A. R. Bhavana’s research while affiliated with Bharathiar University and other places

The governance and management of large and expanding systems have become more complex, with different players in the provision of higher education, for example, federal government, state governments, private for-profit and non-profit institutions, and distance education programs, and open universities. In this context, the need for developing accountability measures becomes increasingly important. Accountability is vital for the stakeholders in every organization. All those who are involved in the academic and administrative transactions must be accountable for their activities. The present study aims at understanding the mechanisms of accountability in higher education institutions using a case study of a State University and an autonomous college affiliated to the university located in South India. Interviews were conducted with leaders of the institutions, the administrators, faculty members, and students to understand how they perceive accountability in their institution. A survey that required the faculty and students to record the extent to which they perceived the presence of a few measures of accountability was also carried out. The chapter discusses accountability in terms of accountability of students, faculty, and institution. Specifically, factors like attendance and evaluation of students, teachers’ attendance, Institutional system for evaluation of teaching and learning, and research, research rewards, teaching performance, Internal Quality Assurance Cell, and academic audit from external experts are discussed in the chapter. There is variation in the degree of accountability across students, faculty, and institution. Further, there are significant differences in the accountability of teachers in the university, and the College studied here. These differences are discussed in the chapter. The need for improving accountability and suggestions on the mechanisms that can promote are also presented in the chapter. Policy implications of the findings for higher education are also discussed.