Standards in action
International Journal of Quality and Standards - Editorial
ISSN 1753-9439
Edition 2
In recent years governments have placed an increasing focus upon the quality of public services. Their performance has, in many circumstances, been itemised in leagues tables. Targets have been widely debated by politicians but also been widely criticised and there has been widespread concern that sometimes too much performance information could adversely influence performance delivery
Each of the articles within the second edition of the IJQS focuses, in one way or another, upon the public sector. Ellie Scrivens takes an independent view of the health sector within the UK, by focusing upon joined up regulators and processes of risk based audit. Her paper emphasises the audit explosion that has accompanied demands for greater accountability within the public sector. At a micro level, Zahid Hussain’s focus upon graduateness is a much more practical focus upon students within a public sector environment that provides some interesting and detailed feedback from a university environment. Also within a higher education environment Donald Nordberg’s paper proposes “a framework for discussing the assessment of group projects in an effort to help identify how the benefits of group learning and be translated into fairer summative assessments.” Each of these papers within themselves help readers to understand some of the quality-based issues faced by educators and appreciate how educational research helps tutors to understand issues and fine tune their strategies in improving the quality of delivery. And staying with the field of personal development, finally, the paper from Sandra Fielden and Claire Harris looks into leadership development within the UK National Health Service. In doing so, it explores the importance and development of assessment processes against a background of the needs at a wider organisational level.
Edition 1
'Some might argue that at the heart of the inexorable movement towards a knowledge society lies the pervasive and all-encompassing role of standards and their impact upon quality. It is probably fair to say that as a consumer, employee or simply as a stakeholder in the wider world, standards impact upon us every day as we conduct our lives. For this reason and, as the concept of this journal has evolved, albeit it as an initiative focused upon teaching and learning within higher education, it has been realised that teaching about 'standards' or 'quality' is not the preserve of one particular discipline. Setting standards or the work of quality agendas cross disciplines. And, standards are not just about procedures or decisions that are taken and nor just ways of working. They are also about people who contribute, albeit in a variety of different ways, to a process of improvement in order to make things better on the basis of their knowledge'.
(Bennis, 1985).
The aim of this journal and the resources that accompany it is to:
'Provide authoritative and supportive resources about quality and standards for students and academics within higher education in a way that will help to improve processes of teaching and learning'.
The journal has evolved from the many contributions that have been made not just within the UK, but also from around the world. We wanted to develop a journal that was not simply 'stand-alone'. Each individual article might be a 'good read' and add value to knowledge and understanding of the reader within the context of quality and standards and in a relatable way to their own discipline, but the use of their reading would not come in a form that could be easily applied and synthesised within the classroom. So, wherever possible, we have asked contributors to provide resources that link in with their research, to help that research to be focused on within teaching and learning. It is hoped that the final product provides a rich diet of new and evolving issues that challenges and develops student understanding, while contributing to a rigorous process of learning.
To support this process the IJQS has recruited a number of academics from a variety of fields from whom advice could be and has been sought.
David Needham
Nottingham Trent University
Kim Edmondson
BSI British Standards
Managing Editors
Reference
Bennis, W. (1985). Leaders: The strategies for taking charge. New York: Harper & Row