25th-26th May 2001
Chamberlain Tower Hotel and Conference Centre, Birmingham UK

There were three main themes for the seminar addressing aspects of 'The End of Quality?':

Has external quality review had its day?
Does the bureaucratisation of quality mean that it is no longer flexible? Does everyone now know how to play the 'game' and therefore does it show anything? Should approaches be more directed to internal quality improvement and external 'useful' information?

Has control of quality been usurped by the market and by information technology?
Does the scramble for students mean that only lip service is paid to quality and standards? Can anything be done to control quality in the Internet age? Will the world-wide market in higher education mean that only the best will survive?

Does the development of mass education necessarily mean the end of quality?
Can standards of achievement be maintained in a mass system: Can standards of service be maintained with declining unit of resource? Is there a need to fundamentally change the nature of higher education in an era of mass HE?