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Abstract
The Swedish Quality Award (SQA) is one of a number of similar instruments to be used in self‐assessments. It is similar to, inter alia, the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award used in the USA, and to the European Quality Award. The intention is that it will provide support in working with continuous quality improvements. To investigate the possibilities of using this instrument in higher education, a study was performed during 1994. The study comprised two parts: assessments of different institutions and studies of experiences from similar organisations where the SQA has been used.
The results indicate that usage of this instrument could provide an effective way to reach a general picture of some important aspects in an institution, and that this picture can be a basis for further quality improvements. The study also suggests both suitable ways to conduct assessments and some possible pitfalls.