lifelong learning and distance higher education - Asia Pacific Region

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programmes. However, among those importers, Hong Kong (China), India and Malaysiahave also exported their programmes to other countries such as Bangladesh, China,Indonesia and Sri Lanka (Jung, 2004a).Moreover, many conventional DE institutions have begun to introduce information andcommunication technology (ICT) mainly as supplementary modes of instruction. Someinstitutions including a few mega universities have created e-learning programmes.Examples include the e-MBA programme of the Anadolu University in Turkey, the onlineLifelong Education Graduate School at the Korea National Open University in Korea, theonline MBA of the Athabasca University in Canada. Besides these institutions, for-profite-learning providers have appeared in the DE market. In the Asia-Pacific region, mainproviders of e-learning include Thomson Learning, Apollo International and UNext.These trends challenge the existing quality assurance (QA) frameworks of DE, whichhave focused more on widening access than on assuring quality, and often do not addressfor-profit and cross-border education. Especially in the context of growing globalisationin distance education, there has been an urgent need for international initiatives to reviewquality assurance mechanisms of DE for higher education at the national and institutionallevel, discuss new challenges of a changing DE environment, and build a capacity forQA to enhance the quality provision in a globalised higher education market. QA inmega universities is considered to be especially important since those mega universitiesprovide higher education to millions of students around the world with collaboration or incompetition with for-profit or cross-border providers.Recently, several studies have attempted to evaluate QA systems of DE for highereducation at the national or institutional level and discuss issues related to QA with theemergence of virtual universities or e-learning programmes (for example, Jung, 2004a;2004b; UNESCO, 2003; and OECD, 1999). Moreover, international organisations such asUNESCO, Commonwealth of Learning (COL), OECD and World Bank have suggestedQA guidelines for distance education and/or cross border higher education. 2 Thesestudies reveal that the QA frameworks of DE in a globlised context are still in the earlystages of development. The studies also indicate the need for investigating a wide rangeof QA practices in different contexts of distance education and discussing QA matters indepth at the international level.SURVEY OVERVIEWThe present chapter aims to report the results of a survey 3 on QA practices in megauniversities, discuss the convergence and diversity of those QA practices, and draw policyconsiderations for other distance education institutions. Even though the terms for qualityassurance in distance education vary across mega universities, in this report, the terms areused as defined below. 4Objectives of the surveyThere were two practical reasons for conducting the survey. The first related to the 2003World Summit of Mega Universities on Innovation and Collaboration – Joint Action forthe Future of Distance Education (Shanghai, China, 6-7 November 2003), which raisedthe need for information sharing on QA systems in the mega universities. This surveywas a follow-up action requested by the mega universities at the Summit. The second wasto report QA practices and issues in the mega universities at the Second Global Forumon International Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the Recognition of Qualification80
(Paris, France, 28-29 June 2004) in pursuit of empowering participants for informeddecision-making and providing an opportunity for capacity building for quality assuranceto enhance the quality provision in an internationalised DE market.Key aspects of the survey included QA organisation, QA policies, QA methods,objectives of QA activities, QA areas and criteria, QA system for imported/exportingdistance education programmes, QA system for e-learning, and link to national QAframeworks for distance education.Participants in the surveyThe survey, conducted between May and early June 2004, was sent out to the presidents(or vice-chancellors) and/or the heads of QA units in 11 mega universities in differentregions. Those 11 mega universities included the Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU,Pakistan); the Anadolu University (Anadolu, Turkey); the China Central Radio and TVUniversity (CCRTVU, China); the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU,India); the Universitas Terbuka (UT, Indonesia); the Korea National Open University(KNOU, Korea); the Payame Noor University (Iran); the Sukhothai Thammathirat OpenUniversity (STOU, Thailand); the Open University (OU, UK); the University of SouthAfrica (South Africa); and the Shanghi TV University (SHTVU, China). Table 7.1 showsprofiles of nine mega universities that responded to the survey questionnaire.Table 7.1: Profiles of the Nine Mega Universities Participating in the SurveyINSTITUTIONYEAR OFESTABLISHMENTNUMBER OFDE STUDENTSNUMBER OF ACADEMIC STAFFFULL-TIMEPART-TIMENUMBER OFADMINISTRATIVESTAFFAIOU (Pakistan) 1974 456,126 145 23, 000 (tutors) 1,426Anadolu (Turkey)1958(1982 named Anadolu)884,081 1,729653 (tutors)300 (lecturers)CCRTVU (China) 1979 2,300,000 52,600 31,500 (tutors) 16,500IGNOU (India) 1985 1,013,631 339 35 1,337KNOU (Korea) 1972 196,402 271 108 (tutors) 546OU (UK) 1969 203,744 1,1697,995(Associatelecturers)1,7631,434(Academic-related staff)2,139(Secretarial, clerical,and technical staff)SHTVU (China) 1960 101,218 Info. Not Given Info. Not Given Info. Not GivenSTOU (Thailand) 1978 181,372 375 Info. Not Given 904UT (Indonesia) 1984 222,068 762 3,600 (tutors) 730SURVEY RESULTSQA structures and policiesTo assure the quality of its services, an institution as a whole must have a set of policiesand structures to direct organisational activities. The mega universities surveyed havedifferent types and levels of organisational structures and policies on QA.81
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PERSPECTIVES ONDISTANCE EDUCATIONLi
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The Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIn addition to the
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These are some of the issues that a
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What are the trends and issues in l
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of policy implications relating to
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evince important differences that c
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inequitable regulations governing t
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associations and groups of countrie
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THE CONTRIBUTORChristopher McIntosh
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INTRODUCTIONIn his 1996 report to U
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Lastly, our analysis of the situati
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diploma or similar certificates of
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force of the undertaking. Here agai
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RELEVANT INTERNET SITESUNESCO Task
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Notes1. This phrasing has been used
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goals (Daniel, 1996). Lifelong lear
Page 35 and 36: eported that group activity had red
Page 37 and 38: NEW AREAS FOR DISTANCE EDUCATION:WO
Page 39 and 40: targets systematically for the use
Page 41 and 42: Rausch, A.S. (2003). A case study o
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Page 45 and 46: significant differences between syn
Page 47 and 48: In distance flexible- and blended-e
Page 49 and 50: STATE-FUNDED DUAL-MODE SYSTEMS ATUN
Page 51 and 52: Table 4.2: Fundable elements in dis
Page 53 and 54: sciences in 21 countries of the reg
Page 55 and 56: How a system is funded depends in p
Page 57 and 58: Litto, Fredric M. (2004). Digital l
Page 59 and 60: CHAPTER 5LIFELONG LEARNING IN THE A
Page 61 and 62: education, which was initiated by C
Page 63 and 64: So the virtual classroom acted as a
Page 65 and 66: In June 2002, when the course came
Page 67 and 68: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESFORCIIR proj
Page 69 and 70: 11. The approximate rate for 1€ w
Page 71 and 72: The term modern distance education
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Page 75 and 76: important resource for undeveloped
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Page 91 and 92: plans and produces its conventional
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Page 95 and 96: offers its programmes to Turkish ci
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Page 99 and 100: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESThe Commonwe
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Page 103 and 104: assurance of ODL. This DST will be
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Page 109 and 110: RELEVANT INTERNET SITESHigher Educa
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Page 119 and 120: part of quality management. The aim
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Page 129 and 130: indicators currently being used for
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CHAPTER 11CHARTING THE EVOLUTIONOF
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Another common characteristic was t
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the current capacity of the educati
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conditions for success. Conditions
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Cultural and ethical issues in inte
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the cost and maintenance of learnin
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Research can be a useful tool for c
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REFERENCESBates, A. (1995). Technol
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Twigg, C. (2001). Quality Assurance
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y, for example, entering into partn
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and even greater steps, and the dec
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