The paper outlines the history of the different uses of 'quality' in higher education. Emphasis is given to the United Kingdom, but consideration is also given to a range of international contexts. Three different uses of 'academic quality' are identified (the state-driven, sector-derived, and the traditional academic uses) and their relationship…

Background/purpose: Effective supervision is critical for credible educational quality assurance, yet a validated framework for External Quality Assessment Supervisory Units (EQASUs) remains absent in Thailand. This study aimed to develop and validate a competency framework of components and quality indicators to address this gap and enhance EQASU…

This theoretical paper provides valuable insights into the ongoing debates on OfSTED's fitness for purpose and effectiveness. It critically examines the current education inspection system in England through the lens of complexity theory. The paper begins with a review of significant changes in the system from 2019 to the present, explaining that…

This study utilizes the Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) to evaluate the operating performance of technology universities in Taiwan. The bootstrap method is employed to analyze MPI sensitivity to verify the index's stability. Our results suggest that the universities demonstrate an adequate level of performance with little improvement required.…

Quality assurance is a key global practice in quality management and has been implemented in Vietnamese higher education for over two decades to ensure accountability to stakeholders, including accreditation bodies and regulatory authorities. Operating at both institutional and programmatic levels, Vietnam's quality assurance framework involves…

This book presents a new framework for how teachers develop their assessment capacity, based on a multi-year study conducted in four countries--Australia, Canada, England, and New Zealand--which focused on student-teacher learning in assessment throughout their initial teacher education programs. It examines how teacher learning is shaped by the…

This policy brief has been prepared by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) Regional Conference, held in Manila from 5 to 7 November 2024. This brief is in response to the conference sub-theme of, 'Learning, equity and well-being: foundational literacy,…

Many countries have looked at schools as spaces that can impart requisite skills for future jobs through competency-based education (CBE). Yet, there is limited comparative research evidence showing countries' implementation progress. The research design adopted for this study is a meta-narrative. Stufflebeam's (2000) context, input, process and…

Discover how Bhutan's unique cultural values and aspirations shape its education system in this edited volume. This comprehensive book explores the multifaceted nature of Bhutan's primary education, examining critical areas such as purpose and values, curriculum design, assessment strategies, and the roles of diversity and inclusion. It addresses…

The educational system in Ghana has undergone various reforms as a result of colonisation, changes in government and constitutional amendments. These reforms have been accompanied by changes in educational assessment programmes. This paper explored the history of educational assessment in Ghana, understanding how educational reforms, colonisation…

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a crucial role in human capacity building and knowledge creation regardless of countries, which significantly contribute to the development of a peaceful, stable, independent, and self-sustaining society. Consequently, stakeholders in higher education have advocated for the establishment of Quality…

This paper reports on a set of three recent experiments utilizing large-scale speech models to assess the oral reading fluency (ORF) of students in Ghana. While ORF is a well-established measure of foundational literacy, assessing it typically requires one-on-one sessions between a student and a trained rater, a process that is time-consuming and…

Research suggests that the inspection service in England, Ofsted, has negative impacts on teachers and creates a culture of fear and performativity. Of particular concern is Ofsted's potential to harm schools and educators as they are navigating the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, growing child poverty, and crises relating to teacher retention,…

Prior research has suggested that well-performing school leadership clusters around a set of general core practices, which appear to be effective across a range of national, social and cultural contexts, yet contingent of school leaders being responsive to context and responding appropriately to their different contextual demands when they employ…

This report investigates the link between different 5 percentage point bandings of attendance and attainment for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) in state-funded mainstream schools in 2022/23. Absence from school is not the only factor that is likely to affect a pupil's level of attainment. There are a range of pupil,…