Holding the Tension – Where Access, Quality and Authenticity Meet

We are pleased to share that we will be presenting at the 2026 INQAAHE Forum, taking place in Sun City, South Africa, from 3–6 February 2026, under the theme “Quality Assurance as an impactful tool for Tertiary Education today and tomorrow.”

The presentation draws on our multi-institutional project by exploring how Social Work curricula can be redesigned through the principles of Authentic e-Learning (Herrington, Reeves & Oliver, 2010). The project responds directly to a central tension in contemporary higher education: how to widen access and participation while maintaining disciplinary integrity and socially responsive quality standards.

The poster highlights how cross-institutional collaboration can function as a developmental and context-sensitive quality assurance approach. Through co-design with academics from historically advantaged and disadvantaged institutions, the project foregrounded diverse epistemologies and lived realities in shaping curriculum standards. It also demonstrates how authentic learning practices align educational outcomes with community needs and professional competencies, strengthening graduate readiness in complex social contexts.