The maturing crisis of quality assurance agencies in higher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35362/rie8814876Keywords:
quality assurance, evaluation agencies, higher educationAbstract
From a policy perspective, higher education quality assurance agencies (AGC) play a crucial role in the power dynamics and tensions between the state and universities: almost everywhere in the world there is a proverbial tension between universities, which defend their proverbial autonomy, and the State, which not only funds public universities and holds them accountable, but also wants to ensure that higher education serves national interests while protecting the rights of students and their families. In this tension between autonomy and control, AGC can play an important mediating role. Despite the notable differences between existing AGC models, there seems to be a certain convergence of criticisms that could be due to an inevitable crisis of maturity: now that AGC have finally consolidated, it seems time to reconsider their efficiency as a participatory regulatory mechanism. Criticisms, internationally, are concentrated around three axes: political independence, accountability, and the need for greater emphasis on learning outcomes. All three are examined, while offering some clues for the redefinition of AGC.
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