| The current focus on quality assurance procedures emphasises compliance and accountability. Drawing upon experience, mainly from the UK, the article argues that whilst this approach is understandable given the circumstances of the 1990s, it has led to an institutional culture that is in danger of alienating academic staff to the detriment of the system as a whole. If quality assurance systems are to recognise the increasingly diverse nature of higher education institutions in the new millennium, compliance will need to be balanced by a greater emphasis on encouraging innovation and self-improvement on the part of individual members of staff. Both quality assurance agencies and institutions themselves will need to adapt their policies, procedures and culture if higher education systems are to respond positively to the challenges of the new millennium. |