Quality assurance in open and distance learning

Policy of Distance education in most cases shares the concern for openness and flexibility, but definitions tend to focus on the possibility of communication between participants in the learning process across time and/or space, particularly as brought about by old and new technologies. Open and distance education has the tendency to expand access to education at any point in time. Children, Youths, and adults who are excluded from conventional institutions because of age, work, family bottlenecks, geographical distance/quota problem/catchments policy, insecurity or poor quality or insufficient before the learning experience may be able to learn through open and distance education.

It is not a gainsaying that open and distance education has the potential to reach large numbers of people irrespective of their locations, age, statutes, or background. In developing economy, there are significant challenges associated with the implementation of open and distance learning. Higher education including open & distance learning is an instrument of transformation. This transformation cannot come about without high quality of the system and what the system offers. It is difficult to define quality. In the distance learning system, quality is best defined as fitness for purpose in combination with exceptional high standards, perfection and consistency, value for money, and transformation capabilities. Quality assurance must cover areas such as curriculum design, content and delivery organization; teaching, learning and assessment; etc

India has always been quality conscious in education. From olden times Indian peers have laid great emphasis on quality. In recent times, several national level efforts are made to ensure quality, like the National Education 1968, the National Policy on Education of 1986, setting up of National Assessment and Accreditation Council, Several higher education regulatory bodies including the Distance Education Council.