ABSTRACT
In Denmark the system of higher education is administered centrally by the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education. Higher education in Denmark is characterised by a binary structure, based on a separation of the non-university sector, that is, the vocationally oriented programmes and the university sector. The non-university sector consists of mono-professional institutions, whereas the universities are poly-professional. The study structure was consolidated through a new act for the universities and other research-based higher education institutions, that was introduced in 1993. Accordingly in 1992 the Ministry of Education established the Danish Centre for Quality Assurance and Evaluation of Higher Education. In May 1999, the Danish parliament passed a law proposed by government providing the legal background for a new institution – The Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA). One major inspiration for this governmental initiative was the relative success of external evaluation of teaching and learning in higher education.
