higher education. Such decisions will also have implications for whether external quality
assurance is ‘inspectorial’ or ‘evaluative’, with the latter characterised by a more trust-based
and improvement-oriented approach. This in turn raises questions as to how best to promote
a quality culture within institutions, and how maturity in internal quality assurance will be
achieved.
Finally, in stimulating institutional change and reform, and in agreeing the components of an
effective higher education system in terms of governance and institutional performance, a
view will need to be taken on the conditions and frameworks that are required to facilitate
such change and reform, and also on the challenges and barriers to achieving the desired
outcomes in terms of national priorities and how these are to be overcome