Quality Assurance In Higher Education: The Uk Since 1992

Along with funding, the issue of quality assurance and quality assessment is the major issue in higher education. This text provides an analytical account of the changes to quality assurance of UK universities and colleges from 1992 to 2003. It documents the shift from institutional self-regulation to increased involvement of the state and examines the accompanying debate about the purposes, forms and ownership of quality assurance, as well as a wider consideration of the best means of regulating professional activities. All the key developments and issues of quality assurance are covered, including the background to the ongoing debate, the evolution of the post-1992 regime, the role of the Higher Education Quality Council (HEQC), changes to assessment, the creation of a single system and the formation and likely evolution of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). Roger Brown writes with authority derived from his experiences in the thick of quality assurance and proposes that the external quality regime has hindered regulation of higher education. He draws from the lessons learnt during the 1990s to assess the conditions required for effective regulation.