scholarly journals Implementing quality assurance system for open and distance learning in three Asian open universities: Philippines, Indonesia and Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-320
Author(s):  
Aminudin Zuhairi ◽  
Maria Rowena Del Rosario Raymundo ◽  
Kamran Mir
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Open University ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Societal Needs ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

PurposeQuality assurance (QA) in open and distance learning (ODL) has always become universal concerns of stakeholders. The quality of ODL has been confronted with challenges in terms of the diversity of inputs, processes, the complex supply chain management of ODL and recent paradigm shift into online learning. Assuring the quality of ODL are daunting tasks at individual, institution and system levels. Completed before the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, this study aims to better understand the implementation of QA system in three Asian open universities (OUs), namely University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), Universitas Terbuka (UT), Indonesia and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU), Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative method was employed involving analysis of documents of the three Asian OUs and focus group discussions and interviews with management and staff. Data collected were then analyzed to draw conclusions and possible recommendations.FindingsFindings of this study presented good practices, challenges and rooms for improvement of the QA system in the three Asian OUs. Focusing on students and stakeholders in their QA effort, this study has revealed that quality begins with inner self and is multidimensional. QA is principally viewed as continuous improvement, as mechanism and assessment and as effort at exceeding expectations of students and stakeholders. The recent challenge for QA is to embrace a delicate process of ODL transformation into online digital system. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has further implications and challenged QA implementation in ODL in higher education into the next level of complexity.Practical implicationsThis study revealed the diversities in how OUs met the societal needs of their respective stakeholders and addressed the challenges ahead for QA in ODL.Originality/valueThese findings were expected to enhance the understanding of the theory and practice of QA in ODL and to contribute to quality improvement of ODL programs.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Open and Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 1079-1097
Author(s):  
Vimbi Petrus Mahlangu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Total Quality Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
New Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

The purpose of this chapter is to argue that all open and distance learning (ODL) institutions should carry out quality assurance and accreditation processes in order for students and funders to have confidence in them. It also explains in detail what quality assurance and accreditation entails in ODL. This chapter follows a qualitative approach in understanding quality assurance and accreditation in ODL. Data were collected via literature review. During recent decades, the discourse and practices of systematic quality assurance and quality control have spread around the world, resulting to a great extent in market-based models related to the ideology and policy of neo-liberalism and expressed in economic rationalities such as new public management, total quality management, public choice, and human capital. Quality assurance and accreditation in ODL aims to maintain and raise the quality of education and to guarantee the improvement of its standards.

Quality Assurance in Open and Distance Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 22-35
Author(s):  
Amir Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Institutions

Today, open and distance-learning universities are regarded as a groundbreaking option to expand access to higher education. Economies of scale supported by a large number of enrolments have fueled the growth of open and distance learning institutions (ODLIs) across the globe. At the same time, many have raised serious concerns about the quality of education provided by ODLIs. This chapter presents a comparative case analysis of quality assurance (QA) programs in distance education at two large open and distance learning universities in Pakistan. The study explored QA policies and their implementation in the context of management practices and structures and internal and external environmental factors.

scholarly journals Academic Workload Planning for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Universities: The Experience of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN)

Open Praxis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 313
Author(s):  
Juliet Obhajajie Inegbedion
Keyword(s):  
Distance Education ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Open University ◽  
Work Overload ◽  
Quality Of Teaching ◽  
Academic Activities ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Academic Workload

The quality of the programmes and courses in ODL depends on the academics that plan the programmes, develop the curriculum, manage courses and programmes and carry out administrative duties. It is observed that the academics often complain of work overload. It also appears there is a mix-up in integrating the mode of planning workload in the conventional universities into the open and distance education universities. This may be attributed to inadequate spread in the duties assigned, which if not checked could affect the quality of teaching and learning. This necessitated the study that was carried out to determine academic workload in NOUN. The findings revealed a gap between academic activities and adequate utilisation of time. Also, inadequate spread of activities affects the quality of the academic inputs. This led to the development of academic workload model to guide the spread of academic activities in open and distance learning.

scholarly journals Supporting students to succeed in open and distance learning in the Open University of Sri Lanka and Universitas Terbuka Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-35
Author(s):  
Aminudin Zuhairi ◽  
Navaratnasamy Karthikeyan ◽  
Saman Thushara Priyadarshana
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Student Support ◽  
Open University ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Instructional Design And Development

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reveal how support services for open and distance students are designed, developed and implemented to ensure successful learning to take place, with specific references to the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) and Universitas Terbuka (UT) Indonesia. Success in distance learning is one major challenge for open universities to respond to expectations of students and stakeholders. This study focuses on the strategies of student support services in OUSL and UT, investigating related factors including instructional design and development, learning engagement and motivation, policy and strategy in reducing dropouts, use of OER/MOOCs, and quality assurance. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was employed involving analyses of documents; interviews and focus group discussion with senior administrators, academic staff, students; and on-site observation in locations of teaching and learning. Findings This research is exploratory in nature. Findings of the study are expected to improve our understanding of student support in distance learning, in which analysis is based on good practices, challenges and rooms for improvement of both OUSL and UT. Practical implications Findings of this study reveal practices and lessons learnt that may be useful as reference to open universities, taking into considerations the fact that each open university has been established to address specific challenges in its own unique circumstances. Originality/value This research may be adopted as baseline framework for analysis of student support for open universities. Further in-depth study is needed to understand how various aspects of student support contribute to success in open and distance learning.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Open and Distance Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 146-169
Author(s):  
Vimbi Petrus Mahlangu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Total Quality Management ◽  
Public Management ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Total Quality ◽  
New Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Open And Distance Learning

The purpose of this chapter is to argue that all open and distance learning (ODL) institutions should carry out quality assurance and accreditation processes in order for students and funders to have confidence in them. It also explains in detail what quality assurance and accreditation entails in ODL. This chapter follows a qualitative approach in understanding quality assurance and accreditation in ODL. Data were collected via literature review. During recent decades, the discourse and practices of systematic quality assurance and quality control have spread around the world, resulting to a great extent in market-based models related to the ideology and policy of neo-liberalism and expressed in economic rationalities such as new public management, total quality management, public choice, and human capital. Quality assurance and accreditation in ODL aims to maintain and raise the quality of education and to guarantee the improvement of its standards.

scholarly journals A Neo-Institutionalist Approach to Understanding Drivers of Quality Assurance in ODL

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Asha Kanwar ◽  
Romeela Mohee ◽  
Alexis Carr ◽  
Kayla Ortlieb ◽  
Kaviraj Sukon
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Open University ◽  
Drivers Of Change ◽  
Endogenous Factors ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Culture Of Quality

In recent years, quality assurance (QA) in higher education has received increasing attention by academics, learners, institutions, and governments alike. Many open universities (OUs) have taken steps to re-define or re-orient their systems and practices to integrate quality. While there is a growing body of literature on QA best practices, there has been little investigation into the factors that influence institutions to improve or adopt QA and how these factors impact on the specific manifestations of institutional QA. This paper examines the challenges of QA implementation in OUs and, using a neo-institutionalist lens, it advances a framework for understanding drivers of institutional QA implementation. The framework is applied to the case of the Open University of Mauritius (OUM). Existing literature, institutional records, interviews and reports are analysed to assess how exogenous and endogenous factors have influenced QA implementation at OUM, with a focus on addressing the specificities of open and distance learning (ODL). A better understanding of the drivers of change for QA can help OUs plan the implementation of QA mechanisms in a more comprehensive way and to systematically develop a culture of quality that responds to the ideological and practical context of ODL.

Quality Assurance in Open and Distance Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 195-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amir Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Access To Higher Education ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
Learning Institutions

Today, open and distance-learning universities are regarded as a groundbreaking option to expand access to higher education. Economies of scale supported by a large number of enrolments have fueled the growth of open and distance learning institutions (ODLIs) across the globe. At the same time, many have raised serious concerns about the quality of education provided by ODLIs. This chapter presents a comparative case analysis of quality assurance (QA) programs in distance education at two large open and distance learning universities in Pakistan. The study explored QA policies and their implementation in the context of management practices and structures and internal and external environmental factors.

Of stories that matter

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101
Author(s):  
Juhn Chris Espia ◽  
Alma Maria Salvador
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Central Position ◽  
San Jose ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Proactive Approach ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
Risk Discourse

Purpose The recent shift in the Philippine Government’s emphasis from response to a more proactive approach came with the recognition that different stakeholders play important roles in the governance of disaster risk. The purpose of this paper is to look beyond the question as to whether all stakeholders are involved in disaster risk management planning and examines the extent by which the narratives of risk of actors at the margins shape how risk is framed in municipal DRM planning in Antique, Philippines. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on a field study carried out in San Jose de Buenavista, Antique Province, Philippines. Data were gathered through key informant interviews and focus group discussions as well as a review of archival records and documents. Findings The narratives of CSOs and communities, which revolve around livelihoods and community life are conspicuously absent from the plans whereas that of government actors occupy a central position in the risk discourse. The study highlights the power-saturated process of defining and addressing risk to disasters, where knowledge is intimately linked to power as some voices shape plans and policies, whereas, others are excluded because their knowledge is socially constructed as less reliable and therefore irrelevant. Originality/value There is a dearth of studies that examine disaster risk as social constructions in the context of planning in the Philippines and in other disaster-prone countries.

scholarly journals Who guarantees the quality of the quality assurance agencies? The exploration of the establishment and growth of the Asia-Pacific Quality Register (APQR)

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianxin Zhang ◽  
Jagannath Patil
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Future Prospects ◽  
Asia Pacific Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Register

Purpose After the “quantity era,” today higher education has entered into the “quality era” and as “the gate keepers of quality,” quality assurance agencies (QAAs) are playing more and more irreplaceable important roles and their social status are becoming more and more prominent. However, how to guarantee the quality of the QAAs? Who can review the QAAs? The purpose of this paper is based exploration of these questions. Design/methodology/approach Following the founding of the European Quality Assurance Register (EQAR) for Higher Education, the Asia Pacific Quality Register (APQR) became the second in the international quality assurance (QA) networks to implement QA register, in 2015 with initiative of Asia-Pacific Quality Network. Findings This paper first retrospects the history and process of APQR, and subsequently the implementation of APQR is described in detail from the two aspects of the criteria and the procedure, and at the end, the paper concludes with a summary of the three characteristics of this first formal implement of APQR: APQR is an international register open to all the QAAs; APQR emphasizes characteristics evaluation of diversity; and APQR highlights the combination of quantitative assessment and qualitative assessment. Originality/value Today on the international stage of QA, APQR has emerged as “the watchman of quality” in the Asia-Pacific region as counterpart of EQAR in Europe. How far away does such newly emerging form of guaranteeing the QAAs’ quality go forward, what is its future prospects and other concerning issues, are some of the question that need enthusiastic attention and contribution.

Hedonic experiences at heritage attractions: the visitor’s perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Bender ◽  
Manuela Guerreiro ◽  
Bernardete Dias Sequeira ◽  
Júlio Mendes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Hedonic Experience ◽  
Using Data

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the hedonic experience and its formation at heritage attractions. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative and exploratory approach was applied, using data from 21 semi-structured interviews and three in-situ focus groups. Findings Findings highlight that senses, imagery and emotions are stimulated by the physical landscape and by triggers of memorable experiences. Research limitations/implications To further explore this topic, a broader range of heritage attractions and perspectives from the diverse stakeholders involved in the management and consumption of these sites is needed. Originality/value Given the scarcity of research dedicated to the hedonic experience at heritage sites, this study provides a contribution by exploring the visitor’s perspective and points out relevant insights. As the hedonic feelings of pleasure, comfort and related affective responses impact the quality of memorable experiences, relevant implications for theory and practice are discussed.

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