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A New Approach to Quality Assurance for Higher Education
Author(s) -
Tannock James D. T.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
higher education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.976
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1468-2273
pISSN - 0951-5224
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-2273.1992.tb01587.x
Subject(s) - quality assurance , documentation , quality (philosophy) , quality policy , engineering management , higher education , qa/qc , process management , quality management system , quality audit , computer science , quality management , software quality control , total quality management , business , operations management , accounting , engineering , management system , software quality , political science , audit , software , software development , external quality assessment , philosophy , law , software construction , epistemology , programming language , lean manufacturing
This article describes the Engineering Professors’ Conference (EPC) approach to quality assurance for Higher Education Institutions, which is currently the only formalized alternative to British Standard 5750 ‘Quality Systems’. The EPC approach is based on principles of quality assurance and Total Quality Management which have been developed in industry. These ideas are briefly outlined, and an opinion expressed on the interpretation and application of BSS7S0 for HE. The EPC model is explained, illustrated with example elements taken from the EPC Specification and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education. A top‐down approach to the development of an institutional quality system is described, based on a quality policy statement. Areas of activity which have an important impact on the quality of education are identified, emphasising the quality assurance requirements of academic departments. Supporting and administrative quality system requirements are also described, as these also play an important role in the quality of education. Formal quality procedures and documentation in key areas are proposed.