International comparative study of quality assurance of academic degrees provided beyond national borders

本研究的目的是，在日本高等教育质量保障体制向事后检查体制转变的过程中，对日本大学在海外设立的分支学校如何进行质量保障提出切实可行的建议。为了弄清高等教育质量保证先进的美国、英国和澳大利亚等国的分支学校和学位授予教育项目的质量保证的特点和存在的问题，我们对这些国家的分支学校和学位授予教育项目的质量保证情况进行了调查和研究。我们对六个负责海外教育课程质素保证的志愿团体进行问卷调查，并访问了两个团体。这些调查显示，海外教育的形式多种多样， ...更多信息 在英国，我们访问了一个由高等教育质量保证局（QAA）承担国内外各类大学教育质量保证的评估机构，以及一所在海外设有分支学校的大学。通过对这所大学的访问，我们特别了解了海外分支在质量保证方面的情况和问题。澳大利亚作为一项国策，积极提供海外教育项目，许多澳大利亚大学也活跃在亚洲。我们走访了负责海外留学教育质量保证的澳大利亚大学质量机构和澳大利亚的三所大学，发现这三个国家的评估机构和大学都试图通过与本国水平的比较来进行海外留学教育的质量保证，负担也相当大。我们还了解到，海外教育项目形式多样，一定规模的项目质量保证体系建立牢固，虽然许多小项目没有得到适当的评估，但各国的评估组织开展了独特的活动，并试图减轻他们的负担。最重要的是，澳大利亚与伙伴国家的评价机构合作的新尝试是一种非常有效的方法，将为日本提供有益的借鉴。少

This study aims to provide practical suggestions on how quality assurance should be conducted at overseas branch schools established by Japanese universities under Japan's quality assurance system for higher education, which is currently shifting toward a post-check system. We examined the situation of quality assurance in branch schools and degree-awarding education programs established beyond national borders to clarify their characteristics and inherent problems in the United States, Britain and Australia where there are advanced quality assurance practices for higher education.The outline and results of our surveys and study are shown below.In the United States, we conducted a questionnaire survey of six accreditation associations which are, as voluntary organizations, responsible for quality assurance in education programs provided overseas, and interviewed two organizations. These surveys revealed that overseas education is provided in various forms, and that the quality assuranc … More e system is firmly established for programs of a certain scale, while many small programs are not properly evaluated.In Britain, we visited an evaluation organization in which the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) for higher education undertakes quality assurance for all kinds of university education both at home and abroad, and one university which has overseas branch schools. Through the visit to this university, in particular, we studied the situation and problems in quality assurance of overseas branch schools.Australia has actively provided education programs outside of the country as a national policy, and many Australian universities are active in Asia too. We visited the Australian Universities Quality Agency in charge of quality assurance for such education programs as well as three universities in Australia.We found that each evaluation agency and university in those three countries tries to conduct quality assurance for overseas education programs by comparing the quality with the level in their own country, and the burden incurred is considerable.We also learned that overseas education programs are provided in various forms, and the quality assurance system is firmly established for programs of a certain scale, while many small programs are not properly evaluatedEvaluation organizations in the countries carry out unique activities and try to reduce their burdens. Above all, Australia's new attempt to collaborate with evaluation agencies in partner countries is a very effective approach that will serve as a useful reference for Japan. Less