Does national quality monitoring make a difference?

Abstract

This article analyses the impact of national quality audit of Swedish higher education institutions between 1995 and 2002. It also looks at the programme and subject reviews that have succeeded the audits, in order to compare results. It is found that the audits have resulted in the development of policy and structure of institutional quality work but that cultural change at the departmental level is modest. The recently introduced programme and subject assessments clearly impact on the basic unit level. They also contribute to more effective, but perhaps more standardised, quality assurance work at the institutional level.