The changes that have occurred in today's society require Higher Education to be highly efficient in the academic and professional preparation of young people who enter university. For that reason, universities around the globe have been advocating in recent years for an improvement in the quality of teaching-learning processes. As an example, the World University Consortium (2023) currently presents, among its most urgent and priority objectives, the identification of the best evaluative practices of the educational processes that are carried out at the University, as well as the recognition of the actions aimed at improving educational processes based on scientific evidence. In this way, it seeks to distinguish all those educational actions that are at the forefront; going from actions at the micro level, such as individual teaching practices in the classroom (such as the application of the flipped classroom or the use of augmented reality); up to actions taken at the macro level such as those proposed in the Horizon Europe 2020 strategy.

Recently, the priorities of higher education have adjusted; where before the focus was primarily on the financial side of education, institutions now consider people to be their main source of value and education to be much more than the production and dissemination of knowledge. Due to this, a gap has been created between decades of emphasis on financing and the undermining of the qualitative requirements of education. New Perspectives on Using Accreditation to Improve Higher Education outlines key issues that must be addressed if accreditation agencies globally are to achieve their primary objective of ensuring that universities and the degree programs they offer are of even greater quality than they are at present. Covering topics such as leadership, assessment, and sustainability, this reference work is ideal for principals, policymakers, higher education staff, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.

Quality in higher education was not invented in recent decades – universities have always possessed mechanisms for assuring the quality of their work. The rising concern over quality is closely related to the changes in higher education and its social context. Among others, the most conspicuous changes are the massive expansion, diversification and increased cost in higher education, and new mechanisms of accountability initiated by the state. With these changes the traditional internally enacted academic quality-keeping has been given an important external dimension – quality assurance, which requires higher education institutions to continuously demonstrate and improve performance, and which also provides new systems of rewards and sanctions. However, the complex impacts of quality assurance policies have shown a need to further understand the quality issue in higher education.This book is about constructing a more inclusive understanding of quality in higher education through combining the macro, meso and micro levels, i.e. from the perspectives of national policy, higher education institutions as organizations in society, individual teaching staff and students. It covers both theoretical constructions for understanding quality and empirical investigation in the Chinese context. The questions addressed are: How is quality of higher education perceived by the institution, teaching staff and students, respectively? What are the main concerns for the institution, teaching staff and students in their own pursuit of quality? It has been concluded that quality of higher education is not only about educational quality, but also about expanding life chances for the students, prosperity in the administrative system for the teaching staff,and organizational prosperity for the institution. With regard to quality assurance and accountability in higher education special attention should be given to the values pursued and be careful to balance between immediate, single-value efficiency and sustainable development and a wider-range of values that higher education serves.

Quality accreditation in higher education institutions (HEIs) is currently a buzzword. The need to maintain high-quality education standards is a critical requirement for HEIs to remain competitive in the market and for government and regulatory bodies to ensure the quality standards of programs offered. From being an implicit requirement that is internally addressed, quality assurance activities become an explicit requirement that is regularly audited and appraised by national and international accreditation agencies. HEIs are voluntarily integrating quality management systems (QMS), institutional and program-specific, in response to the political and competitive environment in which it exists. Through its higher education department or by creating non-profitable accreditation bodies, many governments have implemented a quality framework for licensing HEIs and invigilates its adherence based on which accreditation statuses are granted for HEIs. Global Perspectives on Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education Institutions provides a comprehensive framework for HEIs to address quality assurance and quality accreditation requirements and serves as a practical tool to develop and deploy well-defined quality management systems in higher education. The book focuses on the critical aspects of quality assurance; the need to develop a concise and agile vision, mission, values, and graduate attributes; and to develop a system that effectively aligns the various activities of the HEI to the attainment of the strategic priorities listed in the institutional plans. The chapters each cover the various facets of the quality assurance framework and accreditation agencies' requirements with practical examples of each. This book is useful for HEI administrators, quality assurance specialists in HEIs, heads of academic departments, internal auditors, external auditors, and other practitioners of quality, along with stakeholders, researchers, academicians, and students interested in quality assurance and accreditation in higher education.

The significant growth of number of students enrolled in tertiary education institutions in the recent past decades has caused an unprecedented expansion of higher education systems. The rapid and constant social, economic and technological mutations and international competition make the importance of qualitatively well-educated citizenry and labor forces very decisive. Globalization has developed a powerful impact on the development of higher education and imposes new challenges for the organization (standards, financing, regulations). Systems of higher education tend to detach from the national models and adopt a more "global" orientation. The implementation of quality assurance is one of the recent and most decisive transformations of higher education. Different higher education systems are trying to develop assessment tools (internal and external) to improve the quality of teaching, research and extension activities, and these are either based on experiences of selected countries or are extensively country specific. The quality assurance procedures that were often dependent on national directorial traditions have gradually tended to converge and led to a setup of common tools and standards. Countries under a centralized system tend to impose a uniform and general model while decentralized systems give greater freedom to universities to set up their own quality. International rankings of universities also contribute to impose a set of transnational standards and values, which is also being considered as indicative by the stakeholders. The present book tries to look at the quality assurance mechanism, international rankings and its impact in both absolute and comparative fashion in context of 11 countries from different parts of the world.

New Perspectives in Teaching and Learning With ICTs in Global Higher Education Systems addresses the challenges faced by higher education systems worldwide in adapting to new technologies and incorporating them into teaching and learning methodologies. The book offers solutions for educators and students by emphasizing the significance of creating inclusive learning environments that support diverse learners, adapting teaching methodologies accordingly, and integrating technology into higher education. The book's research focuses on new pedagogical methodologies and approaches that can be utilized to engage students and improve their learning outcomes. It also highlights the role of the modern lecturer in new teaching and learning contexts that utilize ICTs and emphasizes the need for educators to adapt their teaching approaches to meet the changing needs of today's learners. This book is an essential resource for educators, policy makers, and researchers seeking to stay up to date with the latest trends and approaches in higher education and ICTs.

Explores changing perspectives and innovations in assessment in light of recent theorising and empirical research ...

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a pivotal role in enabling and managing smart grids, which are modernized electrical grids that leverage digital technologies for enhanced efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. ICT serves as the backbone of smart grids, enabling efficient, reliable, and sustainable electricity delivery while supporting the integration of renewable energy sources and promoting active consumer participation in grid operations. The current book treats different aspects of ICT in smart grids. The use of renewable energy sources is the core element of a sustainable energy infrastructure. Therefore, different chapters focus on microgrids. Furthermore, the book presents use cases for the use of microgrids in special environments, such as educational buildings, rural areas, and the housing industries. The Internet of Things (IoT) represents the paradigm to model any intelligent or smart system. In such IoT system, functionalities are organized in overlaid layers, therefore, it is called a “layered model” with a hierarchical structure. The bottom layer covers the nationwide dispatched energy infrastructure. The upper layer can be represented through either the service layer applications or business layers. The book describes and analyzes technologies and solutions for the data layer as well as the communications/networking level.

Explore the dynamic intersection of technology and sports in Technology in Sports - Recent Advances, New Perspectives, and Application. This comprehensive volume covers a wide array of topics, from the biomedical and legal aspects of nutrition for athletes to cutting-edge developments in sports analytics and talent identification. Discover how computer simulations are revolutionizing training strategies and delve into the role of ECG in athlete health assessment. From innovative motion analysis software tailored to boxing competitions to the utilization of blockchain technology in sports medicine, this book offers invaluable insights for researchers, practitioners, coaches, and athletes alike. With its diverse range of topics and practical applications, this volume is poised to redefine how we approach sports performance, injury prevention, and athlete management. Whether you are interested in optimizing nutrition for peak performance or harnessing the power of data analytics in sports management, this book provides the essential knowledge and tools to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving field of sports technology.