@inproceedings{library_repository915,
       booktitle = {India-Canada International Conference on Open and Flexible Distance Learning SNDT Women?s University, Mumbai, India},
           month = {February},
           title = {Quality Assurance in Open and Flexible Distance Learning:
A Malaysian Perspective
},
          author = { Anuwar Ali},
            year = {2013},
        keywords = {Quality assurance (QA), Open and distance learning},
             url = {https://library.oum.edu.my/repository/915/},
        abstract = {The urgent drive towards human capital development has often focused on
the role of higher education institutions in providing the knowledge and skills
necessary for economic progress. This growing spotlight on higher education
has been accompanied by an equal concern for quality, especially in an
environment where private higher education, such as through open and
flexible distance learning (OFDL), is becoming increasingly prominent as the
major access point of learning opportunities for the masses, in particular,
working adults who have the greatest potential to contribute to economic
progress. Quality assurance (QA) measures are essential as rapid advances
in information and communication technology (ICT) have significantly
transformed teaching and learning to create a sophisticated, borderless and
global educational environment that has erased various traditional boundaries
in higher education. While this has resulted in many benefits for today?s
learners, it is important to look to QA as a means to maintain standards,
ensure learner satisfaction, ensure accountability and even enhance
institutional image and prestige. Although there are diverse QA approaches
in higher education, a common thread exists where all countries and
institutions aim to provide the best quality education possible. This is
reflected in the gaining importance of benchmarking and best practices as
well as adhering to national and international guidelines that take into
account various aspects of education provision, from course objectives to
curriculum design, monitoring, review, institutional leadership as well as
continuous improvement. This paper will discuss the broad QA approach in
Malaysian higher education, with specific focus to OFDL and open universities.
This paper will also illustrate QA from the perspective of Open University
Malaysia (OUM). As the country?s premier open university, OUM has
employed its own unique approach to QA that will hopefully contribute to a
more well-rounded QA system in Malaysian higher education, specifically in
OFDL; and in general, to potentially create an impact on similar institutions in other countries in the Asian region}
}