Institutional Responses to Quality Assessment: developing diversity.

This paper argues that the Australian higher education system in the past ten years has moved from a relatively regulated to a largely unregulated model. This change has resulted in a reduction in diversity as each new university has been able to develop a mission more like its older counterparts, by acquiring a broad educational, doctoral and research profile. The advent of external quality assurance processes which appeared to reward the traditional notion of universities has served to further homogenise the system and to dilute diversity. The paper explores these changes and asks whether we are asking quality assessment to carry a greater load than it was meant to bear. It then suggests quality assurance processes which might be conducive to the development of diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]