The quality of higher education has been a frequent topic of scientific productions. We identify a strong presence of positions in defense of rankings and of quality assurance of the system, higher education institutions and courses defending a universal model of quality evaluation, as well as positions that defend the non-comparability of such elements due to a belief in different university identities. The objective of this paper is to present a reflection on the concept of quality in higher education, in this century, considering the notion of emerging contexts as a basis for this understanding. We briefly review the different conceptions of quality in higher education presented in previous articles (MOROSINI 2001 and 2009) and identify the establishment of this isomorphic notion, corroborated by the process of transnational internationalization; and the emergence of a more substantial and defendable notion of the equity of quality in higher education. We conclude with the complexity of the topic and reinforce the relationship between the emerging context and the quality of higher education, in this moment of transition, constrained by the local-global relationship.
Quality of Higher Education; Emerging contexts; Educational equity
