For over 30 years the IMHE programme has organised a biennial General Conference and has established itself as the signature event for those interested in higher education.  Renowned for the quality of its speakers, stimulating conference sessions and engaging networking opportunities; it draws together a highly influential audience of policy-makers, institutional leaders and academic experts in higher education. 

The event  will take place from 8 to 10 September 2008 on the topical theme The quality, relevance and impact of higher education, in the prestigious setting of the OECD headquarters in Paris.

The 2008 Conference will focus on the quality, relevance and impact of the outcomes of higher education. Special attention will be given to new approaches of evaluating and assessing higher education in terms of its outcomes, for example in learning or employment. These assessments are seen by many higher education institutions and national governments as important for improving accountability, employability and quality of teaching. The OECD is exploring possibilities for assessing higher education learning outcomes on an international comparative perspective. This would for the first time provide internationally comparative information about the performance of higher education systems.