The Development and Re-Forming of Quality Assurance in German Higher Education – An Organizational Reform Perspective

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the historical development of quality-related reforms in German higher education using an organizational reform perspective. The purpose is to shed light on the processes behind recurring attempts to reform teaching quality since the beginnings of the modern research university to the present day. The development, variation, and also facilitation of quality approaches can be considered as a reaction to major changes in the context of universities, especially with regard to organizational growth. We argue that recurring reform initiatives can be interpreted as continuous, externally motivated self-improvement programs, which simultaneously contribute to communicating externally about quality. Overall, as the discourse on quality in universities intensifies and becomes more differentiated, the topic has increasing taken on a life of its own. Universities are internalizing quality management ideas and using them to distinguish themselves.