An in‐depth study on the impact of external quality assurance

Abstract

After more than two decades of external quality assurance, there is an increasing interest in questions concerning the impact and effects of this activity. Following an external evaluation of NOKUT -the Norwegian quality assurance agency, this article studies the impact of external quality assurance in detail by analysing quantitative and qualitative feedback from those exposed to evaluations conducted by this agency. The study provides information on the impact of various methods used, how impact is perceived by students, staff and management within universities and colleges, and finally in what areas impact may be identified. A major finding is that impacts are perceived as quite similar regardless of the evaluation method.

Ten years of external quality audit in Australia: evaluating its effectiveness and success

“…The most recent study using quantitative data undertaken by Stensaker et al (2010) in Norway suggests that national quality monitoring by the external agency had positive impact with 77% suggesting high and moderate positive impact. Their study suggests that the areas of significant positive impact as a result of external monitoring include: effects on new routines and procedures (45.7%); effects on the scholarly discussion on learning and teaching (43.5%); effects on the quality of learning and teaching (39.1%); and effects on staff engagement in learning and teaching questions (34.8%).…”

Professional field in the accreditation process: examining information technology programmes at Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences

“…These issues also relate to the question of effectiveness of accreditation and its impact on institutional structures (Stensaker et al 2011;Cardoso, Rosa, and Stensaker, 2015). Our research has shown that the accreditation procedure is unable to capture the full dynamics of the process that underpins learning in an undergraduate programme and in relation to the involvement of the professional field.…”

“…Within this context, the accreditation process usually addresses the views of the government and, to a certain extent, academia (Stensaker et al 2011;Serap and Cress 2014), in terms of whether the institution qualifies for a certain status (Välimaa 2004). Employers and students are rarely mentioned, despite their obvious role in the accountability and transparency of the process (Santiago et al 2008).…”

Adopting self-accreditation in response to the diversity of higher education: quality assurance in Taiwan and its impact on institutions

“…Through the assessment of an EQA body, an institution or program can be evaluated to determine whether its operation meets certain accreditation standards to ensure educational quality and accountability (Kells 1995;Rosa and Amaral 2007). In contrast to accreditation, self-accreditation enables individual institutions to determine how their performance is in accord with the institutional missions (Stensaker et al 2011). Self-accreditation demonstrates a stronger improvement-oriented purpose.…”