Quality assurance policies in the European Higher Education Area: A comparative case study

Abstract

...... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS viii LIST OF ACRONYMS x LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF FIGURES xii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1 Background 4 Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Europe 4 Statement of the Problem 6 Theoretical Framework 9 Research Questions 11 Definitions of Terms 11 Limitations 15 Significance of the Study 15 Summary 16 CHAPTER TWO SETTING THE CONTEXT 17 Forces that Brought Europe and the European Higher Education Together 17 European Integration 17 The European Union 19 Internationalization, Europeanization, and Globalization of Higher Education 22 Discussion on Educational Reforms in Higher Education in Europe . 23 Discussion on the Bologna Process 24 The Bologna Process of 1999 25 The Bologna Declaration’s Principles 40 Accreditation and Quality Assurance Issues in the Bologna Process . 41 Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area 44 Three Levels of Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education 47 Accreditation Process on National Level in the European Higher Education Area 51 Higher Education in the United Kingdom History 55 Steps in the Implementation of the Bologna Declaration’s Principles in England 68 University of Cambridge 82 History 82 University of Cambridge Today 83