Utilization of ICTs in quality assurance and accreditation of higher education: Systematic literature review

Numerous studies and surveys have examined the utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Higher Education (HE). However, the absence of studies that specifically investigate the utilization of ICTs in Quality Assurance and Accreditation (QAA) of HE led us to perform a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). This review mainly benefits QAA agencies and researchers interested in utilizing ICTs for QAA of HE. Several facts regarding ICTs contribute to QAA of HE are identified. 1) Compared to QAA agencies, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are more likely to implement ICTs. 2) Most of the ICTs in HEIs are for Quality Assurance (QA) and not Accreditation. 3) Most previous studies were conducted in Europe. These studies demonstrate that efforts have been made to align the QAA agencies and HEI QAA units with European Standards, resulting in ICTs utilization into European HEIs.