From Audit to Assessment: A national perspective on an international issue

Abstract

In the article the development of the Swedish national quality evaluation system, from quality audits to quality assessments, is described and the underlying causes to this development. The National Agency for Higher Education in Sweden now carry out quality assessments of all higher education that leads to a general and professional degrees. These reviews of subjects and programmes include both undergraduate education and post-graduate studies and will be periodically recurring in 6-years cycles. In the article some of the distinctive features of this new Swedish system is described. Among them are the explicit sanction means connected to the evaluations, the emphasis on follow-ups, a focus on the student perspective and not least important the active participation of students. The new system of evaluations is likely to meet most of the demands for accountability and accreditation placed on higher education.