Customers in the higher education industry in the U.S. are unable to make value decisions about their educational purchases due to a lack of quality measures that enable comparisons of institutions' academic offerings. In an environment in which all student work is posted online, it would be possible to evaluate bodies of student work to enable comparisons between institutions of higher education. Effective evaluation of those bodies of student work requires the definition of quality measures. This work seeks to enable the definition of quality measures by exploring the meanings behind the quality assurance requirements for regional accreditation in the higher education industry. The primary quality assurance mechanism for the higher education industry in the U.S. is regional accreditation; seven regional accrediting organizations place requirements on institutions seeking accreditation. This study first identified the quality assurance requirements from each regional accrediting organization and then coded those requirements into topics and themes. The six themes defining the meanings behind the quality assurance requirements were: the assessment of student learning outcomes, key indicators of student success, general education, program quality, quality enhancement and faculty and academic support. This study then examined these themes through the lens of the information-rich environment in which all student work is posted online, finding that many of the requirements would be explicitly met by those bodies of work and that many other quality assurance requirements would be obviated by the access to student bodies of work. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]