Assurance versus enhancement: less is more?

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that there is a zero sum contest between assurance and enhancement: the drive to secure the accountability of institutions to their external stakeholders, and of teachers to their managers, is thought to undermine the creativity and commitment of ‘front line’ academic staff. In exploring the roots of the problem, this article suggests that the difficulty arises with those forms of enhancement that incur a high level of risk for individual members of staff and their institutions. It is argued that the dilemma could be overcome through a ‘modernisation’ of quality management systems—a project that is variously facilitated and frustrated by the terms of engagement between institutions and external agencies.

Notes

1. CNAA (the Council for National Academic Awards) was established in 1964 and, with the passing of the Further and Higher Education Act, disbanded in 1992. The Council was responsible for the academic awards offered by the polytechnics and many colleges of higher education.