%A  Mansor Fadzil
%A  Tengku Amina Munira Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen
%T Strategies for Ensuring Quality in Open and Distance Learning
%X The quality of higher education provided by Open and Distance Learning (ODL)
institutions has been considered to be lower than that of conventional universities. This is
possibly due to the ?part time? nature of ODL, the modes of teaching and learning, as
well as the image of open universities as giving a ?second chance? education to working
adults. However, Open University Malaysia (OUM) believes that this perception of lower
quality can be addressed through proper deployment of key strategies. In the context of
OUM, the strategies include (a) adequate preparation for prospective learners;(b) quality
learning materials; (c) quality tutors; (d) quality assessment methods; (e) quality support
services; (f) embracing appropriate technologies; and (g) capacity building. This paper
will introduce OUM as a relatively young ODL institution and discuss in detail the said
strategies. OUM believes that confronting this issue of quality is important to ensure that
educational services and consequently, the graduates of ODL institutions are on par with
traditional institutions. (Author's abstract)
%D 2008
%L library_repository163