Skip to content
The UK's only independent think tank devoted to higher education.

Quality and standards

  • 27 January 2010

Higher education in this country has an international reputation for high standards and excellent quality, in part sustained by the quality assurance arrangements that have been in place in one form or another for the past two decades. However, some of the pillars that have provided the basis for confidence about standards have been undermined recently – the external examiner and degree classification systems in particular. And the IUSS Select Committee caused a stir in the summer when they raised questions about the comparability of standards between education institutions. This seminar will discuss these and related questions, among other things whether it makes sense – and whether it is meaningful – to seek comparability of standards.

Speakers: Peter Williams, former Chief Executive of the Quality Assurance Agency for HE; Roger Brown, Professor of Higher Education Policy at Liverpool Hope University.

transcript of the main speeches from this seminar is now available in our Publications section.

1 comment

  1. Emilia says:

    Some of the pillars who provide the basis for the confidence in the quality standards of higher education were indeed undermined and at a big scale.
    Everybody is talking about “low value degree’ in circumstances where degree of no value at all are sold for years .
    It is the biggest fraud in higher education ever seen ; what is outrageous is that the DFE itself ,along with other “ferocious wachdogs” are covering this practices,allowing awarding bodies as Pearson to sell non regulated provision courses as subdegree .
    Therefore, a comparability between quality standards between institutions is impossible to be made,hence the entire statistics is erronate. Basically, it is a Ponzi scheme ,well cover up by the institutions who supposed to safeguard these standards .Students are using as tools in making money in this money factory with no mean of achievement.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *