Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Focusing on What Truly Matters

Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Focusing on What Truly Matters

Quality assurance in higher education is becoming increasingly difficult in a fast-changing world. With over 30 years of experience in accreditation and quality systems, I’ve learned that external certification can support improvement—but it can also hinder it when it no longer serves the institution’s real goals. This raises the essential question: What is the prime directive of higher education?

The prime directive: Students should be supported to succeed in their lives and careers.

Yet many quality assurance and accreditation systems fail to fully measure this outcome. Typical metrics—such as job placement within six months or satisfaction surveys at graduation—capture only short-term results. Long-term career impact, personal development, and transformative learning often remain invisible.

My own Executive MBA experience illustrates this. While demanding and costly in the moment, its true value only emerged years later, shaping my work as a consultant, academic director, and dean. However, neither the institution nor external accreditors measured this long-term impact.

New Challenges Require New KPIs

In a world reshaped by rapid technological change, especially AI, students need more than technical skills that may quickly become obsolete. Skills such as self-management, adaptability, communication, and learning agility are essential for long-term success. Current accreditation systems rarely give these competencies significant weight. To remain relevant, institutions must redefine key performance indicators and distinguish clearly between short- and long-term goals.

The Cost of Irrelevance

With rising tuition in some countries and increasing pressure on public budgets in others, misaligned degrees carry major economic and social risks. Micro-degrees and work-integrated learning may, in many cases, offer better value.

Aligning Accreditation With the Prime Directive

Where institutions can choose their accreditor, they should select one that supports long-term student success. Ultimately, aligning internal quality assurance with external accreditation around the prime directive is essential for a resilient, future-ready higher education system.