Quality Control: Struggles for Accountability and Value

Abstract

Higher education was increasingly confronted by several interrelated anxieties, about the apparent diminishing “return on investment” of university degrees, the mismatch between the quality of graduates and needs of employers, the downward slide from elitism to massification, and the transferability of qualifications in a highly mobile world. This gave rise to the growth of the quality assurance and accountability movement analyzed in this chapter, which is divided into three parts. First, it examines the development of quality assurance systems and regulatory regimes in different world regions and at the international level and the challenges encountered. Second, it looks at the multiple responses by higher education institutions to pressures for them to demonstrate accountability and value. Third, it explores the implications and impact of these forces on institutional governance and the academic profession.