticaland financial approach to benchmarking

2 In the United Kingdom benchmarking as a qualityassurance tool in higher education came to the

forefront only after the 1997 Dearing CommitteeReport

The History 2000 Project led by Paul HylandSchool of Historical and Cultural Studies BathCollege of Higher Education (example ofbenchmarking of academic practicewwwbatheacukhistory2000index html

The RMCS (Royal Military College of Science)Programme at Cranfield University (example ofbenchmarking in libraries)

The Higher Education Funding Council forHigher Education (HEFCHE) Value for MoneyStudies (VfM) launched in 1993wwwhefceacukcurrent vgmhtm

ldquoThe Commonwealth University InternationalBenchmarking Clubrdquo launched in 1996 byCHEMS (Commonwealth Higher EducationManagement Service) as an example ofinternational benchmarking wwacuacukchemsbenchmarkhtml

3 In Europe benchmarking in higher education is notcommon but a series of initiatives has beendeveloped

The Copenhagen Business School (CBS)benchmarking analysis of twelve highereducation institutions 1995

The German Benchmarking Club of TechnicalUniversities (BMC) 1996

The Association of European Universities(CRE) ldquoInstitutional Quality ManagementReviewrdquo based on peer reviews and mutualvisits among universities participatingvoluntarily in a cycle each time focusing on aspecific issue is an example of implicitbenchmarking wwwunigecheua (details inCHEMS 1998)

Internal Benchmarking Benchmarking (comparisonsof) performances of similar programmes in differentcomponents of one higher education institution Internalbenchmarking is usually conducted at large decentralizedinstitutions with several departments (or units) conductingsimilar programmes

(External) Competitive Benchmarking Benchmarking(comparisons of) performance in key areas on specificmeasurable terms based upon information frominstitution(s) that are viewed as competitors

Functional (External Collaborative) BenchmarkingBenchmarking that involves comparisons of processespractices and performances with similar institutions of alarger group of institutions in the same field that are notimmediate competitors

Trans Institutional Benchmarking Benchmarking thatlooks across multiple institutions in search of new andinnovative practices

Implicit Benchmarking A quasi benchmarking thatlooks at the production and publication of data and ofperformance indicators that could be useful formeaningful cross institutional comparative analysis It isnot based on the voluntary and proactive participation ofinstitutions (as in the cases of other types) but as the resultof the pressure of markets central funding andor coordinating agencies Many of the current benchmarkingactivities taking place in Europe are of this nature

Generic Benchmarking A comparison of institutions interms of a basic practice process or service (egcommunication lines participation rate and drop outrate) It compares the basic level of an activity with aprocess in other institutions that has similar activity

ProcessndashBased Benchmarking Goes beyond thecomparison of data based scores and conventionalperformance indicators (statistical benchmarking) andlooks at the processes by which results are achieved Itexamines activities made up of tasks steps which cross theboundaries between the conventional functions found inall institutions It goes beyond the comparison of data andlooks at the processes by which the results are achieved

SOURCES

ALSTETE J W ldquoBenchmarking in Higher Education Adapting Best Practice to Improve Qualityrdquo in ERIC Digest (1995) httpericfaciliynetericdigestsindex

COMMONWEALTH HIGHER EDUCATION MANAGEMENTBenchmarking in Higher Education An International Review Twente CHEMS 1998

FIELDEN JOHN Benchmarking University PerformanceCHEMS Paper No 19 Twente CHEMS 1997

LISTON COLLEEN Managing Quality and StandardsBuckingham and Philadelphia Open University Press 1999

LOumlFTROumlM E The Search for Best Practices in European Higher Education through Benchmarking [SOCRATES Intensive Programme ldquoComparative Education Policy Analysisrdquo]

LUND HELEN Benchmarking in UK Universities CHEMS Paper No 22 Twente CHEMS 1997

SCHOFIELD A ldquoAn Introduction to Benchmarking in Higher Education in Benchmarking in Higher Education An International Review Twente CHEMS 1998 wwwproscicombenchmarkinghtm

SCHOFIELD A ldquoThe Growth of Benchmarking in Higher Educationrdquo in Lifelong Learning in Europe 2 (2000)100-106

SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN EDUCATION CO-OPERATION NETWORK2006 wwwsee-educoopnet

TALLEY Ed How to Benchmark Colorado Spring ARMCUMS 2002

BEST PRACTICE

A method or an innovative process involving a range ofsafe and reasonable practices resulting in the improvedperformance of a higher education institution orprogramme usually recognized as ldquobestrdquo by other peerorganizations A best practice does not necessarilyrepresent an absolute ultimate example or pattern itsapplication assures the improved performance of a highereducation institution or programme rather it identifies thebest approach to a specific situation as institutions andprogrammes vary greatly in constituencies and scope

RELATED TERMS Benchmarking Code of Practice

SOURCES

ACCESS HOME-HEALTH Glossary Wellington New Zealand Access Home-Health 2002 wwwaccessorgnz Accwebglossarygl1042htm

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND Best Practice in Collaboration between Higher Education Institutions and the Training and Enterprise CouncilBristol HEFCE 1997 wwwhefceacukpubshefce 1997m7_97htm

TAIT FRANK ldquoEnterprise Process Engineering A Template Tailored for Higher Educationrdquo in CauseEffect Journal 22 1 (1999) wwweducauseeduirlibraryhtmlcem9919 html

CERTIFICATION

The process by which an agency or an associationacknowledges the achievement of established qualitystandards and usually grants certain privileges to thetarget individual (student or teacher)

RELATED TERMS Assessment Standards

SOURCE

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY Quality GlossaryKalamazoo Western Michigan State University 2003 wwwwmicheduevalctressglossarychtml

CODE OF PRACTICE

A Code of Practice is a non binding document thatdescribes the minimum audit requirements and those thatare considered to reveal a practice worthy of considerationA Code identifies a comprehensive series of system wideexpected conduct covering matters relating to themanagement of academic quality and standards in highereducation It provides an authoritative reference point forinstitutions as they consciously actively andsystematically assure the academic quality and standardsof their programmes awards and qualifications A Codeassumes that taking into account nationally agreed uponprinciples and practices each institution has its ownsystems for independent verification both of its qualityand standards and of the effectiveness of its quality

assurance systems In developing a Code extensive adviceis sought from a range of knowledgeable practitioners

Examples of Codes

UNESCO CEPES AND COUNCIL OF EUROPE Code ofGood Practice in the Provision of TransnationalEducation Riga 2001 httpmailcepesrohedrecognlisbonrigacodehtm

MIDDLE STATES COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION(MSACHE) Code of Good Practice in Accrediting inHigher Education Philadelphia 2001wwwmsacheorgcode prachtml

THE QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY FOR HIGHER

EDUCATION (QAA) Code of Practice for theAssurance of Academic Quality and Standards inHigher Education Career Education Informationand Guidance wwwqaaacukpublicCOPcodesofpracticehtm

Code of Good Practice for the Members of theEuropean Consortium for Accreditation in HigherEducation (ECA) wwwecaconsortiumnetindexphpsection=contentampid=1

RELATED TERMS Best Practice Quality AssuranceStandards

SOURCES

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND HEFCE Audit Code of Practice Bristol 2002 wwwhefceacuk pubshefce200202_2602_26doc

CODE OF (PROFESSIONAL) ETHICS CONCERNING QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ACCREDITATION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

A public document establishing a framework for ethicalbehaviour and decision making in the conduct of qualityassurance and accreditation activities in higher educationAs useful instruments for achieving transparency andcomparability of internal and external quality assurance ofhigher education codes of ethics usually consist of a set ofbasic principles values and rules of conduct to beconsidered as reference points in quality assurance andaccreditation work together with a set of proceduralregulations for observing compliance with the CodeTailored to the needs and values of the respectiveorganization codes of ethics may include references toissues such as conflict of interest confidentialityintellectual property permanent development trust etc

RELATED TERMS Code of practice Quality culture

SOURCES

INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL ETHICS wwwglobalethicsorg

International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal and External Auditing The Institute of Internal Auditors wwwtheiiaorg-indexcfmdoc_id=1499ampbhcp=1

The Online Ethics Centres Glossary httponlineethicsorgglossaryhtml

QAA Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education wwwqaaacuk academicinfrastructurecodeOfPracticefullintroasp

UNESCO-CEPES Ethical and Moral Dimensions for Higher Education and Science in Europe Collection of Texts and Selected Bibliography Bucharest 2004 wwwcepesroSeptemberreaderpdf

COMPETENCIES

A specific and measurable pattern of behaviors andknowledge that generates or predicts a high performancelevel in a given position or context of responsibilities Theyaccount for the identification and application of ideas andsolutions in order to solve problems with maximumefficiency and minimum use of resources

Cognitive competencies Skills that contribute to theobjectives of individual knowledge development alsoserving as individual protective factors contributing tosuccessful adaptation These may include competencieslike reasoning information gathering informationanalysis systems thinking and pattern recognition theorybuilding problem solving decision making planning andgoal setting

Attitudinal competencies Actions values and normsthat indicate and generate high performance and alsoshow that the different types of knowledge have beeneffectively developed by the subject

Professional competencies An individualrsquos specializedknowledge of information sources access technologyservices and management and the ability to critically andeffectively evaluate filter and use this knowledge in orderto successfully accomplish specific assignments and obtainresults

RELATEDTERMS Efficiency Outcomes Recognition

SOURCES

BOYATZIS RICHARD E STUBBS ELIZABETH C AND TAYLORSCOTT N ldquoLearning Cognitive and Emotional Intelligence Competencies through Graduate Management Educationrdquo in Academy of Management Learning and Education 1 2 (2002)150ndash162 wwwcaseedupresidentcirpdfiles Learning20cognitive20and20emotional20AMLE20paper20122002pdf

DE LA FUENTE ARIAS JESUS JUSTICIA FERNANDO JUSTICIACASANOVA PEDRO FELIX TRIANES MARIA VICTORIAldquoPerceptions about the Construction of academic and professional competencies in psychologistsrdquo in Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology 1 (5-3)3-34 wwwinvestigacion-psicopedagogicaorgrevistaarticulos5 englishArt_5_57pdf

FIELD JUDY GROEN PAULETTE AND BURKE LESLIE The Power to Perform How Professional and Personal Competencies Contribute to Personal and Organizational

Success WSU Visteon EBSCO 2003 httpunitsslaorgchaptercmiPrograms2002-20032003 Feb5Programppt

OLIVER KYLIE G ET AL ldquoBuilding resilience in young people through meaningful participationrdquo in Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH) 5 1(2006)wwwauseinetcomjournalvol5iss1oliverpdf

WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY Professional Competencies ndash Building on Best Practices wwwlispwayneedujfield presentationsMLA20Talk20on20Professional20Competenciesppt

CREDITS

A credit is an agreed upon quantified means of expressingthe level of learning based on the achievement of learningoutcomes and their associated workloads Generally oncegained credit cannot be lost Credit may have a relativevalue (as the case when they were first introduced) orabsolute value (when they made the shift to anaccumulation system no longer calculated on an ad hocproportional basis but on the basis of officially recognizedcriteria that is the official length of a degree programmeor unit)

Accumulation of Study Credits Set credits gained by astudent in a given higher education institution may berecognized in another institution depending upon thecommonality in terms of level and context considered astransferable

ECTS (European Credit Transfer and AccumulationSystem) The main transparency tool for the recognition of

study periods ECTS is a student centered system based onthe student workload required to achieve the objectives ofa programme of study specified in terms of learning andcompetencies to be acquired As a European Communityproject initially established under the ERASMUSProgramme (1988 1995) ECTS was developed morebroadly between 1995 1999 under the higher educationcomponent of the SOCRATES Programme ERASMUSand proved to be an effective tool for creating curriculartransparency and facilitating academic recognition Theactivity of ECTS is two fold on the one hand it guaranteesacademic recognition to students of studies completedabroad and simultaneously enables studies abroad on theother hand it provides higher education institutions withcurricular transparency by offering detailed informationregarding the respective curricula and their relevance forearned degrees and by enabling higher educationinstitutions to preserve their autonomy and responsibilityfor all decisions regarding student achievement TheBologna Declaration takes ECTS as the commonframework for curriculum design and student mobilitywithin the envisaged European Higher Education Area

RELATED TERMS Descriptors Outcomes Recognition

SOURCES

BOLOGNA WORKING GROUP ON QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKSA Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area 2005 wwwbologna-bergen2005noDocs 00-Main_doc050218_QF_EHEApdf

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM ACADEMIC OFFICE Glossary 2002 wwwaobhamacukapsglossaryhtm

ldquoQualification Structures in European Higher Educationrdquo Danish Bologna Seminar 27-28 March 2003 wwwbologna-bergen2005noENBol_semOld030327-28Copenhagen 030327-28Report_General_Rapporteurpdf

CRITERIA

Checkpoints or benchmarks determining the attainment ofcertain objectives andor standards Criteria describe to acertain degree of detail the characteristics of therequirements and conditions to be met (in order to meet astandard) and therefore provide the (quantitative andqualitative) basis on which an evaluative conclusion isdrawn

Performance Criteria Checkpoints or benchmarks thatare used to judge the attainment of performancestandards As qualities characteristics or dimensions of astandard for student performance they indicate how wellstudents meet expectations of what they should know and

be able to do as expressed by varying gradients of successby (scoring) rubrics or by grades

RELATED TERMS Benchmarks Performance Standards

SOURCES

COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATIONS GROUP Standards Glossary 2003 wwwpublicengagementcom

SADLER R D ldquoCriteria and Standards in Student Assessmentrdquo in Different Approaches Theory and Practice in Higher Educationrdquo Proceedings of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australia HEDDSA Conference Perth Western Australia 8-12 July 1996 wwwherdsaorgauconfs1996sadlerhtml

STARR LINDA Setting Standards in Our Schools What Can We Expect wwweducation-worldcoma_adminadmin042shtml

Van Der Berghe W ldquoApplication of ISO 9000 Standards to Education and Training Interpretation and Guidelines in European Perspectivesrdquo in Vocational Training European Journal 15 (1998) wwwiloorgpublicenglishregionampro cinterfortemascalidaddocwouter1pdf

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

As it relates to institutional quality culture the culture ofevidence is a mindset acquired in a higher educationinstitution and based on clear ethical values principlesand rules which consists of the self evaluation of itslearning outcomes engaging the teaching staff and theacademic administration in a thoughtful regular

collection selection and use of relevant institutionalperformance indicators in order to inform and provewhenever (and to whomever) necessary that it is doingwell in specific areas (eg institutional planning decisionmaking quality etc) and for the purpose of improving itslearning and teaching outcomes The ldquoculture of evidencerdquo(as opposed to ldquoa culture of professional tradition andtrustrdquo) is the empirical basis for the quality culture of ahigher education institution As formulated within thenewWASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges)standards the culture of evidence requested from a highereducation institution implies that the institution isencouraged to be able to provide empirical data provingthe consistency of its ownmission

RELATED TERMS Indicators Outcomes Quality Culture

SOURCES

APPLETON JAMES R AND WOLFF RALPH A ldquoStandards and Indicators in the Process of Accreditation The WASC Experience ndash A United States Higher Education Accreditation Perspectiverdquo in L VLASCEANU AND L CBARROWS eds Indicators for Institutional and Programme Accreditation in HigherTertiary Education Bucharest UNESCO-CEPES 2004 pp 77-101

BENSIMON ESTELA MARA POLKINHORNE DONALD E ATTALAHFAHMI AND ATTALLAH DONNA Designing and Implementing a Diversity Scorecard to Improve Institutional Effectiveness for Underserved Minority Students Los Angeles Center for Urban Education of the University of Southern California 2002

wwwuscedudepteducationCUEprojects dsexecsumhtml

HALPERN D F AND ASSOCIATES (Eds) Changing College Classrooms New Teaching and Learning Strategies for an Increasingly Complex World San Francisco Jossey Bass 1994

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

Level descriptors are statements that provide a broadindication of learning relevant to the achievement of aparticular level describing the characteristics and contextof learning expected at that level They are designed tosupport the review of specified learning outcomes andassessment criteria in order to develop particular modulesand units and to assign credits at the appropriate level

Descriptors (Qualification) Qualification descriptorsare statements that set out the outcomes of principalhigher education qualifications at given levels (usually ofan awarded degree) and demonstrate the nature of changebetween levels At some levels there may be more thanone type of qualification The first part of a qualificationdescriptor (of particular interest to those designingapproving and reviewing academic programmes) is astatement regarding outcomes ie the achievement of astudent that he or she should be able demonstrate for theaward of the qualification The second part (of particularinterest to employers) is a statement of the wider abilitiesthat the typical student could be expected to havedeveloped Upon periodical review of the existingqualification descriptors and in light of the development of

other points of reference such as benchmark statementsadditional qualification descriptors at each level areelaborated

In view of the creation of the European HigherEducation Area a set of descriptors known as the lsquoDublinDescriptorsrsquo was developed by an international group ofhigher education experts (Joint Quality Initiative) and servesas reference for a number of national quality assuranceagencies policy makers and specialists throughoutEurope The Dublin Descriptors seek to identify the natureof a qualification as a whole without being prescriptive orexhaustive or imposing a specific threshold

RELATED TERMS Qualifications Outcomes AssessmentBenchmark Credit

SOURCES

BOLOGNA WORKING GROUP ON QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKSA Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area wwwbologna-bergen2005noDocs00-Main_doc050218_QF_EHEApdf

FAIRWEATHER PAUL Glossary of Terms wwwaobhamacukapsglossaryhtm

QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCY FOR HIGHER EDUCATIONThe Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England Wales and Northern Irelandwwwqaaacukcrntworknqfewni2001part1htm3

EFFECTIVENESS (EDUCATIONAL)

An output of specific analyses (eg the WASC EducationalEffectiveness Review or its Reports on InstitutionalEffectiveness) that measure (the quality of) theachievement of a specific educational goal or the degree towhich a higher education institution can be expected toachieve specific requirements It is different fromefficiency which is measured by the volume of output orinput used As a primary measure of success of aprogramme or of a higher education institution clearindicators meaningful information and evidence bestreflecting institutional effectiveness with respect to studentlearning and academic achievement have to be gatheredthrough various procedures (inspection observation sitevisits etc) Engaging in the measurement of educationaleffectiveness creates a value added process throughquality assurance and accreditation reviews andcontributes to building within the institution a culture ofevidence

RELATED TERMS Quality Assurance IndicatorsAccreditation Culture of Evidence

SOURCES

MOORE MICHAEL G AND SHATTUCK KAY Glossary of Distance Education Terms College Park The Pennsylvania State University 2001 httpcoursesworldcampuspsuedu publicfacultyDEGlossaryshtml

WIDEMAN MAX Wideman Comparative Glossary of Project Management Terms Version 31 Vancouver British Columbia Max Wideman 2003 wwwmaxwideman

INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT GlossarywwwodueduaoupirGlossaryglossaryhtml

EFFICIENCY (EDUCATIONAL)

An ability to perform well or to achieve a result withoutwaste of resources effort time or funds (using thesmallest quantity of resources possible) Educationalefficiency can be measured in physical terms (technicalefficiency) or in terms of cost (economic efficiency)Increased educational efficiency is achieved when thesame amount and standard of educational services areproduced at a low cost if a more useful educationalactivity is substituted for a less useful one at the same costor if unnecessary educational activities are eliminated Aprogramme or a higher education institution may beefficiently managed but not effective in achieving itsmission goals or objectives

RELATED TERMS Quality Effectiveness Standards

SOURCE

WIDEMAN MAX Glossary of Project Management Terms 2003 wwwmaxwidemancompmglossaryPMG_E01htm

EVALUATION

The general process of a systematic and critical analysisleading to judgments and recommendations regarding thequality of a higher education institution or a programmeAn evaluation is carried out through internal or externalprocedures In the United Kingdom evaluation is alsocalled review

External Evaluation The process whereby aspecialized agency collects data information and evidenceabout an institution a particular unit of a given institutionor a core activity of an institution in order to make astatement about its quality External evaluation is carriedout by a team of external experts peers or inspectors andusually requires three distinct operations

i an analysis of a self study report

ii a site visit

iii the drafting of an evaluation report

Internal EvaluationSelf evaluation The process ofself evaluation consists of the systematic collection ofadministrative data the questioning of students andgraduates and the holding of moderated interviews withlecturers and students resulting in a self study report Selfevaluation is a collective institutional reflection and anopportunity for quality enhancement The resulting reportfurther serves to provide information for the review teamin charge of the external evaluation

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Audit QualityAssessment Review

SOURCES

UK Centre for Social Policy and Social Work Generic Centre of the Learning and Teaching Support Network Glossary of Learning and Teaching Terms httpwwwswapacuk Learningglossaryaspinitial=I

The Higher Education Academy Glossary of Terms in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education wwwheacademyacuk

EXTERNAL REVIEW (See also PEER REVIEW)

HIGHER EDUCATIONINSTITUTIONORGANIZATION (HEI)

An educational body which carries out higher educationactivities based on legally approved study programmesAny higher education organization must follow anexternal evaluation procedure in order to assess its qualityand to acquire the provisional functioning authorisationfollowed by its official accreditation as well as theaccreditation of its study programmes Generally thisrequirement is compulsory for all higher educationinstitutions (HEI) or organisations providing highereducation programmes and activities and entitles HEIsupon successful completion to use the name lsquouniversityrsquoor other similar legally recognized names Also HEIs havethe primary responsibility for the quality of their provision

and its assurance Higher education institutions may differin size quality resources number of teaching staff andstudents etc as successful HEIs generally have to find abalance between often conflicting stakeholder demandsand institutional values HEIs can therefore be either localor global elite or mass oriented specialized or transdisciplinary and may foster either an academic culture(characterized by knowledge creation scientific excellenceacademic freedom and freely shareable results) or abusiness culture (characterized by profit creation andindividual appropriation of social wealth)

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Evaluation RankingStudy Programme

SOURCES

DE MARET PIERRE Universities in the World What For in SADLAK Jan and LIU Nian Cai (Eds) The World-Class University and Ranking Aiming Beyond Status Bucharest UNESCO-CEPES and Cluj-Napoca Presa UniversitarClujean 2007

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education AreaHelsinki 2005 wwwbologna-bergen2005noDocs00-Main_doc050221_ENQA_reportpdf

ROMANIAN AGENCY FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATIONMethodology for External Evaluation Standards Standards of Reference and List of Performance Indicators Bucharest 2006

INTERNATIONAL RANKING EXPERT GROUP Berlin Principles on Ranking of Higher Education Institutions Berlin 2006wwwchededownloadsBerlin_Principles_IREG_534pdf

INDICATORS

Operational variables referring to specific empiricallymeasurable characteristics of higher education institutionsor programmes on which evidence can be collected thatallows for a determination of whether or not standards arebeing met Indicators identify performance trends andsignal areas in need of action and enable comparison ofactual performance with established objectives They arealso used to translate theoretical aspects of quality intoprocedures a process known as operationalization Anindicator must be distinguished from a measure which isdata used to determine the level of performance of anattribute of interest and from a standard which is the levelof acceptable performance in terms of a specific numericcriterion Another distinction is made between thedifferent types of indicators (i) indicators of economy(following and respecting budgets) (ii) indicators ofefficiency (actual productivity or output per input unit)and (iii) indicators of effectiveness (degree of attainment ofobjectives) A third and relatively consequent distinction ismade between (i) context indicators that relate to thespecific environment of a higher education institution orprogramme (social economic political geographical etc)(ii) input indicators that relate to the logistical humanand financial resources used by a higher educationinstitution (iii) process indicators that refer to the use of

resources by a higher education institution to themanagement of the inputs and to the functioning of theorganization and (iv) output indicators that concern theactual achievements or products of the higher educationinstitution This latter framework is also known as theCIPO model (ie Context Inputs Process Outputs)frequently used in evaluation studies

Performance Indicators A range of statisticalparameters representing a measure of the extent to whicha higher education institution or a programme isperforming in a certain quality dimension They are shortterm or long term qualitative and quantitative measures ofthe output of a system or programme They allowinstitutions to benchmark their own performances or allowcomparison among higher education institutionsPerformance indicators work efficiently only when used aspart of a coherent set of input process and outputindicators As higher education institutions are engaged ina variety of activities and target a number of differentobjectives it is essential to be able to identify and toimplement a large range of performance indicators inorder to cover the entire field of activity Examples offrequently used performance indicators covering variousinstitutional activities include the number of applicationsper place the entry scores of candidates the staffworkload the employability of graduates research grantsand contracts the number of articles or studies publishedthe staffstudent ratio institutional income andexpenditure and institutional and departmental

equipment and furniture Performance indicators arerelated to benchmarking exercises and are identifiedthrough a specific piloting exercise in order to best servetheir use in a comparative or profiling analysis

Simple Indicator A more general type of indicatorexpressed in the form of absolute figures intends toprovide a relatively unbiased description of a processSimple indicators are less relative than performanceindicators as they exclude any judgments or points ofreference (eg a standard an objective or an assessment)

RELATED TERMS Standards Evaluation Assessment

SOURCES

CAVE M KOGAN M AND HANNEY S ldquoThe Scope and Effects of Performance Measurement in British Higher Educationrdquo in F J R C DOCHY M S R SEGERS AND W H F WWIJNEN eds Management Information and Performance Indicators in Higher Education An International IssueAssenMaastricht Van Gorcum and Comp B V 1990 pp 48-49

FIELDEN J AND ABERCROMBY K UNESCO Higher Education Indicators Study Accountability and International Co-operation in the Renewal of Higher Education Paris UNESCO 2000 p 7

GEORGIA PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION LexiconAtlanta GAPSC 2003 wwwgapsccomhelpasp

GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONTRAINING AND YOUTH AFFAIRS Characteristics and Performance Indicators of Higher Education Institutions

Canberra DETYA 2003 wwwdetyagovauarchive higheredstatisticscharacteristicscontentshtmintro

HIGHER EDUCATION FUNDING COUNCIL FOR ENGLAND Guide to Performance Indicators in Higher Education Learning and Teaching Bristol HEFCE 2001 wwwhefceacuk LearningPerfInd2001guidehtm

SPEE A AND BORMANS R ldquoPerformance Indicators in Government-Institutional Relations The Conceptual Frameworkrdquo Higher Education Management 4 2 (1992) 143

SYSTEM FOR ADULT BASIC EDUCATION SUPPORT (SABES) Glossary of Useful Terms Boston 2003 httpwwwsabesorg assessmentglossaryhtm

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION Internal Performance Indicators Adelaide UNISA 2003 wwwunisaeduauFINBudget glossaryhtm

LICENSING

The process by which a governmental agency grantsofficial permission (i) to persons meeting pre determinedqualifications to engage in a given occupation andor useof a particular title (ii) to programmes based on theevaluation of appropriate plans to operate beforeobtaining accredited status and (iii) to institutions toperform specified functions Licensing (in the case of

persons) is usually obtained through examination orgraduation from an accredited institution In somecountries a period of practical experience may berequired In such a case state licensing should not beconfused with institutional or specialized accreditation

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Certification

SOURCE

Glossary of Contemporary Education Topics Relevant to the State of Iowa Cedar Falls Iowa The Faculty of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa 2001 wwwunieducoeglossaryhtml

OUTCOMES

Anticipated or achieved results of programmes or theaccomplishment of institutional objectives asdemonstrated by a wide range of indicators (such asstudent knowledge cognitive skills and attitudes)Outcomes are direct results of the instructionalprogramme planned in terms of learner growth in allareas An outcome must be distinguished from anobjective which is a desired result Generally eachoutcome statement should describe one effect of theinstructional programme and not accumulate several intoone statement Also the statements should be clearlydetailed and easily understandable by all teaching staffand students in the given area or department

Outcomes Assessment The process of evaluation andimprovement of specific results of a higher educationinstitution in order to demonstrate its institutionaleffectiveness Assessment may concern the performance ofteaching staff the effectiveness of institutional practicesand the functioning of departments or programmes (egprogramme reviews budget reviews etc) It is a formativeprocedure used for institutional self study financialretrenchment programme evaluation and improvedunderstanding of the current needs of students

Student Learning Outcomes Statements of what alearner is expected to know understand and be able todemonstrate after completion of a process of learning aswell as the specific intellectual and practical skills gainedand demonstrated by the successful completion of a unitcourse or programme Learning outcomes together withassessment criteria specify the minimum requirements forthe award of credit while grading is based on attainmentabove or below the minimum requirements for the awardof credit Learning outcomes are distinct from the aims oflearning in that they are concerned with the achievementsof the learner rather than with the overall intentions of theteacher

Student Outcome Assessment The act of assemblinganalyzing and using both quantitative and qualitativeevidence of teaching and learning outcomes in order toexamine their congruence with stated purposes andeducational objectives and to provide meaningful feedbackthat will stimulate improvement

Measurable Outcomes Results that can be quantifiedall measures of student outcomes (except certain subjectivelearning achievements) including executive functionskills and affective related measures Examples ofmeasurable outcomes include numbers of persons whogain employment numbers of people who register to voteand numbers of people who achieve a graduate educationdegree Learning achievements concern speakinglistening reading writing and numeracy Executivefunction skills include problem solving critical thinkingand meta cognition Affective related measures includeself esteem self confidence and interpersonalcommunication

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Assessment IndicatorsQuality Assurance

SOURCES

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION Assessment Forum Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Washington DC AAHE 2003 wwwaaheorgassessmentassess_faqhtmdefine

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY AT CHICO Guidelines for Assessment Chico California CSU Chico 1993 wwwcsuchicoedu communityassessmenthtml

SYSTEM FOR ADULT BASIC EDUCATION SUPPORT (SABES) Glossary of Useful Terms Boston SABES 2002 wwwsabesorgassessmentglossaryhtm

PEER REVIEWEXTERNAL REVIEW

Assessment procedure regarding the quality andeffectiveness of the academic programmes of aninstitution its staffing andor its structure carried out byexternal experts (peers) (Strictly speaking peers areacademics of the same discipline but in practice differenttypes of external evaluators exist even though all aremeant to be specialists in the field reviewed andknowledgeable about higher education in general) For areview the source of authority of peers types of peerstheir selection and training their site visits and thestandards to be met may vary A review is usually basedon a self evaluation report provided by the institution andcan be used as a basis for indicators or as a method ofjudgment for (external) evaluation in higher education

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Evaluation QualityAssessment Site Visit Standards

SOURCES

COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION ACCREDITATION (CHEA) Glossary of Key Terms in Quality Assurance and Accreditation wwwcheaorginternationalinter_glossary 01html

BRENNAN J SHAH T Managing Quality in Higher Education an International Perspective on Institutional Assessment and Change Birmingham p 57-59 OECDampOpen University Press 2000 ISBN 0-335-20673-5

KRISTOFFERSEN D ET AL 1998 PHARE Quality Assurance in Higher Education Manual of Quality Assurance Procedures and Practices Brussels European Commission p 17

PASTERNACK PEER lsquoDie Reform von Hochschulverwaltung -organisation und -finanzierung Glossarrsquo In PASTERNACk Peer (ed) 2001 Flexibilisierung der Hochschulhaushalte Handbuch fuumlr Personalraumlte und GremienmitgliederMarburg Schuumlren (GEW) p 313

QUALIFICATION

Any higher education award (degree diploma or othertype of formal certification) issued by a competentregistered authority attesting to the successful completionof a course programme It covers a wide variety of highereducation awards at different levels and across differentcountries (eg the Bachelorrsquos and Masterrsquos Degree theDoctorate etc) A qualification is important in terms ofwhat it signifies competencies and range of knowledgeand skills Sometimes it is equivalent to a license topractice It is often synonymous with credential

Qualifications Framework A comprehensive policyframework defining all nationally recognizedqualifications in higher education in terms of workloadlevel quality learning outcomes and profiles It should bedesigned to be comprehensible through the use of specificdescriptors for each qualification covering both its breadth(competencies associated with learning outcomes) and itsdepth (level) It is structured horizontally in order to coverall qualifications awarded in a system and vertically by

level Its purpose is to facilitate (i) curriculumdevelopment and design of study programmes (ii)student and graduate mobility and (iii) recognition ofperiods of study and credentials While certain highereducation systems have their own qualificationframeworks others allow for the development of a widevariety of qualifications without providing an explicitframework The emerging European Higher EducationArea envisaged by the Bologna Declaration is regardedby many as needing a pan European QualificationFramework

Among recent output focused systems approaches andtechniques used to classify and explain qualifications andqualification frameworks are the BachelorrsquosMasterrsquosDegree generic descriptors (eg The Joint Quality Initiative(or Dublin Descriptors) the BachelorrsquosMasterrsquos Degreesubject specific benchmarks (eg The Tuning Project) theInternational Credit Framework (eg ECTS for transfer andaccumulation) The Integrated National Credit Framework(eg Ireland Denmark) or Learning Outcomes andCompetencies ndash General and Specific (eg UnitedKingdom Denmark)

National Qualifications Framework Generally aNational Qualifications Framework (NQF) is designed toprovide nationally recognized and homogeneousstandards and qualifications as well as recognition for alllearning of knowledge and competencies and a basis forfurther review articulation and development of existingand impending qualifications Also among other

purposes it should facilitate curricular change and allowfor the improvement of access and social inclusion as wellas the integration of changing societal needs A NationalQualifications Framework is primarily developed througha medium term process of policy development and publicconsultation The NQFs in the European Higher EducationArea are expected to be convergent by taking as referencethe European Qualifications Framework

European Qualifications Framework A newdevelopment in higher education the EuropeanQualifications Framework for lifelong learning (EQF) is thetargeted result of a European Commission initiative to beenacted by the European Parliament and Council in 2007It focuses on a set of eight general reference levels orlearning outcomes that cover the whole range ofqualifications and are valid on a trans systemic basis TheEQF should provide stakeholders and employers with aglobal reference tool (or lsquotranslation devicersquo) allowingthem to clearly compare and relate qualifications andeducation and training systems

RELATED TERMS Assessment Learning OutcomeRecognition Validation

SOURCES

Bologna Seminar on Qualification Structures in Higher Education in Europe ldquoRecommendationsrdquo Copenhagen March 2003

EUROPEAN COMMISSION EDUCATION AND TRAINING SECTIONhttpeceuropaeueducationpolicieseduceqfindex_enhtml

MIDDLEHURST ROBIN Quality Assurance Implications of New Forms of Higher Education Part 1 A Typology ENQAOccasional Papers No 3 Helsinki ENQA 2001 p 15

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION CULTURE AND SCIENCE OF THE NETHERLANDS ldquoTowards Shared Descriptors for Bachelorrsquos and Masterrsquos Degree An International Approachrdquo in Report from the Joint Quality Initiative Group Zoetermeer MINOCW 2001 wwwjointqualityorg

NEW ZEALAND QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITYwwwnzqagovtnzframeworkabouthtml

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

Quality in higher education is a multi dimensional multilevel and dynamic concept that relates to the contextualsettings of an educational model to the institutionalmission and objectives as well as to specific standardswithin a given system institution programme ordiscipline Quality may thus take different sometimesconflicting meanings depending on (i) the understandingof various interests of different constituencies orstakeholders in higher education (eg studentsuniversities disciplines the labour market society agovernment) (ii) its references inputs processes outputs

missions objectives etc (iii) the attributes orcharacteristics of the academic world worth evaluatingand (iv) the historical period in the development of highereducation

A wide spectrum of definitions of academic quality hasbeen used

Quality as excellence a traditional elitist academicview according to which only the best standards ofexcellence (usually meaning a high level ofdifficulty and of complexity of a programme theseriousness of the student testing procedures etc)are understood as revealing true academic quality

Quality as fitness for purpose a concept that stressesthe need to meet generally accepted standards suchas those defined by an accreditation or qualityassurance body the focus being on theeffectiveness of the processes at work in theinstitution or programme in fulfilling its objectivesand mission Sometimes quality in this sense is alsolabeled as (i) a value for money approach owing to the(implicit) focus on how the inputs are effectivelyand efficiently used by the processes andmechanisms involved or (ii) the value addedapproach when results are evaluated in terms ofchanges obtained through various educationalprocesses (eg teaching and learning processes) Avariation of the latter is the quality as transformationapproach which is strongly student centered Itconsiders quality as a process of change adding

value to students through their learningexperience

Quality as fitness of purpose a concept that focuseson the defined objectives and mission of theinstitution or programme with no check of thefitness of the processes themselves in regard to anyexternal objectives or expectations Fitness of purposeevaluates whether the quality related intention ofan organization are adequate Within thisapproach one may distinguish alternativeapproaches developed in the 1990s (i) quality asthresholdwhereby certain norms and criteria are setwhich any programme or institution has to reach tobe considered to be of quality In many Europeanhigher education systems a variant definingquality as a basic standard closely linked toaccreditation is used In this case the starting pointis the specification of a set of minimum standardsto be met by an institution or programme and togenerate the basis for the development of qualityimprovement mechanisms (ii) quality as consumersatisfaction quality perceived as closely linked tothe growing importance of market forces in highereducation that focuses on the importance of theexternal expectations of consumers (studentsfamilies society at large) and other stakeholders

Quality as enhancement or improvement focusing onthe continuous search for permanent improvementstressing the responsibility of the higher education

institution to make the best use of its institutionalautonomy and freedom Achieving quality iscentral to the academic ethos and to the idea thatacademics themselves know best what quality is

Each approach has advantages and disadvantagesbeing more or less suitable for a specific period of time ornational context In terms of evolution there arepermanent movement and oscillations between relativeversus absolute internal versus externally oriented andbasic versus more advanced and sophisticated notions ofquality However common to all of these qualityapproaches is the integration of the following elements (i)the guaranteed realization of minimal standards andbenchmarks (ii) the capacity to set the objectives in adiversifying context and to achieve them with the giveninput and context variables (iii) the ability to satisfy thedemands and expectations of direct and indirectconsumers and stakeholders (iv) the drive towardsexcellence (Van Damme 2003)

Quality AssessmentQuality Review The actualprocess of external evaluation (reviewing measuringjudging) of the quality of higher education institutions andprogrammes It consists of those techniques mechanismsand activities that are carried out by an external body inorder to evaluate the quality of the higher educationprocesses practices programmes and services Someaspects are important when defining and working with theconcept of quality assessment (i) the context (nationalinstitutional) (ii) the methodology (self assessment

assessment by peer review site visits) (iii) the levels(system institution department individual) (iv) themechanisms (rewards policies structures cultures) (v)certain quality values attached to quality assessment suchas academic values traditional values (focusing upon thesubject field) managerial values (focusing on proceduresand practices) pedagogical values (focusing on staff andtheir teaching skills and classroom practice) employmentvalues (emphasizing graduate output characteristics andlearning outcomes)

Quality Assurance An all embracing term referring toan ongoing continuous process of evaluating (assessingmonitoring guaranteeing maintaining and improving)the quality of a higher education system institutions orprogrammes As a regulatory mechanism qualityassurance focuses on both accountability andimprovement providing information and judgments (notranking) through an agreed upon and consistent processand well established criteria Many systems make adistinction between internal quality assurance (ie intrainstitutional practices in view of monitoring andimproving the quality of higher education) and externalquality assurance (ie inter or supra institutional schemesassuring the quality of higher education institutions andprogrammes) Quality assurance activities depend on theexistence of the necessary institutional mechanismspreferably sustained by a solid quality culture Qualitymanagement quality enhancement quality control andquality assessment are means through which quality

assurance is ensured The scope of quality assurance isdetermined by the shape and size of the higher educationsystem Quality assurance varies from accreditation in thesense that the former is only a prerequisite for the latter Inpractice the relationship between the two varies a greatdeal from one country to another Both imply variousconsequences such as the capacity to operate and toprovide educational services the capacity to awardofficially recognized degrees and the right to be funded bythe state Quality assurance is often considered as a part ofthe quality management of higher education whilesometimes the two terms are used synonymously

Quality Control The process of quality evaluation thatfocuses on the internal measurement of the quality of aninstitution or a programme It refers to a set of operationalactivities and techniques (monitoring activities and astructured internally planned and implemented policy)elaborated and used to fulfill requirements of qualityOften used interchangeably with quality management andquality assurance it refers to an aggregate of actions andmeasures taken regularly to assure the quality of highereducation products services or processes with anemphasis on the assurance that a prescribed threshold ofquality is met It aims both at monitoring the process andat eliminating certain causes generating an unsatisfactoryfunctioning Sometimes a minimal quality control (mostlyin the shape of some kind of certification) exists serving asa filtering mechanism in confirming that a highereducation institution is fulfilling minimal agreed upon

quality requirements and has appropriate qualitymonitoring procedures in place

Quality Management An aggregate of measures takenregularly at system or institutional level in order to assurethe quality of higher education with an emphasis onimproving quality as a whole As a generic term it coversall activities that ensure fulfillment of the quality policyand the quality objectives and responsibilities andimplements them through quality planning qualitycontrol quality assurance and quality improvementmechanisms

Total Quality Management (TQM) A particularlyinfluential comprehensive approach to qualitymanagement that places emphasis on factors such ascontinuous improvement customer focus strategicmanagement need for explicit systems to assure quality ofhigher education and a view of leadership andsupervision that stresses employee empowerment anddelegation Such an approach to quality managementemphasizes assessment that is undertaken of (i) definedobjectives or standards (set internally or by externalfunding bodies) (ii) measures of customer satisfaction (iii)expert and professional judgment and (iv) comparatororganizations TQM is considered to have a closeconceptual and philosophical link with benchmarkingmethodologies Such an approach has been mostly appliedin the economic sector being less used in the academicworld

Quality Audit The process of quality assessment bywhich an external body ensures that (i) the institution ofprogramme quality assurance procedures or (ii) that theoverall (internal and external) quality assuranceprocedures of the system are adequate and are actuallybeing carried out Quality audit looks to the system forachieving good quality and not at the quality itself Aquality audit can be performed only by persons (ie qualityauditors) who are not directly involved in the areas beingaudited Quality audits are undertaken to meet internalgoals (internal audit) or external goals (external audit) Theresults of the audit must be documented (audit report)(See also Audit)

Quality Culture It refers to a set of shared acceptedand integrated patterns of quality (often called principlesof quality) to be found in the organizational cultures andthe management systems of institutions Awareness of andcommitment to the quality of higher education inconjunction with a solid culture of evidence and with theefficient management of this quality (through qualityassurance procedures) are the ingredients of a qualityculture As quality elements change and evolve over timeso must the integrated system of quality supportiveattitudes and arrangements (quality culture) change tosupport new quality paradigms in higher education

Quality Planning It consists of the set of actions thatestablishes the objectives and the conditions referring tothe quality of higher education and to the application ofthe mechanism of the quality system Quality planning

includes product planning (identification classificationand determination of the importance of the featuresreferring to quality as well as to the establishment of theobjectives the conditions referring to quality and itsrestraints) managerial and operational planning(including its organization and programming) anelaboration of quality plans and the provision of qualityimprovement measures

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Audit Culture ofEvidence Evaluation

SOURCES

Code of Practice for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education wwwqaaacukacademic infrastructurecodeOfPracticedefaultasp

ENEMARK S ldquoCreating a Quality Culture in Surveying Educationrdquo in FIG Working Week Prague 21-22 May 2000 Frederiksberg Denmark International Federation of Surveyors 2000 wwwddlorgfigtreepubproceedings pragueenemark-abshtm

FREED JANN E A Culture for Academic Excellence Implementing the Quality Principles in Higher Education Washington D C ERIC Digest 1997

FROMENT ERIC KOHLER ERIC PURSER JUumlRGEN AND WILSONLESLEY ed EUA Bologna Handbook Making Bologna Work Berlin Dr Josef Raabe Verlag 2006

SURSOCK A ldquoFrom Quality Assurance to Accreditation in the Context of the Bologna Process Needs Trends and Developmentsrdquo in L VL SCEANU and L C BARROWS(Eds) Indicators for Institutional and Programme

Accreditation in HigherTertiary Education Bucharest UNESCO-CEPES 2004 pp 65-76

UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE EUA Quality Culture Project at the University of Tampere 2003 wwwutafiopiskeluope tuksen_tukibolognan_prosessiindex_enhtml

RANKINGLEAGUE TABLES

Ranking and league tables are an established technique fordisplaying the comparative ranking of organizations interms of their performance They are meant to supplyinformation to interested stakeholders consumers andpolicy makers alike on measurable differences in servicequality of several similar providers Even if somewhatcontroversial especially concerning the methodologicalaspects they are quite popular and seen as a usefulinstrument for public information while also providing anadditional incentive to quality improvementRankingleague tables are generally published in thepopular press and magazines specialized journals and onthe Internet The ranking process starts with the collectionof data from existing data sources site visits studies andinstitutional research Following collection the type andquantity of variables are selected from the informationgathered Then the indicators are standardized andweighted from the selected variables Finally calculationsare conducted and comparisons are made so thatinstitutions are sorted into ldquoranking orderrdquoRankingleague tables make use in the process ofevaluation of institutions or programmes of a range ofdifferent indicators The results of rankingleague tables

(the ldquoscoresrdquo of each assessed institution) may thus varyfrom one case to another depending on the number ofindicators used or on the indicators themselves Rankingindicators or criteria usually take into considerationscientific pedagogic administrative and socio economicaspects studentstaff ratio A level points (held by firstyear students) teaching and research (as marks received inteaching and research assessments by individualdepartments) library and computer spending drop outrates satisfaction study conditions employmentperspectives etc In accordance with the latestinternational conventions on ranking (ie lsquoBerlinPrinciplesrsquo) rankings should offer comparativeinformation and a better understanding of highereducation but should not be considered and used as aprimary method for the assessment of academic qualityThey should also clearly inform consumers with regard toall the indicators and factors used to rank higher educationinstitutions or programmes allowing the public toindependently decide upon their respective weight

RELATED TERMS Assessment Criteria EvaluationPerformance Standards

SOURCES

ADAB PEYMANE ET AL Performance League Tables The NHS Deserves Better wwwpubmedcentralnihgovarti clerenderfcgiartid=64507

CLARKE MARGUERITE ldquoSome Guidelines for Academic Quality Rankingsrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)443-459

ECCLES CHARLES ldquoThe Use of University Rankings in the United Kingdomrdquoin Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002) 423-432

FEDERKEIL GERO ldquoSome Aspects of Ranking Methodology ndash The CHE-Ranking of German Universitiesrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)389-397

FILINOV NIKOLAY B AND RUCHKINAA SVETLANA ldquoThe Ranking of Higher Education Institutions in Russia Some Methodological Problemsrdquo in Higher Education in Europe27 4 (2002)407-421

JOBBINS DAVID ldquoThe TimesThe Times Higher Education Supplement mdash League Tables in Britain An Insiderrsquos Viewrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)383-388

HILL DAVID AND SOO MAARJA Is There a Global Definition of Academic Quality A Cross-National Analysis of University Ranking Systems [Paper delivered at the APPAM Conference 8 November 2003 Washington DC] wwwappam orgconferencesfalldc03sessions downloads1741pdf

MERISOTIS JAMIE P ldquoOn the Ranking of Higher Education Institutionsrdquoin Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)361-363

MERISOTIS JAMIE P ldquoSummary Report of the Invitational Roundtable on Statistical Indicators for the Quality Assessment of HigherTertiary Education Institutions Ranking and League Table Methodologiesrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)475-480

MORSE ROBERT J AND FLANIGAN SAMUEL ldquoHow We Rank Collegesrdquo wwwusnewscomusnewseducollegerankings about02cbrank

SADLAK JAN and LIU NIAN CAI eds The World-Class University and Ranking Aiming Beyond Status Bucharest UNESCO-CEPES and Cluj-Napoca Presa UniversitarClujean 2007

SIWINSKI WALDEMAR ldquoPerspektywymdashTen Years of Rankingsrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)399-406

TEIXEIRA I C et al Classification and Ranking of Higher Engineering Education Programmes and Institutions The IST View httpgepistutlptarquivosComunicacoesClassification20and20Ranking20of20Higher20EducationPDF

UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER AND UMIST CAREERS SERVICELeague Tables Reputations wwwuniversityoptionscouk parents11asp

VAUGHN JOHN ldquoAccreditation Commercial Rankings and New Approaches to Assessing the Quality of University Research and Education Programmes in the United Statesrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4 (2002)433-441

YONEZAZA AKIOSHI NAKATSUI IZUMI AND KOBAYASHITETSUO ldquoUniversity Rankings in Japanrdquo in Higher Education in Europe 27 4(2002)373-382

RECOGNITION

Formal acknowledgement of (i) individual academic orprofessional qualifications (ii) programmes of a highereducation institution andor (iii) quality assuranceagencies by a competent recognition authority thatacknowledges certain standards and values with respect to

special purposes that indicate the consequences ofrecognition Recognition is usually of a cross institutionalor cross border nature As regards recognition ofindividual qualifications learning experiences (egdegrees diplomas or periods of study) are validated witha view to facilitating the access of holders to educationalandor employment activities Here at least two kinds ofrecognition those for academic and those for professionalpurposes should be distinguished (see below)Programme recognition generally refers to the recognitionof a specific programme of study of one higher educationinstitution by another It functions on the basis of a peeracknowledgement procedure and is meant to allow astudent to engage in continued study at the latterinstitution or to exempt him or her from studying againsubjects and materials which are not significantly differentin different higher education institutions With regard toinstitutions recognition refers to the acknowledgement ofquality assurance agencies or accrediting organizationsdeemed to be trustful efficient and accountableinstitutions of quality assurance following particularrecognition standards set by the competent (usuallyforeign) recognition authorities

Academic Recognition Approval of coursesqualifications or diplomas from one (domestic or foreign)higher education institution by another for the purpose ofstudent admission to further studies Academicrecognition can also be sought for an academic career at asecond institution and in some cases for access to other

employment activities on the labour market (academicrecognition for professional purposes) As regards theEuropean Higher Education Area three main levels ofrecognition can be considered as well as the relevantinstruments (as suggested by the Lisbon Convention andthe Bologna Declaration) (i) recognition of qualificationsincluding prior learning and professional experienceallowing entry or re entry into higher education (ii)recognition of short study periods in relation to studentmobility having as the main instrument the ECTS(European Credit Transfer System) (iii) recognition of fulldegrees having as the main instrument the DiplomaSupplement

Mutual Recognition Agreement by two or moreinstitutional bodies to validate each otherrsquos degreesprogrammes or institutions and affirmation by two ormore quality assurance or accrediting agencies that themethodology of the agencies are sound and that theprocedures are functioning accordingly

Professional Recognition Refers to the right topractice and the professional status accorded to a holder ofa qualification Owing to different regulations for therecognition of degrees or titles a differentiation of twogroups should be made lsquode Jure Professional Recognitionrsquoapplies to the right to work in a specific country in alegally regulated profession (eg as a medical doctor) Inthe European Union for instance those regulations exist inboth home and host countries and are subject to variousEuropean Union Specific Directives lsquoDe Facto Professional

Recognitionrsquo refers to situations of unregulatedprofessional recognition such as situations in which nonational legal authorization exists or is required

Recognition of Prior Learning The formalacknowledgement of skills knowledge and competenciesthat are gained through work experience informaltraining and life experience

RELATED TERMS Accreditation CertificationEvaluation Licensure Peer Review

SOURCES

BERGEN COMMUNIQUEacute The European Higher Education Area - Achieving the Goals 2005 wwwbologna-bergen2005no Docs00-ain_doc050520_Bergen_Communiquepdf

COUNCIL OF EUROPE Recognition Issues in the Bologna Process[Final Report of [the] ENIC-NARIC] Strasbourg 2001 wwwcoeintTECultural_CooperationeducationHigher_EducationActivitiesBologna_ProcessENIC_Report_on20Rec_IssuesaspTopofPage

ENIC NETWORK (COUNCIL OF EUROPEUNESCO) AND NARICNETWORK (EUROPEAN COMMISSION) Strasbourg Statement on Recognition Issues in the European Higher Education Area 2004wwwenic-aricnetdocumentsStrasbourg Statement2004enpdf

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Diploma Supplement Brussels EC 2003 wwweuropaeuintcommeducationpoliciesrec_qual recognitiondiploma_enhtml

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Recognition of Diplomas in the European Union Brussels 2003 wwweuropaeuintcomm educationpoliciesrec_qualrecognitionin-enhtml

LINDEBERG T AND KRISTOFFERSEN D eds A Method for Mutual Recognition Experience with a Method for Mutual Recognition of Quality Assurance Agencies Helsinki ENQAHE 2002 wwwavcceduaupolicies_activities teaching_learningcredit_transfer10_glossarypdf

NATIONAL UNION OF STUDENTS IN EUROPE (ESIB) Recognition of Qualifications Brussels 2003 wwwesiborgpolicies recognitionhtm

VETASSESS J Pathways to Partnerships ANIAAVLL Report and Draft Policy Guidelines Provincial Framework for the Recognition of Prior Learning in Saskatchewan Submission to Saskatchewan Learning ndash September 16 2002 Saskatchen SLFDB 2002 httpwwwslfdbcomrpl policypdf

REGISTER OF EUROPEAN HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE AGENCIES (REHEQA)

The idea and implementation of the Register of EuropeanHigher Education Quality Assurance Agencies (REHEQA)is directly related to the Bologna Process and its objectiveof promotion of the European cooperation in qualityassurance In line with the decision of the Conference ofthe European Ministers Responsible for Higher Educationin Bergen (May 2005) the following four organizationsand Consultative Members of the BFUG ndash ENQA EUAEURASHE and ESIB (the E4 Group) have developed aproject which should lead to the operationalization of the

Register This work has been finalized and the relevantdocument presenting the structure legal statusorganization and financing of the Register will besubmitted at the ministerial conference in London in May2007

The purpose of the Register is to collect in atransparent way and provide generally accessible relevantinformation (through access to open website) aboutreliable and trustworthy quality assurance agenciesoperating in Europe In order to be part of the Registerrespective agencies and bodies need to comply with theirnational legislation as well as meet criteria set by theStandards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in theEuropean Higher Education Area

RELATED TERMS Criteria Culture of EvidenceIndicators Outcomes Quality Assessment

SOURCES

BOLOGNA WORKING GROUP ON QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKSA Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area lthttpwwwbologna-bergen2005noDocs 00-Main_doc050218_QF_EHEApdfgt

Code of Good Practice for the Members of the European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education (ECA)lthttpwwwecaconsortiumnetindexphpsection=contentampid=1gt

ENQA ESIB EUA AND EURASHE (E4 GROUP) Report of the E4 Group on Quality Assurance to the Bologna Follow-Up Group Berlin 5-6 March 2007

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION (ENQAHE) Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education Helsinki 2005 lthttpwwwenqanetbologna lassogt

SELF-EVALUATION (See INTERNAL EVALUATION)

SITE VISIT

A component of external evaluation that is normally partof an accreditation process It may be initiated by theinstitution itself It consists of external experts visiting ahigher education institution to examine the self studyproduced by the institution and to interview facultymembers students and other staff in order to assessquality and effectiveness (and to put forwardrecommendations for improvement)

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Evaluation PeerReview

SOURCE

KRISTOFFERSEN D et al Quality Assurance in Higher Education Manual of Quality Assurance Procedures and

Practices 1998 PHARE Brussels European Commission p 32

STANDARDS

Statements regarding an expected level of requirementsand conditions against which quality is assessed or thatmust be attained by higher education institutions and theirprogrammes in order for them to be accredited or certifiedThe term standard means both a fixed criteria (againstwhich an outcome can be matched) and a level ofattainment

Standards may take a quantitative form being mostlythe results of benchmarking or they may be qualitativeindicating only specific targets (eg educationaleffectiveness sustainability core commitments etc)When quantitative the standards include threshold levelsthat have to be met in order for higher educationinstitutions or programmes to be accredited More oftenthan not the thresholds or the ldquobasic standardsrdquo aredefined at the level of minimally acceptable quality Onother occasions the standards refer to the highest level ofquality thus being considered as ldquostandards ofexcellencerdquo These may result from a benchmarkingexercise or be asserted implicitly being so recognized bythe peers in a collegiate way Standards may have differentreference points (i) inputs (eg content standards) (ii)outputs (eg performance standards) (iii) processesStandards can be general (for a degree level eg aBachelorrsquos or a Masterrsquos Degree) or subject specific (egdiscipline benchmarking statements in the United

Kingdom) Standards may also vary by different types ofstandard setting methods (such as criterion referencedminimal competency or objective setting methods) Inorder to judge properly whether or not a particularstandard of quality is met it has to be formulated clearlyand explicitly and related to specific criteria which can befurther divided into (more operational) indicators

Standards are thus related to a specific (institutionalprogramme) culture of evidence In the context of thegrowing diversity of higher education the translation ofacademic quality into standards and indicators has becomecomplex Often a more dynamic approach to defining andassessing standards is visible (a mixture of reality basedcomponents and potentiality focused ones) The challengeis threefold (i) to diminish the number of referencestandards (ii) to relate them to appropriate performanceindicators while also making use of specific criteria withina consistent culture of evidence and (iii) to provide forsufficient flexibility in the formulation of standards inorder to allow for innovative academic developmentsStandards are often used synonymously with criteria as inthe United States while in Europe standards arebecoming increasingly distinct from criteria A distinctionbetween quality and standards (similar to the differencebetween process and outcomes) is also made the termldquoquality standardsrdquo that is sometimes used beingequivalent to the notion of standards as criterion

In higher education standards are frequently set andassessed in four main areas

Academic standards (related to the intellectualabilities of students)

Standards of competence (related to the technicalabilities of students)

Service standards (refer to the standards of serviceprovided by the organization to the student)

Organizational standards (principles and proceduresby which the institution assures that it provides anappropriate learning and research environment)

Content Standards Level of core competenciesrelevant knowledge and skills within a subject area ieeverything a student should know and be able to doContent standards shape what goes into the curriculumand refer to required inputs

Educational Standards Level of requirements andconditions regarding different stages of the educationalprocess and the relationship between those stages such asinputs processes and outputs Various types ofeducational standards exist with regard to learningresources programmes and results in general andstudent performance (content standards performancestandards proficiency standards and opportunity to learnstandards)

Performance Standards Levels of achievement that aredeemed exemplary or appropriate ie specifications of therequired level of quality of a studentrsquos work to meet the

content standards Performance standards shapeexpectations for educational outcomes

European standards

(i) for internal quality assurance within higher educationinstitutionsPolicies and procedures for quality assuranceapproval monitoring and periodic review ofprogrammes and awards assessment of studentsquality assurance of teaching staff learningresources and student support information systempublic information (as identified by ENQA)

(ii) for external quality assurance of higher educationUse of internal quality assurance procedures thedevelopment of external quality assuranceprocesses criteria for decision processes fit forpurpose reporting follow up procedures periodicreviews system wide analysis (as identified byENQA)

(iii) for external quality assurance agenciesUse of external quality assurance procedures forhigher education

Official status activities resources mission statementindependence external quality assurance criteria andprocesses used by agencies (as identified by ENQA)

SOURCES See CRITERIA and

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION (ENQAHE) (2005) Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education Helsinki wwwenqanetbolognalasso

FROMENT ERIC KOHLER JUumlRGEN PURSER LEWIS WILSONLESLEY ed EUA Bologna Handbook Making Bologna Work Berlin Dr Josef Raabe Verlag 2006

INTERNATIONAL ANALYTIC GLOSSARY OF ISSUES RELATED TO QUALITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION [Prepared for the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and the EAIR Special Interest Group on Quality by Professor Lee Harvey Centre for Research and Evaluation Sheffield Hallam University November 2004ndashDecember 2006] wwwquality researchinternationalcomglossary

STUDENT EVALUATION OF TEACHERS

The process of using student inputs concerning the generalactivity and attitude of teachers These observations allowthe overall assessors to determine the degree ofconformability between student expectations and theactual teaching approaches of teachers Studentevaluations are expected to offer insights regarding theattitude in class of a teacher (approachable open minded

entertaining creative patient etc) and the abilities of ateacher (to explain things to motivate students to helpstudents think to correct mistakes in a friendly manner tooffer information efficiently etc)

RELATED TERMS (Academic) Quality AssessmentEvaluation Student Survey

SOURCES

ECCLES CONNIE High School Students Should Evaluate their Teachers 2005 wwwcomportonecomconniearticles teachershtm

FRENCH RUSSELL L Portfolio Assessment and LEP Students Proceedings of the Second National Research Symposium on Limited English Proficient Student Issues Focus on Evaluation and Measurement Washington DC Department of Education OBEMLA August 1992 [published September 1992] wwwncelagwueduncbepubs symposiasecondvol1 portfoliohtm

STUDENT SURVEY

An assessment method that uses surveys and interviews toascertain the satisfaction of enrolled students withprogrammes services and different other aspects of theiracademic experience Students are usually asked torespond to a series of open ended close ended ortelephone questions The survey may include in classquestionnaires mail questionnaires telephonequestionnaires and interviews (standard in person orfocus group) Student surveys are relatively inexpensive

easy to administer and can reach participants over a widearea They are best suited for concise and non sensitivetopics being able to give a sense from the studentperspective of what is happening at a given moment intime in the respective higher education institutions Someobservers may question their validity or reliability as wellas their relevance to academic policy

RELATED TERMS Assessment Evaluation Culture ofEvidence

SOURCES

STASSEN MARTHA LA DOHERTY KATHERYN AND POE MAYAProgram-Based Review and Assessment Tools and Techniques for Programme Improvement 2001 pg 46 wwwkeeleacukdeptsaaregulationshandbookpdfsglossarypdf

STUDY PROGRAMME

A core modular component of higher education includingall the activities (design organization management aswell as the process of teaching learning and research)carried out in a certain field and leading to an academicqualification Study programmes are established by highereducation institutions or organizations and may differ bylevel of academic qualification (Bachelor MasterDoctorate) study mode (full time part time distancelearning etc) and field of knowledge specialization inaccordance with academic and professional division of

labour A study programme is accomplished through (i) acurriculum including all disciplines leading to an academicqualification distributed by year of study their weightbeing expressed in ECTS (European Credit TransferSystem) type of study credits (ii) syllabuses or courseprogrammes containing a description of the teaching andlearning themes and practices associated with teachinglearning and evaluation (iii) the organizational chart ofstudents and teaching staff covering the period ofimplementation of the study programme (iv) the systemof academic quality assurance for all activities necessaryfor the completion of the study programme

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Benchmark CreditsEvaluation Higher Education InstitutionOrganizationQuality

SOURCES

NICOLESCU ADRIAN ed Multilingual Lexicon of Higher Education CEPES UNESCO Muumlnchen New Providence London Paris Saur 1993

QUALIFICATIONS AND CURRICULUM AUTHORITY (UK) Glossary wwwqcaorguk12html

ROMANIAN AGENCY FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE IN HIGHER EDUCATIONMethodology For External Evaluation Standards Standards of Reference and List of Performance Indicators Bucharest 2006

VILNIUS GEDIMINAS TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES CENTRE Academic Glossary wwwvgtultenglish studentsid=18

VL SCEANU LAZ R and BARROWS LELAND C (Eds) Indicators for Institutional and Programme Accreditation in Higher Tertiary Education Bucharest UNESCO-CEPES 2004

VALIDATION

The process by which a programme is judged to have metthe requirements for an award by a relevant institutionwith degree awarding powers (institutional selfevaluation) or by a relevant examining board (validationby an outside examining body)

RELATED TERMS Accreditation Evaluation

SOURCE

UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX [STUDENTSrsquo UNION) Glossary of Higher Education Terms Brighton University of Sussex at Brighton 1999 wwwsussexacukUsershaug6 glossary html

WORKLOAD

A quantitative measure of the learning activities that maybe required for the achievement of learning outcomes (eglectures seminars practical work private studyinformation retrieval research examinations)

RELATED TERMS Credit

SOURCES

BOLOGNA WORKING GROUP ON QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS(2005) A Framework for Qualifications of the European Higher Education Area wwwbologna-bergen2005no Docs00-Main_doc050218_QF_EHEApdf

International Analytic Glossary of Issues Related to Quality in Higher Education [Prepared for the International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) and the EAIR Special Interest Group on Quality by Professor Lee Harvey Centre for Research and Evaluation Sheffield Hallam University November 2004ndashDecember 2006] wwwqualityresearchinternationalcom glossary

APPENDIX

Accreditation and Quality Assurance Organizations in Europe the United States

and Canada

I National Accreditation andQuality Assurance Organizationsin European Countries

AlbaniaAccreditation Agency of Higher EducationrdquoLek DukagjinIrdquo Nr 5TiranaPhone + 355 (42) 579 54Fax +355 (42) 579 54E mail aahe_aaaladanetcomal

AustriaAustrian Accreditation CouncilTeinfalstrasse 8A 1010 ViennaPhone +43 (1) 531 205 673Fax +43 (1) 531 208 15673E mail akkreditierungsratbmbwkgvatWebsite wwwakkreditierungsratat

Austrian Quality AssuranceLiechtensteinstraszlige 22aA 1090 ViennaPhone +43 (1) 319 445ndash 500Fax + 43 (1) 319 445 020E mail officeaqaacatWebsite wwwaqaacat

Appendix 100

FHC CouncilLiechtenstenstrasse 22A 1090 ViennaPhone +43 (1) 319 503 416Fax + 43 (1) 319 503 4 30E mail kurtsohmfhracatWebsite wwwfhracatw

Belgium

Flemish CommunityCouncil of Flemish Institutions of Higher EducationWolvengracht 38 2e verd1000 BrusselsPhone + 32 (2) 211 4190Fax + 32 (2) 211 4199E mail lucvandeveldevlhorabeWebsite wwwvlhorabe

VLIR Flemish Interuniversity CouncilEgmontstraat 51000 BrusselsPhone +32 (2) 512 9110Fax +32 (2) 512 2996E mail secretariaatvlirbe

French CommunityMinistegravere de la communauteacute franccedilaiseCiteacute administrative de lrsquoEtat19 Boulevard Pacheco Boicircte 01010 BrusselsPhone +32 (2) 210 5577Fax +32 (2) 210 5992E mail chantalkaufmancfwbeWebsite httpcfwbbe

Appendix 101

BulgariaNational Evaluation and Accreditation Agency125 Tzarigradsko ChausseacuteeBlvd BI 1113 SofiaPhone +359 (2) 971 2102Fax +359 (2) 971 2068E mail infoneaagovernmentbgWebsite wwwneaagovernmentbg

CroatiaNational Council for Higher Education41 Savska StreetHR 10000 ZagrebPhone +385 (1) 4594 183 4594 466 4594 484Fax +385 (1) 4594 186E mail nvvnmzthr

CyprusCouncil for the Recognition of Higher EducationQualificationsDepartment of Tertiary EducationMinistry of Education and CultureThoukididou and Kimonos Streets1434 NikosiaPhone + 357 (228) 001 896Fax + 357 (228) 305 513E mail sekapcytanetcomcyWebsite wwwmoecgovcy

Czech RepublicAccreditation CommissionMinistry of Education Youth and SportsKarmelitskaacute 7CZ 118 12 Prague 1PhoneFax +42 (2) 5719 3457E mail vinsmsmtczWebsite wwwmsmtcz_DOMEKdefaultaspCAI=2856

Appendix 102

DenmarkThe Danish Evaluation InstituteOstbanegade 55 3rd Floor2100 CopenhagenPhone +45 (35) 550 101Fax +45 (35) 331 001E mail evaevadkWebsite wwwevadk

EstoniaEstonian Higher Education Accreditation CentreKoidula 13a10125 TallinnPhone +372 6 962 425 962 423Fax +372 6962 427E mail heqacarchimedeseeWebsite wwwekakarchimedesee

Higher Education Quality Assessment CouncilKohtu 610130 TallinnPhone +372 (6) 962 424Fax +372 (6) 962 427E mail heqacarchimedeseeWebsite wwwekakarchimedesee

FinlandFinnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC)Annakatu 34 36a00101 HelsinkiPhone +358 (9)1607 6913Fax +358 (9)1607 6911E mail finheecminedufiWebsite wwwkkafi

Appendix 103

FranceComiteacute National d Eacutevaluation (CNE)43 rue de la ProcessionF 75015 ParisPhone +33 (1) 555 56097Fax +33 (1) 555 56394Website wwwcne evaluationfr

GermanyAccreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat)Adenauer Allee 73D 53113 BonnPhone +49 (228) 501 699Fax +49 (228) 501 777E mail sekrakkreditierungsratdeWebsite wwwakkreditierungsratde

Accreditation Certification and Quality Assurance Institute(ACQUIN)co University of Bayreuth Prieserstraszlige 295444 BayreuthPhone +49 (921) 554 841Fax +49 (921) 554 842E mail sekracquinorgWebsite wwwacquinorgFoundation for International Business AdministrationAccreditation (FIBAA)Berliner Freiheit 20 24D 53113 BonnPhone + 49 (228) 280 3560Fax + 49 (228) 280 3569E mail lichtenbergerfibaadeWebsite wwwfibaaorg

Central Evaluation and Accreditation Agency HannoverWilhelm Busch Str 22

Appendix 104

D 30167 HannoverPhone + 49 (511) 762 8284Fax + 49 (511) 762 8289E mail Evasekzevauni hannoverdeWebsite wwwzevauni hannoverde

Stiftung Evaluationsagentur Baden Wuerttemberg(Quality assurance agency for higher education in BadenWuerttemberg)M7 9a 10D 68161 MannheimPhone + 49 (621) 128 54501Fax + 49 (621) 128 54599E mail evalagevalagdeWebsite wwwevalagde

HungaryHungarian Accreditation CommitteeAjtoacutesi Duumlrer sor 19 21H 1146 BudapestPhone +36 (1) 351 8746 351 8747Fax +36 (1) 344 0313E mail infomabhuWebsite wwwmabhuIcelandMinistry of Education Science and CultureDivision of Evaluation and SupervisionSoumllvhoacutelsgoumltu 4IS 150 ReykjavikPhone +354 (545) 9500Fax +345 (562) 3068E mail posturmrnstjrisWebsite wwwmrnstjris

Appendix 105

IrelandHigher Education AuthorityMarine House Clanwilliam CourtDublin 2Phone +353 (1) 661 2748Fax 353 (1) 661 0492E mail infoheaie mkerrheaieWebsite wwwheaie

Higher Education and Training Awards Council26 27 Denzille LaneDublin 2Phone +353 (1) 631 4567Fax +353 (1) 631 4577E mail infohetacieWebsite wwwhetacie

IsraelCouncil for Higher EducationPO Box 4037IL 91040 JerusalemPhone +972 (2) 567 9911Fax +972 (2)567 9969E mail infocheorgilWebsite wwwcheorgilItalyNational University Evaluation CouncilPiazza Kennedy 20IT 00144 RomaPhone +39 (06) 584 96400 584 96401Fax +39 (06) 584 96480E mail ossunicomurstitWebsite wwwmurstitosservatorionuechtml

Appendix 106

LatviaHigher Education Quality Evaluation Centre2 Valnu StreetLV 1098 RigaPhone +371 (721) 3870 3214Fax +371 (721) 2558E mail jurisdzlatnetlvWebsite wwwaiknclv

LithuaniaLithuanian Centre for Quality Assessment in HigherEducationSuvalku 1LT 26000 VilniusPhone +370 (2) 210 4777Fax +370 (2) 213 2553E mail skvcskvcltWebsite wwwskvclt

MacedoniaAccreditation BoardMinistry of Education and Science9 Dimitrie Cupovski StreetMK 1000 SkopjePhone +389 (2) 312 1412Fax +389 (2) 311 8414E mail nadamofkgovmkWebsite wwwmongovmk

The NetherlandsInspectorate of Higher EducationPostbus 27303500 GS UtrechtPhone +31 (70) 669 0600Fax 31 (70) 662 2091E mail fderijckeowinspnl

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Netherlands Quality Agency (NQA)PO Box 8240NL 3503 REUtrechtPhone + 31 (70) 312 2602Fax +31 (70) 312 2603E mail infonqanlWebsite wwwnqanl

Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and FlandersParkstraat 28 Postbus 854982508 CD The HaguePhone +31 (70) 312 2300Fax +31(70) 312 2301E mail infonvaonetWebsite wwwnvaonet

NorwayNorwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in EducationPBox 1708 VikaNO 0121 OsloPhone +47 (21) 021 862Fax +47 (21) 021 802Website wwwnokutno

PolandThe Association of Management EducationUl Kuba ska 4m 32PL 03 949WarsawPhoneFax +48 (22) 617 6654Website wwwsemforumorgpl

Appendix 108

State Accreditation Commission (PKA)Zurawia 3234PL 00 515WarsawPhone + 48 (22) 622 0718Fax +48 (22) 625 4526E mail pkapkaeduplWebsite wwwpkaedupl

University Accreditation CommissionAdamMickiewicz UniversityUl Wieniawskiego 1PL 61 712 PoznaPhone +48 (61) 827 3260Fax +48 (61) 829 2492E mail palkaamueduplWebsite wwwamuedupl

PortugalConselho Nacional de Avaliaccedilatildeo do Ensino SuperiorPraccedila des Induacutestrias Edificio Rosa 2degDtdegPT 1300307 LisbonPhone +351 (213) 616 141Fax +351 (213) 616 149E mail cnavescnavesptWebsite wwwcnavespt

RomaniaCouncil for Quality Assurance in Higher Education(ARACIS)Schitul M gureanu 1010176 BucharestPhone +40 21 206 7600Fax +40 21 312 7135E mail mailaracisroWebsite wwwaracisro

Appendix 109

Russian FederationNational Accreditation Agency (NAA)Center 3 Lenin SquareRU 424000 Yoshkar OlaPhone +7 (8362) 416 194Fax +7 (8362) 113 884E mail postmasternicaru imonicaruWebsite wwwnicaru

Slovak RepublicAkreditacnaacute komisia poradnyacute orgaacuten vlaacutedy SRStromovaacute 1SK 813 30 BratislavaPhone +421 (2)5249 8955Fax +421 (2) 5249 6261E mail contactakredkomskWebsite wwwakredkomsk

SloveniaQuality Assessment CommissionSlomškov trg 15SI 1001 LjubljanaPhone +386 61 1254 117Fax +386 61 1254 4053E mail mihapaukouni mbsiWebsite wwwuni mbsi

SpainNational Agency for Quality Evaluation and AccreditationCOrense 11 7a plantaE 28020MadridPhone +46 (91) 417 8230Fax +46 (91) 556 8642E mail informacionanecaesWebsite wwwanecaes

Appendix 110

Agency for Quality Assurance in the Catalan UniversitySystemVia Laietana 28 5E 0800 3 BarcelonaPhone +34 (93) 268 8950Fax +34 (93) 268 8951E mail inforaqucatalunyaorgWebsite wwwaqucatalunyaorg

SwedenNational Agency for Higher EducationLuntmakargatan 13PO Box 7851SE 103 99 StockholmPhone +46 (8) 563 08500Fax +46 (8) 563 08550E mail hsvhsvseWebsite wwwhsvseenglish

SwitzerlandCenter for Accreditation and Quality Assurance of the SwissUniversities (OAQ)Falkenplatz 9 PO Box3001 BernPhone +41 31 380 11 50Fax +41 31 380 11 55E mail infooaqchWebsite wwwoaqch

United KingdomQuality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)Southgate House Southgate StreetGL1 1 UBGloucesterPhone + 44 (1452) 557 000Fax + 44 (1452) 557 070E mail pwilliamsqaaacukWebsite wwwqaaacuk

Appendix 111

Open University Validation Services344 Grayrsquos Inn RoadLondonWC1X 8BPPhone +44 (20) 7278 4411Fax +44 (20) 7832 1012E mail ouvs recepopenacukWebsite wwwopenacukvalidate

Appendix 112

II European Quality Assurance Networks

European Consortium for Accreditation in Higher Education(ECA)ECA CoordinatorNVAOPO Box 854982508 CD The HagueThe NetherlandsPhone + 31 (0)70 312 2352Fax + 31 (0)70 312 2301E mail mfrederiks[at]nvaonetWebsite wwwecaconsortiumnet

European Network for Quality Assurance in HigherEducation (ENQA)ENQA SecretariatUnioninkatu 20 22 Havis Business Center (3rd floor)FI 00130 HelsinkiFinlandPhone +358 9 2522 5700Fax +358 9 2522 5710E mail enqaminedufiWebsite wwwenqanet

European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS)88 rue GachardB 1050 BrusselsBelgiumPhone +32 3 629 0810Fax +32 2 629 0811Website wwwefmdbe

Appendix 113

International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies inHigher Education (INQAAHE) INQAAHE SecretariatHigher Educational and Training Awards Council26 27 Denzille LaneIE Dublin 2IrelandPhone +353 (1) 631 4550Fax +353 (1) 631 4551E mail inqaahehetacieWebsite wwwinqaaheorg

The Network of Central and Eastern European QualityAssurance Agencies in Higher EducationAjtoacutesi Duumlrer sor 19 21H 1146 BudapestHungaryPhone +36 (1) 344 0315Fax +36 (1) 344 0313E mail batorskymafhuWebsite wwwceenetworkhu

Appendix 114

III Accrediting and Quality Assurance Bodies in the UnitedStates of America and Canada

Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA)One Dupont Circle NW Suite 510Washington DC 20036 1135USAPhone +1 202 955 6126Fax +1 202 955 6126E mail cheacheaorgWebsite wwwcheaorg

Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Collegesand Schools1866 Southern LaneDecatur GA 30033USAPhone +1 (404) 679 4500Fax +1 (404) 679 4558Website wwwsacscocorg

Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE)New England Association of Schools and Colleges209 Burlington Road BedfordMassachusetts 01730 1433USAPhone +1 (781) 271 002Ext 313Fax +1 (781) 271 0850E mail ciheneascorgWebsite wwwneascorgcihecihehtm

Appendix 115

The Higher Learning Commission (HLC)North Central Association of Colleges and Schools30 North LaSalle StreetSuite 2400 ChicagoIllinois 60602 2504Phone +1 (312) 263 0456Fax +1 (312) 263 7462Website wwwncahigherlearningcommissionorg

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools MiddleStates Commission on Higher Education3624Market Street Annex 2nd FloorPhiladelphia PA 19104Phone +1 (267) 284 5000Fax +1 (215) 662 5501E mail infomsacheorgWebsite wwwmsacheorg

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities(NWCUU)8060 156th Avenue NE Suite 100Redmond WA 98052Phone +1 (425) 558 4224Fax +1 (425) 376 0596Website wwwnwccuorg

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ACSU)Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities985 Atlantic Avenue Suite 100Alameda CA 94501Phone +1 (510) 748 9001Fax +1 (510) 748 9797E mail wascsrwascseniororgWebsite wwwwascweborg

Appendix 116

Association of Accrediting Agencies of CanadaAssociation des agences d agreacutement du CanadaPO Box 370 1 247 Barr StreetRenfrew OntarioK7V 1J6Phone +1 (613) 432 9491Fax +1 (613) 432 6840E mail lesleymegramcomWebsite wwwaaacca

Aacademic recognition 83 accreditation 25 accreditation body 28 accreditation of prior learning

27accreditation status 27 accreditation survey 27 accumulation of study credits

47assessment 29 assessment of individual

qualifications 30 attitudinal competencies 46 audit 31 audit reportevaluation

reportassessment report 32

benchmark 33 benchmark information 34 benchmarking 34 best practice 41

certification 42 code of (professional) ethics

concerning qualityassurance andaccreditation in highereducation 44

code of practice 42 cognitive competencies 45 competencies 45 (external) competitive

benchmarking 38

content standards 91 course development

benchmarks 34 credits 47 criteria 49 culture of evidence 50

descriptor (level) 52 descriptors (qualification) 52 duration of accreditation 27

EECTS (European Credit

Transfer and accumulation system) 48

educational standards 91 effectiveness (educational)

54efficiency (educational) 55 european qualifications

framework 69 european standards 92 evaluation 56 external evaluation 56 external review 57

Ffunctional (external

collaborative) benchmarking 38

Ggeneric benchmarking 39

Index 118

higher educationinstitutionorganization(HEI) 57

Iimplicit benchmarking 39 indicators 59 institutional accreditation 26 institutional auditinstitutional

review 32 internal audit 33 internal benchmarking 38 internal evaluationself-

evaluation 56

licensing 62

Mmanagement audit 33 measurable outcomes 65 mutual recognition 84

Nnational qualifications

framework 68

outcomes 63 outcomes assessment 64

peer reviewexternalreview 66

performance criteria 49 performance indicators 60 performance standards 91 portfolio for accreditation 27 processndashbased

benchmarking 39 professional competencies 46 professional recognition 84

qualification 67 qualifications framework 67 quality (academic) 70 quality assessmentquality

review 73 quality assurance 74 quality audit 77 quality control 75 quality culture 77 quality management 76 quality planning 77

rankingleague tables 79 recognition 82 recognition of prior learning

85regional accreditation

(USA) 26 Register of European

Higher Education

Index 119

Quality AssuranceAgencies (REHEQA) 86

self evaluation 88 simple indicator 61 site visit 88 specialized accreditation 26 standards 89 student evaluation of

teachers 93 student learning outcomes 64 student outcome

assessment 64 student survey 94 study programme 95

subject benchmarksubject benchmark statements 34

TTotal Quality Management

(TQM) 76 trans-institutional

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

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 DEU 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 ESP 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 FRA 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 GRE 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 JPN 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ltFEFFc7740020c124c815c7440020c0acc6a9d558c5ec0020b370c2a4d06cd0d10020d504b9b0d1300020bc0f0020ad50c815ae30c5d0c11c0020ace0d488c9c8b85c0020c778c1c4d560002000410064006f0062006500200050004400460020bb38c11cb97c0020c791c131d569b2c8b2e4002e0020c774b807ac8c0020c791c131b41c00200050004400460020bb38c11cb2940020004100630072006f0062006100740020bc0f002000410064006f00620065002000520065006100640065007200200035002e00300020c774c0c1c5d0c11c0020c5f40020c2180020c788c2b5b2c8b2e4002e000dgt NLD (Gebruik deze instellingen om Adobe PDF-documenten te maken voor kwaliteitsafdrukken op desktopprinters en proofers De gemaakte PDF-documenten kunnen worden geopend met Acrobat en Adobe Reader 50 en hoger) NOR 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 PTB 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 RUM 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 RUS ltFEFF04180441043f043e043b044c04370443043904420435002004340430043d043d044b04350020043d0430044104420440043e0439043a043800200434043b044f00200441043e043704340430043d0438044f00200434043e043a0443043c0435043d0442043e0432002000410064006f006200650020005000440046002c0020043f044004350434043d04300437043d043004470435043d043d044b044500200434043b044f0020043a0430044704350441044204320435043d043d043e04390020043f043504470430044204380020043d04300020043d043004410442043e043b044c043d044b04450020043f04400438043d044204350440043004450020043800200443044104420440043e04390441044204320430044500200434043b044f0020043f043e043b044304470435043d0438044f0020043f0440043e0431043d044b04450020043e0442044204380441043a043e0432002e002000200421043e043704340430043d043d044b04350020005000440046002d0434043e043a0443043c0435043d0442044b0020043c043e0436043d043e00200020043e0442043a0440044b043204300442044c002004410020043f043e043c043e0449044c044e0020004100630072006f00620061007400200438002000410064006f00620065002000520065006100640065007200200035002e00300020043800200431043e043b043504350020043f043e04370434043d043804450020043204350440044104380439002egt SLV 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 SUO 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 SVE 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 TUR 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true UntaggedCMYKHandling LeaveUntagged UntaggedRGBHandling LeaveUntagged UseDocumentBleed false gtgt ]gtgt setdistillerparamsltlt HWResolution [2400 2400] PageSize [612000 792000]gtgt setpagedevice

EditorsMelanie Seto Peter J Wells

Editing AssistantViorica Popa

ISBN 92 9069 186 7 92-9069-186-1copyUNESCO 2007

Revised and updated editionUNESCO CEPES 2007First edition 2004

Contents

Preface 9

Introduction 11

ASSESSMENT29

BEST PRACTICE 41

CERTIFICATION42

CODEOF PRACTICE 42

EXTERNAL REVIEW57

LICENSING62

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Preface 9

Introduction 11

ASSESSMENT29

BEST PRACTICE 41

CERTIFICATION42

CODEOF PRACTICE 42

EXTERNAL REVIEW57

LICENSING62

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

BEST PRACTICE 41

CERTIFICATION42

CODEOF PRACTICE 42

EXTERNAL REVIEW57

LICENSING62

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

EXTERNAL REVIEW57

LICENSING62

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

SELF EVALUATION 88

SITE VISIT88

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

STUDENT SURVEY94

STUDY PROGRAMME95

VALIDATION97

WORKLOAD 97

APPENDIX 99

INDEX 117

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Preface

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Preface 10

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Introduction

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Introduction 12

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Introduction 13

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Introduction 14

Introduction 15

Introduction 16

Introduction 17

Introduction 18

Introduction 19

Introduction 20

Introduction 21

Introduction 22

Introduction 23

REFERENCES

ACCREDITATION

SOURCES

ASSESSMENT

SOURCES

BENCHMARK

BENCHMARKING

SOURCES

BEST PRACTICE

SOURCES

CERTIFICATION

SOURCE

CODE OF PRACTICE

Examples of Codes

SOURCES

COMPETENCIES

SOURCES

CREDITS

SOURCES

CRITERIA

SOURCES

CULTURE OF EVIDENCE

SOURCES

DESCRIPTOR (LEVEL)

SOURCES

SOURCE

EVALUATION

ii a site visit

SOURCES

INDICATORS

SOURCES

LICENSING

SOURCE

OUTCOMES

SOURCES

QUALIFICATION

SOURCES

QUALITY (ACADEMIC)

SOURCES

RECOGNITION

SOURCES

SITE VISIT

SOURCE

STANDARDS

European standards

SOURCES

STUDENT SURVEY

SOURCES

STUDY PROGRAMME

SOURCES

VALIDATION

SOURCE

WORKLOAD

SOURCES

APPENDIX

and Canada

Appendix 100

Belgium

Appendix 101

Appendix 102

Appendix 103

Appendix 104

Appendix 105

Appendix 106

Appendix 107

Website wwwowinspnl

Appendix 108

Appendix 109

Appendix 110

Appendix 111

Appendix 112

Appendix 113

Appendix 114

Appendix 115

Appendix 116

benchmarking 38

Index 118

evaluation 56

licensing 62

framework 68

Higher Education

Index 119

benchmarking 39

validation 97

workload 97

Contents

Documents

Quality assurance and accreditation: a glossary of basic