Is It Possible? Investigating the influence of external quality audit on university performance[1]

Abstract

This paper explores whether it is possible to isolate independent effects of external quality audit (EQA) and concludes that effectiveness evaluations have a stronger foundation when the combined effects of university governance and management initiatives and government initiatives are examined together with EQA. The issue of how successful these influences are is addressed in relation to changing the processes of a university in enhancing learning outcomes, teaching and research outputs. The paper looks at the subject of how to measure quality and whether there is value in the use of a research‐led, evidence‐based approach. Through a case study the authors seek to identify the impact EQAs have had on one institution, the University of Otago, in New Zealand, over the past 10 years, as an illustrative example of what is occurring nationally, with relevance to the global level. The authors have developed a model which contextualises the role of external and internal influences in university performance.