Accreditation and the global higher education market

Higher education systems throughout the world in developed and developing countries are undergoing diverse types of changes that are often interrelated. One of these changes is that there has been considerable growth in the private provision of higher education over the last decade, in particular within developing countries. Globalization also widely affects higher education systems. The globalization of professions and the mobility of professionals highlight the need for institutions to deliver qualifications recognized in the international labour market, allowing for the comparability of educational standards. These trends require the adoption of a common quali?cation structure as well as of comparable systems for external quality assurance (EQA). Cross-border providers of higher education are emerging in many countries - most commonly under the form of branch campuses and franchise higher education - while, at the same time, an international market of accreditation services is developing. While higher education is becoming a global market good, governments are faced with a new set of providers over which they have little control and which poses new challenges as to regulation and the recognition of credentials. The 2005 IIEP Policy Forum hosted a policy discussion on how to design accreditation systems in line with international 'good practice' and national policy agendas for higher education. Issues of regulation and quality assurance of cross-border education providers were also addressed. The papers and recorded discussions of the Policy Forum are presented in this book.