Contact:
Belle Woods
bwoods@cgs.nche.edu
(202) 223-3791

Washington, D.C. (Thursday, July 7, 2011) – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has published a new book, Global Perspectives on Measuring Quality: Proceedings of the 2010 Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education.  Reflecting the contributions of graduate education leaders from 17 countries, the publication examines the benefits and challenges of assessing the quality of master’s and doctoral programs in different global regions while highlighting international best practices in measuring quality.

The need for international exchange of best practice on quality measurement in graduate education was recognized at the first Global Summit in Banff, Canada (2007). CGS, the Australian Group of Eight (Go8), and the Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies in Australia (DDoGS) chose quality assessment as the theme for  the Fourth Annual Summit, co-sponsored by CGS and the Go8  in Brisbane, Australia from September 13-15^th, 2010.

The new publication represents the efforts of 2010 Summit participants to better understand differences between various national and regional approaches to assessing quality in graduate education. CGS President, Debra Stewart, commented that the publication shows good progress toward this goal: “Global Perspectives on Measuring Quality demonstrates that successful approaches to measuring quality are always carefully adapted to national and institutional contexts. But it also reflects the strong interest of graduate institutions in drawing from international expertise to enhance quality at home.”

Maxwell King, Dean of Graduate Studies at Monash University in Australia, observed that the new book, like the consensus statement reached by summit delegates, shows increasing attention to the outcomes of graduate research training, in addition to research outcomes. “As the Brisbane Principles make clear, the first goal of assessment is to enhance graduate students’ learning and professional development. By focusing on this goal, we also strengthen graduate programs, universities, and the global research enterprise.”

The publication features brief essays by the 43 summit participants, which included deans and other leaders of graduate schools, representatives of national and international organizations devoted to graduate education, and a number of government officials with oversight for the quality of graduate education in their countries. Along with Australia and the United States, the countries represented were: Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, the U.K., and Vietnam.

Authors address broad issues such as defining quality in graduate education, as well as approaches to assessing and improving quality in specific areas like recruitment and retention of graduate students,

mentoring and supervision, and the development of professional skills. Other general topics include:

• National priorities for assessing the quality of graduate education and research
• Approaches to creating a university culture that values assessment
• Supporting the development of research training environments
• Using assessment to support program design
• Assessing skills and competencies for different career pathways
• International best practices for quality measurement

Global Perspectives on Measuring Quality is the fourth book in a series of Global Summit proceedings published by CGS. Previous books include Global Perspectives on Graduate International Collaborations (2010), Global Perspectives on Research Ethics and Scholarly Integrity (2009), and Global Perspectives on Graduate Education (2008). More information about ordering copies of the current and past proceedings can be found on the Strategic Leaders Global Summit and International Publications webpages.