Acknowledgments
The INQAAHE Global Study is the first endeavor to explore the trends, challenges and opportunities in tertiary education quality assurance globally. The study was made possible purely through voluntary contribution of the tertiary education community worldwide under the lead of INQAAHE and with the invaluable support of regional networks, quality assurance bodies, and quality assurance experts. Indeed, each and every author contributing to the global and regional studies merits special gratitude for their priceless contribution to the study.
The publication of the study would not have been possible without the invaluable contribution of the invited author, Professor Bjørn Stensaker, Director of Center for Learning, Innovation and Academic Development (LINK), Norway. The time and effort he invested putting the global study together have been essential to ensuring the high quality of our publication. The expertise he has brought ensured a well-balanced approach in terms of the analysis of internal quality assurance and the links with external quality assurance.
Exceptional gratitude goes to the INQAAHE strategic partners, the regional quality assurance networks, for joining their efforts with INQAAHE in this noble mission – Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE), Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN), Association of Arab Universities (AAU), European Network for Quality Assurance (ENQA), Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance (CEENQA), CANQATE, East African Quality Assurance Network (EAQAN) and quality assurance bodies – National Accreditation Commission of Chile (CNA), Distance Education Accreditation Commission (DEAC, the USA), Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board (PEQAB, Canada), National Accreditation Agency (NAA, Russia). Without their contribution this publication would not have been possible.
Special thanks go to the UNESCO Policies and Lifelong Learning Systems Division for its continuous support to the study and quality assurance initiatives led by INQAAHE.
Undoubtedly, the INQAAHE Board and Secretariat have contributed tremendously with data collection and related logistics. Special gratitude goes to Professor Martí Casadesús, Concepción Herruzo, and Beatriz Calzada for their outstanding support.
Last, but not least, we extend our gratitude to all the quality assurance bodies and higher education institutions, which, appreciating the value of the endeavor, participated in the study thus contributing to the body of knowledge on quality assurance and promotion of quality culture.