Helen (University of Northumbria) Smith, Michael (University of Northumbria) Armstrong, Sally (Director Members Services Institute of Learning and Teaching) Brown

• Introduction; I: A Rationale for Benchmarking and Threshold Standards; 1: Historical and Contextual Perspectives on Benchmarking in Higher Education; 2: How Can Threshold Standards Assure and Enhance Quality?; 3: Benchmarking Theory — A Framework for the Business World as a Context for its Application in Higher Education; 4: Benchmarks and Templates — Some Notes and Queries from a Sceptic; II: Operational Issues for Benchmarking and Threshold Standards in Higher Education; 5: Describing Higher Education — Some Conflicts and Conclusions; 6: Institutional Comparisons — Reality or Illusion?; 7: Benchmarking Across Subjects in an Institution; 8: The Business Approach to Benchmarking — An Exploration of the Issues as a Background for Its Use in Higher Education; III: UK Perspectives in the Development and Use of Benchmarks and Threshold Standards; 9: UK Experiences in the Development of Benchmarking and Threshold Standards; 10: Benchmarking in law; 11: Collaborative Accreditation — Benchmarking in a Professional and Academic Partnership to Recognize Programmes of Continuing Professional Development — a Case Study; 12: Benchmarking, Assessment and the Multidisciplinary Curriculum; 13: Towards Multidisciplinary Benchmarking; IV: International Perspectives in the Development and Use of Benchmarks and Threshold Standards; 14: International Benchmarking — Fact or Fantasy?; 15: The United States' Perspective on, and Experiences of, Performance Indicators and Threshold Standards — How is Quality Determined?; 16: Assuring Standards in New Zealand's Universities; 17: Benchmarks and Threshold Standards —A New Zealand Polytechnic's Perspective on the Approach; 18: Approaches to Degree Standards and Quality Assurance in Post-apartheid South African Higher Education-Comparative Perspectives; 19: How Can Benchmarking Work to Best Effect in Higher Education?