Programme Oriented and Institutional Oriented Approaches to Quality Assurance: New Developments and Mixed Approaches.

This paper considers the programme validation arrangements in place in one half of the Irish higher education sector. It outlines how responsibility for programme validation can be safely delegated to Institutions within a robust overarching framework for quality assurance. It compares programme validation in Institutions with self awarding status with Institutions that have their programmes validated by a national Awarding agency. The paper concludes that when programme validation in Ireland and (potentially) across Europe is examined more closely, processes that appear to be very different on the surface can be quite similar in reality. From a philosophical perspective it appears that the degree to which providers can be trusted to manage their own quality assurance is a key consideration, however difficult it may be to measure trust.