UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) has published a book called Internal Quality Assurance: Enhancing higher education quality and graduate employability. It is a comparative study exploring effective and innovative options for internal quality assurance (IQA), which includes findings from a survey conducted with the International Association of Universities (IAU). Eight in-depth case studies with best practices from Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Chile, China, Germany, Kenya, and South Africa are presented.
Its conclusions emphasise the need for flexible and qualitative tools for IQA to be functioning alongside quantitative ones. Higher education institutions should also look for balance between academic- and employability-related tools. It is also emphasised that dialogue on quality assurance should be evidence-based, and it should involve all university stakeholders.
The book aims to serve as inspiration for higher education institutions planning to design and develop their own IQA systems, and it provides guidance for national and institutional policy-makers and quality assurance officials.