External quality audits are now being used in universities across the world to
improve quality assurance, accountability for quality education and transparency
of public funding of higher education. Some countries such as Australia, New Zealand,
United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark have had external quality audits for
more than a decade but there has been limited research as to their impact. This
study analyses the extent to which external audits in Australia have improved quality
assurance in universities over the past 10 years. The analysis is based on discussions
with 40 participants in a workshop on the effectiveness of audits and the
review of 60 external quality audit reports between 2001 and December 2010. The
research found that while external audits have led to an improvement in systems
and processes in Australian universities, they have not necessarily improved the
student experience. This lack of impact on the student experience in Australia is
similar to other countries, according to the literature review. This study is timely in
its analysis on the effectiveness of the current improvement-led audits, as government
in Australia is in the process of renewing quality assurance arrangements of
higher education institutions with a focus on standards and outcomes