院校研究与质量保证——以美国高等教育为例

自从20世纪80年代的"里根改革"以来,美国高校的成本越来越多地要由学生及其家庭而不是政府分担,使得人们愈益关注投资高等教育的收益。因此,美国高等教育质量倍受社会公众的关注。院校研究在高等教育质量保证方面具有积极的促进作用。它为高校能够对外部的报告、认证、项目审批,以及内部项目评议和专项研究等方面的社会问责做出说明,同时也在学生学习评估、教师行为分析以及学籍管理三方面发挥了关键作用。     

Assessing Using Grade-related Criteria: A single currency for universities?

The main focus of this paper is assessment. It raises questions concerning the aims and purposes of testing and the means by which it is done. Assessment has four main roles: formative, to provide support for future learning; summative, to provide information about performance at the end of a course; certification, selecting by means of qualification; evaluative, a means by which stakeholders can judge the effectiveness of the system as a whole. For universities, the different roles of assessment can create tensions: awarding more first class degrees may indicate rising standards of teaching and learning or precisely the opposite. In the UK, universities have been criticised for not having marking and grading systems that are robust, whilst evidence from the Higher Education Statistics Agency revealed the number of first class honours degrees awarded in UK universities ranged from 21.1% in mathematical sciences to 4.1% in business and administrative studies and 3.7% in law. Even within institutions there is also a considerable variation in degree classification, which appears to have little relationship to any measure of input. Furthermore, evidence based on analysis of modular degree schemes in the UK indicates that there is considerable variation in the formulae that are used to award honours degrees even within a single university. This paper will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a grade-related criterion common grading scheme using data obtained from staff and students at one UK university and examine the implications of such a scheme for the maintenance and enhancement of standards.     

The Impact of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment on Technical and Professional Communication Programs

Because of accreditation, budget, and accountability pressures at the institutional and program levels, technical and professional communication faculty are more than ever involved in assessment-based activities. Using assessment to identify a program's strengths and weaknesses allows faculty to work toward continuous improvement based on their articulation of learning and behavioral goals and outcomes for their graduates. This article describes the processes of program assessment based on pedagogical goals, pointing out options and opportunities that will lead to a meaningful and manageable experience for technical communication faculty, and concludes with a view of how the larger academic body of technical communication programs can benefit from such work. As ATTW members take a careful look at the state of the profession from the academic perspective, we can use assessment to further direct our programs to meet professional expectations and, far more importantly, to help us meet the needs of the well-educated technical communicator.     

Academics’ participation in quality assurance: does it reflect ownership?

Academics’ support for quality assurance (QA) depends on several factors, including their sense of ownership, which seems to be influenced by academics’ participation in QA’s implementation. This paper aims to understand whether this participation is indeed contributing to academics’ ownership of QA. Findings from a survey of Portuguese academics’ on their participation in study programmes accreditation suggests that this may not be the case. Academics present a partial withdrawal towards effective participation in study programmes’ accreditation, especially regarding external assessment. Furthermore, they do not seem willing to enhance this participation nor are they very critical about it. Since academics’ sense of ownership is essential for the successful implementation of QA, these results may represent a challenge for both institutions and QA agencies.     

The Impact of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment on Technical and Professional Communication Programs

Because of accreditation, budget, and accountability pressures at the institutional and program levels, technical and professional communication faculty are more than ever involved in assessment-based activities. Using assessment to identify a program's strengths and weaknesses allows faculty to work toward continuous improvement based on their articulation of learning and behavioral goals and outcomes for their graduates. This article describes the processes of program assessment based on pedagogical goals, pointing out options and opportunities that will lead to a meaningful and manageable experience for technical communication faculty, and concludes with a view of how the larger academic body of technical communication programs can benefit from such work. As ATTW members take a careful look at the state of the profession from the academic perspective, we can use assessment to further direct our programs to meet professional expectations and, far more importantly, to help us meet the needs of the well-educated technical communicator.     

Impact of accreditation on public and private universities: a comparative study

Based on two cycles of assessments for accreditation, this study assesses the differential impacts of accreditation on public and private universities in Ghana. Analysis of the evaluator reports indicates no statistically significant difference – improvement or deterioration – between the two cycles of evaluations for both types of institutions. A test comparing the two-cycle aggregated assessment scores between the two categories of universities, however, indicated a significant difference, with the public universities achieving better scores (improvements). Drawing on the evaluators’ reports and the opinions expressed by academics from both categories of institutions, the conclusion was that isomorphic pressures, largely faced by the private universities, accounted for their implementation of suggestions for improvement by the evaluators.     

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

External quality audits are now being used in universities across the world to improve quality assurance, accountability for quality education and transparency of public funding of higher education. Some countries such as Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark have had external quality audits for more than a decade but there has been limited research as to their impact. This study analyses the extent to which external audits in Australia have improved quality assurance in universities over the past 10 years. The analysis is based on discussions with 40 participants in a workshop on the effectiveness of audits and the review of 60 external quality audit reports between 2001 and December 2010. The research found that while external audits have led to an improvement in systems and processes in Australian universities, they have not necessarily improved the student experience. This lack of impact on the student experience in Australia is similar to other countries, according to the literature review. This study is timely in its analysis on the effectiveness of the current improvement-led audits, as government in Australia is in the process of renewing quality assurance arrangements of higher education institutions with a focus on standards and outcomes.     

Translating quality in higher education: US approaches to accreditation of institutions from around the world

This article reports on findings from a sociolinguistic qualitative study exploring inter-discursive relations manifested in the approaches and strategies that regional accrediting agencies in the United States utilise when recognising foreign universities. Even as most countries have developed national quality assurance systems and whilst international rankings comparing institutions globally are available, a growing number of universities around the world seek recognition from American regional agencies. By comparing policy statements, manuals, guidelines and other documents, and after interviewing top-level officers at US accrediting agencies, this study makes explicit the assumptions and central discourses associated with US accreditation of non-US institutions of higher education, from the accreditors’ perspective. Following constant comparison and cultural critical discourse analysis, the study reveals concerns about the equivalency of quality, emphasis on capacity building and reluctance toward adapting US standards. An interest in building international partnerships, in order to respond to globalisation, is also identified.     

工程教育与师范教育专业认证体系比较研究

教育部出台的师范专业认证实施办法引起高校的普遍关注,然而师范专业认证在具体实施方法、标准、程序中还存在许多问题。我国工程教育专业认证经过数十年发展,已形成具有中国特色专业认证体系,实现专业人才培养质量的国际实质等效性。文章通过比较分析师范专业与工程教育专业在认证主体、政策、程序、指标与标准方面的异同点,结合师范专业认证的不足,从认证主体机构性质、三级认证体系完善、认证工作基础强化、认证标准多方覆盖等方面,为我国师范专业认证体系发展完善提出建议。     

高等教育质量保障的法律纠纷及解决机制——基于德国与美国的经验

高等教育质量保障的法律规制是大学法研究的前沿议题,以德国与美国为代表的两大法律体系,分别被纳入公法规制与普通法规制的范畴。在德国,高等教育认证行为属于行政行为,高校与认证代理机构之间的纠纷属于公法争议。申诉、行政诉讼与宪法诉愿等公法救济机制,构成德国高等学校与认证代理机构之间纠纷的解决渠道。如何避免认证对学术自由构成侵害,已成为德国公法学界与实务界关注的核心议题。受联邦宪法法院大学课程认证裁定的影响,德国高等教育认证体系正在进行深刻变革与调整。在美国,高等教育认证机构具有非营利性组织的法律地位,须履行诚实信用以及基本的正当程序等普通法的一般义务。高等教育认证机构对“认证联邦化”的抵制以及高等教育机构对认证决定的抱怨或不满,构成美国高等教育质量保障纠纷的焦点议题。穷尽内部救济与“司法终局性”原则,被视为美国高等教育质量保障纠纷的解决机制。德美两国在高等教育质量保障法律纠纷的解决中形成的经验和教训,对我国明确高等教育质量保障机构的法律地位、强化高等教育质量保障的程序正义、建全高等教育质量的多元纠纷解决机制具有重要启示。     

Mature students’ access to higher education: A critical analysis of the impact of the 23+ policy in Portugal

Increasing mature students’ access to higher education (HE) is a worldwide priority. In Portugal, the 23+ policy which was launched ten years ago opened HE to these students. A critical analysis of eight years’ data on the universe of mature candidates in HE in Portugal shows that this “opening” varies in inverse ratio to the social prestige of institutions and subject areas. The private polytechnics and the soft sciences display a greater receptiveness than the public universities and the hard sciences. This article demonstrates that mature students save the HEIs that are less sought-after by “traditional” students and argues for fairer access to the most prestigious HEIs and programmes.     

Quality Assurance of Higher Education in Transition Countries: Accreditation -- Accountability and Assessment

One issue facing countries in transition concerns how to ensure quality for a broader and more diverse set of institutions. Quality assurance processes (i.e. accreditation, accountability and assessment) have particular relevance today as higher education undergoes dramatic changes in countries in transition, as the world becomes more internationalised, and as private higher education institutions increase in number and enrol increasing numbers of students. Three questions emerge. Do differences among transition countries relative to central control prior to independence explain the current set of quality assurance mechanisms? Has the growth of private higher education in transition countries affected how quality assurance is conceptualised? Have quality assurance mechanisms been affected by the opening of branch campuses in transition countries?     

External and Internal Influences on Institutional Approaches to Student Assessment: Accountability or Improvement?

The purpose of this study is to compare the influences of state characteristics related to student assessment, accreditation emphasis on student assessment, and institutional dynamics supporting student assessment on the approaches to student assessment that institutions have initiated. We conducted this study by examining the relevant literature, creating a national survey instrument, surveying undergraduate institutions throughout the United States, and analyzing the responses of the 885 public institutions who participated in our survey. Separate regressions were run for three different groups of institutional types on three approaches to assessment: cognitive, affective, and post-college. Regressions for the three institutional types explained 21 to 27% of the variance for cognitive assessment, 7 to 21% for affective assessment and 6 to 19% for post-college assessment. With the exception of a minor influence of state characteristics for doctoral and research universities, institutional dynamics and accreditation region were found to be the primary influences on student assessment approaches for all institutional types. We found that the drive for state-level accountability has not exceeded the influence of institutional accreditation and that internal dynamics appear to be the driving force of all three approaches to student assessment.     

高等教育质量管理的内涵与特征分析

教育质量的危机目前普遍存在于世界各国,高等教育质量管理已经成为不可回避的话题。高等教育认证、高等教育评估和高等教育质量保障是保证高等教育质量的重要手段,也是进行高等教育质量管理的重要内容。其中,认证是一种衡量标尺,评估是价值判断工具,保障是改进手段。从其发展轨迹来分析,高等教育质量管理是基于＂利益关系人＂的管理,是从技术层次向文化层面过渡与转型的管理,是一个在注重对质量进行真正保障基础上强调不断改进和提高的管理。     

The role of rankings in higher education policy: Coercive and normative isomorphism in Kazakhstani higher education

The present study aims to investigate the role of rankings in Kazakhstani higher education policy and their influence on a group of national universities in Kazakhstan. The analysis draws attention to the role of the Kazakhstani government and accreditation agencies in developing coercive and normative isomorphism in Kazakhstani higher education. The analysis of university missions and development strategies of a group of universities with a special status has revealed that national universities are pushed towards an Anglo-American model of a research university. Further research is suggested to assess the response of Kazakhstani higher education institutions (HEIs) to these coercive and normative pressures.     

审核评估:引进院校质量评审的模式创新

审核评估作为与国际通行的院校质量评审接轨的一种评估模式,除了需要保持国际院校评审的基本特征,也需要维持中国的一些本土特色,还需要允许各地坚持自己的地方特点,更需要支持院校质量建设的各种特例.     

Lived experiences and reflections of joint NCATE‐state reviews

Abstract

Teacher education faculty members, state certification officers, and NCATE staff share what they have learned from their NCATE‐state joint review and accreditation visits. Dilemmas concerning the joint review are addressed and include (a) proactive versus reactive measures for institutions of higher education and state affiliations of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, (b) issues of partnership versus separateness, and (c) process versus product frameworks in planning and documenting growth. Conceptual and practical suggestions are offered for working collaboratively to develop high quality teacher education programs and successful joint review and accreditation visits.     

The contribution of professional accreditation to quality assurance in higher education

This article examines the extent to which the professional accreditation of professional higher education programmes can complement other quality assurance endeavours being carried out. An analysis of a sample of professional accreditation reports for pharmacy education programmes in Ireland provides insight into the priorities of the regulatory professional body with regard to preparation for the profession. The results show that the reports address issues that are of relevance for the higher education institutions’ provision of quality programmes and for their quality assurance. The article also considers the extent to which the reports hold institutions accountable against the professional standards, while also acknowledging the professional responsibility of institution staff. Catering for both of these logics is necessary so that professional accreditation can contribute effectively as a mechanism for quality assurance, including enhancement, in the institution.     

Quality assurance of higher education in transition countries: Accreditation ‐ accountability and assessment

Abstract

One issue facing countries in transition concerns how to ensure quality for a broader and more diverse set of institutions. Quality assurance processes (i.e. accreditation, accountability and assessment) have particular relevance today as higher education undergoes dramatic changes in countries in transition, as the world becomes more internationalised, and as private higher education institutions increase in number and enrol increasing numbers of students. Three questions emerge. Do differences among transition countries relative to central control prior to independence explain the current set of quality assurance mechanisms? Has the growth of private higher education in transition countries affected how quality assurance is conceptualised? Have quality assurance mechanisms been affected by the opening of branch campuses in transition countries?     

高等院校教育质量动态评估体系的研究

高等院校教育质量评估是衡量高校办学水平的一个重要指标,目前实施的教育质量评估体系都是建立在固定评价指标体系上的一定固化模式,不能反映一定的动态性。为此,在借鉴、吸收国内外教学质量管理思想的基础上,阐述了高等院校建立教学质量动态评估体系的目的、作用,并将ISO9000国际质量管理标准引入高等院校教学质量管理体系,建立了高校汽车专业教学质量动态管理体系,为高等院校汽车专业教学质量管理工作提供了一种模式。该体系实现了教学质量的实时在线管理,提高了教学质量管理的效益。