Who Stole Quality?: a university campus tale
Quality is a word that trips of the tongue: "please rate the quality of your experience"; "quality assurance is at the heart of our work"; "that was a quality performance". Sometimes the stakes are high: what would happen to a police force, a hospital, or a school if it was deemed to be of low quality? But what exactly is the nature of the quality which is being referred to? And what if the prevailing conception of quality began to be unravelled?
The Quality Officer at a provincial university is found dead. What were the circumstances which surrounded his demise and what happened to the university in its wake?
Two academics, who are lovers, find themselves at the centre of the drama; a drama which takes them on a journey beyond the university's walls, on a search to discover what is at the heart of quality.
The author, Charlie Rondeau, worked in a UK university throughout the period in which this story is set.
'This book cleverly marries the world of higher education intrigue, politics and wicked problems with those of the outside world and they come together beautifully. It made me smile, it made me reflect and it definitely gave me food for thought.' Jo Peat, University of Roehampton
'This book is both a very good read and a deeply thoughtful critique of the use and misuse of "quality" as a concept in UK higher education'. Tony McCulloch, University College London
'A satisfying, immersive, page turning mystery that also asks important questions about how we share and assess knowledge - at university but also more generally.' Professor Julie Hall, London Metropolitan University
'Fascinating, this book is an engaging novel and exploration of issues in higher education combined. This sounds like it can't be achieved, yet here it is. I found myself agreeing with the protagonists' discussions throughout the story. There are passages of pure romantic charm interspersed with agonies of second guessing.' Peter Gossman, University of Worcester
About the author
Charlie Rondeau worked in a UK university throughout the period in which this story is set. Her first teaching job was in further education, where she taught both Sociology and Philosophy. Upon securing a university post, she began writing about the meaning and role of higher and further education in society, as well as supporting academics to enhance their knowledge and understanding of higher education pedagogy. She is now formally retired but continues to write and engage in the battle of ideas for the soul of higher education