ABSTRACT
The global demand for education and training has significantly boosted the economic potential of higher education and triggered its expansion. The private sector, for-profit providers, crossborder provision and internet-based distance learning are all ever more prominent. These changing models create challenges in terms of quality control, however. The burgeoning palette of institutions and study programmes on offer has led to deep-seated concerns about standards. The only way to size up both new and established institutions of higher education is through evaluation and assessment. External quality assurance (QA) — any range of procedures and processes used for monitoring and review from the outside — helps to confirm that the increasingly diverse higher education sector continues to benefit students and societies and discourages fraudulent and corrupt practices that undermine learning.
