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The question as to why it is necessary to evaluate an essentially evaluative exercise ‐ namely quality assurance ‐ is first examined. It is claimed that because quality assurance is not merely an assessment of health services but a strategic intervention into patient care and/or health care services there is a requirement to verify and monitor the type of quality assurance system being used. Such a requirement can be legitimised either on ethical grounds or on pragmatic grounds. The former position suggests that it is in fact wrong to employ systems whose efficacy and rigour is unproven and unmonitored while the latter position suggests that the potential fallout from a quality assurance programme that fails is of such magnitude that some form of evaluation ought to be undertaken as a matter of course. There follows an examination of some areas that one may want to consider in such an evaluation. These are based on the tripartite split of the elements of quality assurance found in Donabedian′s early work. Finally the question as to the relative merits of an evaluation contained within the quality assurance programme itself and one external to it is addressed.

This chapter examines the development of a quality assurance system for undergraduate education as one aspect of the transformation of education policy in China. The central structure of the chapter is the process/stages of policy development and implementation, with particular attention to the changes over time in central control versus institutional autonomy. The Chinese government has moved to a “steering at a distance” approach with ex post accountability, giving institutions of higher education greater autonomy for undergraduate education. Government authority continues to be strong, however, even though the mechanisms of control have changed. This study provides an analysis of quality assurance in Chinese higher education and the changing relationship between government and campuses, using the lens of policy development and implementation.

The evaluation and continuous improvement of the quality of teaching and learning in higher education is an issue of sustained concern. While most universities are implementing systems of quality assurance, there is substantial variation in the principles underlying these systems. La Trobe University has developed and implemented a university‐wide system of quality assurance that ensures that each subject is systematically reviewed and enhanced by those teaching in the subject. While it incorporates compulsory student evaluation of teaching of each subject the result of this student evaluation is not the focus of the quality assurance system. The focus is on ensuring that those teaching the subject, reflect on and make recommendations for further improvement of the subject. Outlines the quality assurance system, the principles on which it is based and describes and analyses the processes engaged in during its development.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and interpret the atypical case of Uruguay related to quality assurance, evaluation and accreditation of Higher Education in Uruguay.

To do so, a Higher Education conceptual framework is developed, focusing on quality assurance and formulating some “hypotheses” (conjectural ways of thinking within a qualitative tradition). The method to collect data includes the use of document observation, secondary information from official databases and interviews with an intentional sample of 10 experts and key informants. The analysis is developed through some conceptual dimensions emerging from the precedent sources (public policy and the role of the state, changes in the system of science, technology and innovation linked to Higher Education, the influence of the regional integration process and the weak public demand for quality assurance).

The paper also presents and discusses the atypical country’s experience regarding the lack of a national quality assurance policy and the structural dynamic of delaying main transformations by adopting graduate changes.

The study analyzes the recent process of Higher Education policies oriented to quality assurance in the two decades and a half between 1996 and 2021, focusing especially on the recent years (2019–2020).

The findings indicate that the Higher Education system needs to update its structure and shape, withdrawing fragmentation and consolidating a national system able to promote quality. The paper offers some inputs to strategic planning and debate.

Reforming Higher Education is key to change the social logic of High School, which still operates as a social selective mechanism, mainly oriented to the professional application rather than to knowledge production or management.

The paper contributes to the political and academic debate through some conceptual categories emerging from the study. The previous description of academic literature about Uruguay Higher Education quality assurance (QA) did not include either the new situation created by the approval of contradictory laws or the interpretation of this public policy arranged as a “structural dynamic of delay of the main transformations by adopting graduate and incremental changes”. Whether any originality could be found in the paper, it would be this way of interpreting the process of QA in Uruguay.

This paper aims to determine how quality assurance practitioners in Vietnam describe their levels of professional knowledge and related skills, as well as identifying factors that interfere with the development of these skills.

Semi-structured were conducted with 22 quality assurance practitioners who were directly involved in quality assurance policy-making and implementation.

Thematic analysis identified that internal challenges for quality assurance staff were mostly related to their lack of knowledge, skills and experience in this area. Limited capacity in English communication was also reported as a major challenge for Vietnamese quality assurance specialists.

The paper concludes that regular capacity-building programmes can help quality assurance staff gain the necessary knowledge and skills to improve their work performance.

This study aims to analyze the external quality assurance (EQA) strategies of Technological Institutes (TIs) in Mexico, between 2010 and 2020. For this purpose, this study tracks sectoral reforms and institutional adaptation processes toward fulfilling accreditation indicators. This study considers accreditation as an emergent strategy for the governance and quality improvement of the subsystem, historically oriented towards contributing to social equity and national development projects. This study also examines the links between evaluation, quality assurance and the restructuring of public, technological higher education.

This study performs a state-of-the-art and exploratory study. This study explores the relationship between quality assurance, non-traditional institutions and regulation in Mexico. This study covers an issue that has been absent from research into the technological sector, particularly research into autonomy and leadership within its institutions. This study obtains qualitative information on those issues through interviews and two focus groups.

Mechanisms such as regulatory schemes for the internal reform of TIs and sub-systemic prominence within the overall educational system show limitations owing to the inadequacy of accreditation indicators in accounting for the conditions in which TIs operate. To address this shortcoming and to aid TIs in accreditation endeavors, this study analyzes some features of this adaptive process that enable successful (student profiles, competitive admission criteria, teacher recruitment).

The main limitation is that this paper reviews a sole country and presents just one case study. Other research on other higher education sub-systems can complete the analysis. In sum, there has been a lack of analysis of accreditation topics in Mexico, in the nontraditional institutions.

This study provides a diagnosis of barriers to the participation of TIs in rankings and accreditation mechanisms, and their repercussions on management issues, governance patterns and reforms.

This study outlined some internal obstacles linked with centralized model of conduction (data for monitoring, consensus on priorities, capabilities and financing) and external factors (shortages of assurance quality framing and institutional profiles, satisfaction with the process).

This study explores relationships between quality assurance, non-traditional institutions and regulation in Mexico, attending a lacking point in the research on the technological sector and autonomy/leadership of its institutions.

Describes a methodological framework for evaluating intervention programmes to establish and develop quality assurance systems in general hospitals, based on the authors’ experience in participating in a specific intervention programme in quality assurance. Both the approach and the design of the evaluation programme were shaped by the unique characteristics of this intervention programme. The evaluation programme was based on a model of organizational behaviour and change developed especially for the introduction of quality assurance systems into hospitals. With modification, the programme can also be used to evaluate other intervention programmes.

This paper aims to report the process and outcomes of a case study which introduced internal evaluation procedures into academic departments of a university in Iran. The purpose of the study was to identify what benefits could arise from using internal evaluation, and what obstacles existed to its successful introduction.

This paper reports a case study of internal evaluation within the academic departments of a university in Iran. The case study research used a range of methods to collect information on the operation of the intervention. This paper addresses the findings of a recent longitudinal research in relation to the issue of internal evaluation. A qualitative methodology was used to gain the perceptions of faculty members and department directors and reactions to the effects of the internal evaluation on their work and improvement of department quality. The methods of data collection included interviews, group discussions and workshops.

It was concluded in the study that internal evaluation processes are potentially valuable in Iranian universities but, if this value is to be realized on a continuous basis, particularly in the absence of external evaluation as an incentive, then it needs to become an integral part of each department, university, and the nationally accepted framework of quality assurance and management.

The research was only conducted in 23 academic departments where the departmental heads and members of faculty were in agreement with the pilot introduction of internal evaluation.

There are considerable implications for the changes that would be needed in management and decision‐making structures if the internal evaluation is to be fully effective.

The paper is of value because there is considerable interest in systems of internal evaluation in universities, but there are few studies in developing countries and, in particular, there is no previous research in Iran.

This study seeks to develop and describe the benchmarking approach of enhancement‐led evaluation in higher education and to present a cross‐evaluation process for degree programmes.

The benchmarking approach produces useful information for the development of degree programmes based on self‐evaluation, evaluation visits and analyses.

The cross‐evaluation of degree programmes can result in recommendations not only for the improvement of the degree programme, but also for that of the whole institution and the evaluation process.

The results of the study are useful for those who want to improve the quality culture of higher education institutions.

The paper aims to establish a quality assurance framework for Chinese private higher education (PHE) in particular and for any newly-established higher education sector in general.

This research relied on published qualitative and quantitative data, existing literature, historical documents, and the authors' observations. It described the PHE growth context, analyzed the quality issue from three dimensions (academic, administrative, and relationship quality), and examined its quality assurance practice through three players.

The paper provides empirical insights about how quality and quality assurance issues have impacted on PHE development. To approach the issues, it suggests a “quality assurance triangle” framework that is composed of three PHE players (government, market, institution) and their joint association.

Because of the relative position of each player in current quality assurance, the success of its implementation in China depends on how the government establishes the triangle system and balances its dominating roles to ensure each of the players act independently and collaboratively.

This framework provides directions for establishing an appropriate quality assurance system for PHE in China.

This paper fulfills an identified need to setup a sound quality assurance system for PHE in China and contributes to quality assurance literature with a new framework.