Analytic Quality Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Home
Citation reference: Harvey, L., 2004-24, Analytic Quality Glossary, Quality Research International, http://www.qualityresearchinternational.com/glossary/
This is a dynamic glossary and the author would welcome any e-mail suggestions for additions or amendments.
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Standards
Standard is both:
1. a fixed criterion against which an outcome can be compared
2 a level of attainment.
The first definition of standards is similar to benchmark.
The second definition of standards relate to outcomes of education, be it the achievements of students or the service provision.
Standards as outcomes contrasts with quality, which refers to the educational process. It is a moot point whether the quality of the educational process can be 'measured' by the standard of coutcomes. External stakeholders, such as governments and employers, tend to take the simplistic view that educational outcomes equate with quality of provision. Ranking, which measure outputs (if they measure anything worthwhile) are supposedly indicative of standards but have little regard for the quality of the educational process.
Speaking at a House of Commons seminar (HEPI/JISC2010), Peter Williams previous head of the UK Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education stated that standards and quality are different. He said:
When I talk about good quality of higher education, I shall mean courses which have a clearly defined purpose, which are specifically designed to meet that purpose, which conform to the requirements of the National Qualifications Framework for Higher Education, which are delivered using pedagogical techniques that are fit for purpose and regularly checked for effectiveness, and in which students are assessed against national expectations using assessment methods that will measure reliably what they are intended to measure. I think it’s very important that we don’t just use ‘quality’ in a general way if we’re going to expect it to have specific significance and specific outcomes.
When I say ‘standards’, I am going to mean explicit and predetermined levels of knowledge, understanding and skill that are required to be demonstrated before a degree is awarded, and which meet the expectations of the National Academic Infrastructure. (If you don’t know what the National Academic Infrastructure is, then you ought to, and you’d better see me afterwards.)
Standards should also not be confused with 'quality standards', which are norms, expectations or specifications (and are similar to benchmarks, although benchmarks may be more precisely specified than quality standards). A golf analogy helps differentiate standards, quality and quality standards. A quality standard is a fixed criterion, that specifies implicit or explicit expectations or norms. In golf, each course has a par score for each hole, which is the number of strokes that an accomplished player would be expected to take in normal conditions (in this analogy, the quality standard could also be described as a benchmark). The actual score acheived by a player is equivalent to the standard of achivement, which may be more or less than the par score (quality standard) depending on the climatic conditions. The standard is distinct from (although not entirely independent of) the quality of the play. A golfer may make excellent shots but is unlucky with the lie of the ball or is faced by very bad weather and so may not score well. Conversely, some poor quality play may result in lucky breaks and a good score. (Harvey, 2006) a definite level of excellence or attainment or the recognised measure of what is adequate for some purpose, established by authority, custom or consensus. ‘Standards’ are specified and usually measurable outcome indicators that are used for comparative purposes. The term standard is complicated because it means both a fixed criterion (against which an outcome can be matched) and a level of attainment. Standard: Refers to a model, example or rule for the measure of quantity, weight, extent, value, or quality, established by authority, custom or general consent. It is also defined as a criterion, gauge or yardstick by which judgments or decisions may be made. A meaningful standard should offer a realistic prospect of determining whether or not one actually meets it. Standards may be mandatory (required by law), voluntary (established by private and professional organizations and available for use), or de facto (generally accepted by custom or convention, such as standards of dress, manners, or behavior). Standard in Education:
A model design or formulation related to various aspects of medical education and presented in a manner that enables the assessment of graduates' performance in compliance with generally accepted professional requirements. They are set up by consent of experts or by decision of educational authority. an agreed specification or other criterion used as a rule, guideline, or definition of a level of performance or achievement. McBrien & Brandt (1997, p. 93) define standards as follows: Standards are statements of what students should know and be able to do. Georgia Department of Education (2009, p. 3) defines standards in relation to student achievement (both academic and competence): Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA, 2001), defined standards in relation to institutional achievement: The International Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE, 2001, p. 3) defines standards as follows: Standards are seen as the expected outcomes of the educational training. It concerns the knowledge, skills, attitudes (= competencies) that are expected from the graduates. This concerns both general standards (qualifications for a Bachelor and Master) and specific subject standards. . Fraser (1994, pp. 1–034 ) defines standards as follows: Standards. These are statements defining the threshold that must be reached before programmes can be offered or qualifications can be awarded. For a specified level, standards may be statements about: (i) goals, that is the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitude it is intended that students should attain: and/or (ii) facilities, that is the staff, buildings, libraries equipment available to assist students toward reaching the goals: and/or (iii) achievements, that is the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes actually attained by successful graduates. In some countries, such as New Zealand and the United Kingdom, this last aspect (i.e. what students know and can do, and not where or how they learnt what they know and can do), is becoming increasingly important as an indication of quality. This is especially true for vocational higher education. In some subject areas it is the students’ competences, i.e. the way they use knowledge and skills to perform successfully in the workplace, which counts.
At the research level, the standards of a department or institution also be related to its facilities and, more importantly, to its achievements. In most countries, the latter is measured to some extent by the quantity, depth, stimulation and actual or potential utility of the new knowledge and ideas generated. Mueller (2011), states:
Here is a table that outlines the relationship between standards and quality, along with an indication of the the external assurance and standards checking processes that are used. Standards have somerimes been described as 'objective' or 'subjective'. Thus objective standardsare those used as an organising concept to denote a fixed level of performance, related to a specific outcome. For example: standards can be seen as a benchmark, a norm of quality and efficiency expected; equally, standards can be seen as a condition of excellence, in the way that degrees are seen as the standard expected of graduates; standards can conversely be seen as a minimum or floor, below which student performance should not fall, and the point at which remedial action should begin; more broadly (but equally objectively) a standard can be interpreted as a vision or direction for an educational system, to which government or management can strive or plan. Alternatively, a subjective view suggests that standards are not always seen as unproblematic and fixed. For instance, once it is accepted that standards can change over time a new set of definitional problems emerges. If we use the language of ‘falling standards’, does this mean that fewer candidates are reaching a standard demanded; for example, that the number of new recruits with certain ‘key skills’ at first employment is declining? Or does it mean that the standard now seen as acceptable to warrant a degree or diploma is lower than it has been in the past, with certain practices going unpunished? For others there has to be a behavioural perspective to any educational endeavour: for some, standards are not only a measure of performance, but incorporate notions of moral and social behaviour. Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) 2001, Glossary of Key Terms in Quality Assurance and Accreditation http://www.chea.org/international/inter_glossary01.html, last updated 23 October 2002, accessed 18 September 2012, page not available 30 December 2016. Fraser, M., 1994, ‘Quality in higher education: an international perspective' in Green, D. (Ed.), 1994, What is Quality in Higher Education? pp. 101–111 (Buckingham, Open University press and Society for Research into Higher Education). McBrien, J.L. and Brandt, R.S. 1997, The Language of Learning: A Guide to Education Terms, Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Mueller, J., 2016, Authentic Assessment Toolbox; Glossary at http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/glossary.htm, accessed 4 January 2017, still available 15 May 2022. Wojtczak, A., 2002, Glossary of Medical Education Terms, http://www.iime.org/glossary.htm, December, 2000, Revised February 2002, accessed 2 September 2012, page not available 30 December 2016.