Matthew Kitching

Matthew Kitching is a Postgraduate Researcher in the Department of Educational Research at Lancaster University, UK. His research focusses on comparative international studies in quality assurance, student engagement and student affairs. He is especially interested in interdisciplinary approaches that explore higher education by drawing on management and organisational behavioural theories.

Matthew is Regional Editor (Western Europe) of the Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, a peer reviewer for the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal and a member of the Society for Research into Higher Education, the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.

He has 15 years’ experience as a senior executive in the UK charity sector, where he has managed large interdisciplinary teams and services, most recently as Deputy Chief Executive of Bucks Students’ Union. Since 2019 he has run his own proof service, Langan Proofing, for international students and academics writing in English.

Matthew has over decade’s experience of European quality assurance, including helping agencies to develop, implement and review accreditation standards, devising and delivering training for quality assurance agencies and providing consultancy services to institutions on issues including QA and student engagement. Between 2014 and 2016 he worked as a Student Engagement Adviser for QAA UK and between 2017 and 2019 led the European Students’ Union’s Quality Assurance Expert Pool. Matthew has conducted just under 100 evaluations across 3 continents for a wide range of international agencies. He is currently a board member for EQ-Arts, an enhancement-led quality assurance agency for higher arts education across the European Higher Education Area (EHEA).

Matthew has worked as a reviewer for ECBE and most recently served as a member of our Quality Committee and Board. As Director of Accreditation he is tasked with overseeing our standards and the accreditation process, liaising with members and working to secure European accreditation for ECBE.

Matthew holds degrees from Buckinghamshire New University (BSc) and Birkbeck College, University of London (MSc).