Welcome to CRQ...

The Centre for Research into Quality has extensive experience in delivering high quality higher education policy research at institutional, national and international levels, informed by researching perceptions of the various stakeholders in higher education: students, staff, employers and professional bodies.

CRQ conducts the Student Satisfaction Survey - large scale quantitative research carried out on an annual basis within Birmingham City University . It explores the student opinion of the total student experience at Birmingham City University .

The Student Satisfaction approach, pioneered by CRQ, has been published in the Student Satisfaction Manual (1997) and has been adapted to explore the views of a variety of stakeholders, e.g. staff and professional placement supervisors. At Birmingham City University, the student and staff satisfaction surveys are used by decision makers as a management tool, shaping policy at an institutional level.

A developing area of work for CRQ is prison policy in the areas of HIV/Aids, drugs and suicide. The centre undertakes research in these areas in the UK, Western Europe, and Central and Eastern Europe.

A new journal, the International Journal of Prisoner Health, co-edited by CRQ's Director Morag MacDonald and administered by the Centre, was launched in March 2005. The journal is intended primarily to facilitate an exchange of information among experts in the field of healthcare of prisoners, from a range of different cultural interpretations and perspectives of health.

CRQ has also gained a reputation for its involvement in all types of social research. The professional research team has extensive expertise in both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, including large-scale surveys, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviewing. The team writes clearly for a variety of audiences, delivers to schedule, and makes clear recommendations for action.

In addition, CRQ's team members have a varied portfolio of publications and current projects.