The application of performance indicators to quality assessment and audit in higher education

This report describes research to investigate whether the use of performance indicators could improve, enrich or enhance the process of academic quality review. It uses a new technique based on soft systems methodology and developed by researchers at London South Bank University. This technique, referred to as the Holon methodology, has been adapted from the domain of software quality assurance and can be used to help develop performance indicators from successive refinement of the vision of a "desired state" of various stakeholders within a system. The research does not assume the existence of any particular system of quality assessment or audit but starts from first principles, through a literature review of work on both quality assessment and audit, and on the use of performance indicators in higher education. The main phase of the research is a series of interviews with academic staff and students to elicit views on what constitutes a high quality student experience. Seven performance indicators are produced and the research also addresses the use of quality assurance terms and techniques from outside higher education. The suitability and limitations of the methodology are also discussed.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

edd

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

The Open University

Year dc:date.issued

2005

Author dc:creator

• Clare, Christopher Philip

Language dc:language

en