Value Added Methodology - An Alternative Approach to Quality Measurement in Higher Education

This sought to present research evidence in support of ‘value added' methodology as an alternative approach to quality measurement in higher education. The study was informed by several issues including the need for modern methods of measuring quality in higher education. Hence, a dataset of over 6,000 students was used in demonstrating how 'value added' methodology and multilevel modelling statistical techniques could be used to measure quality. The dataset was created using secondary data (examination scores and prior attainment in English) and administrative records (cohort) from 16 academic departments. The issues explored include the strength of adjusted scores using the value added approach as against 'raw' (unadjusted) scores. The overall finding was that a 'value added' methodology is relatively more informative and fairer with respect to the measurement of quality. Also highlighted in this report do issues need policy, practice and research direction in accordance with the study findings