Assuring quality in policy and planning should include variables relating to institutional vision, missions, policies and strategies, planning, monitoring, process of policy and planning, stakeholder’s participation and commitment to learners. The ODL system should be able to determine its own vision, missions, policies and strategies to ensure that the provision of ODL meets specified academic commitments and the needs of society.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Vision and mission | The institution has a well-defined vision and mission statement, which incorporates the internal and external educational environment, its potential, national development agenda, and international trend in education. |
| The institution has vision and mission that are shared by all management and staff members. | ||
| 2. | Strategic plan | The institution’s vision and mission cascade down to the strategic plan which defines the specific objectives and goals of the institution. |
| 3. | Operational plan | The institution derives the operational plan from its strategic plan that defines targets and measures of the programs to be achieved by the institution. |
| The institution uses the operational plan is used as a guideline for the annual planning of programs and activities. | ||
| 4. | Goals | The institution has well-defined goals which are realistic and measurable. |
| 5. | Policies | The institution has well-defined policies that are in line with its strategic plan and are realistic and achievable. |
| The institution has clearly stated guidelines in the implementation of its policies and plans. | ||
| The institution has an accountable and transparent system for its policies and planning that are well communicated to its stakeholders. | ||
| 6. | Monitoring and evaluation | The institution has a well-designed monitoring and evaluation system to assess the implementation of policy and plans in all hierarchies. |
| The institution has a transparent system for communicating to all staff members the policies and plans, as well as documenting them in an accountable and effective manner. | ||
| 7. | Commitment to students | The institution has an explicit statement of commitment on the provision of service excellence to its students. |
| The institution has a clear policy statement of non-discrimination in genders and geographical/regional distributions for all the affairs and activities of the institution, including admissions, registration, and length of study. |
The internal management system of the institution should be able to provide the necessary support for the effective provision of ODL, which meets the expectations of learners and wider community of users. The institution should provide strong leadership and clear guidelines to ensure quality, efficiency, and cost effectiveness in ODL management and operations. Moreover, the institution should have clear and effective communication channels and efficient resource management and administration systems that enable it to achieve its objectives. The institution should also operate in a democratic, rational, and gender-equal manner; it should be based on systemically arranged school rules and regulations.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Marketing and promotion system | The institution conducts public relations activities through various media. |
| The institution cooperates with relevant domestic and/or overseas organizations. | ||
| The institution provides an efficient, equitable, and user-friendly enrolment and registration system. | ||
| 2. | Management system for institution | The institution maintains an efficient and secure student record system for providing academic and administrative services and support in decision making. |
| The institution has guidelines for the preparation, processing, and notification of the results of examinations and tests. | ||
| The institution conducts systematic evaluations of its programs. | ||
| The institution has a system to ensure that the assessment and feedbacks on the assignments are promptly and fairly administered. | ||
| 3. | Management system for learning | The institution provides guidelines for the development, delivery, evaluation, and quality assurance of ODL programs and materials. |
| The institution ensures that students can access the ODL programs and materials easily. | ||
| 4. | Communication system and decision making | The institution considers the interests and needs of the students and staff members in the decision making process. |
| The institution has an effective communication system for the current and potential learners, support staff members and tutors. | ||
| 5. | Student services system | The institution ensures the equitable and non-discriminatory provision of scholarship and financial assistance for students. |
| The institution has clear guidelines for student services. | ||
| The institution handles inquiries, applications for admissions, and complaints from potential and current students promptly. | ||
| 6. | Infrastructure and facilities | The institution continuously improves its infrastructure and facilities. |
| The institution has guidelines for the identification and procurement of its facilities. | ||
| The institution ensures that staff members are trained to develop and deliver its programs, use the facilities and technologies, and continuously improve their performance. | ||
| The institution has an effective system for managing and maintaining its equipment and facilities. | ||
| 7. | Internal quality assurance system | The institution has an effective system for soliciting feedbacks from the stakeholders regularly to improve its programs. |
| The institution has an integrated quality assurance system for its programs and implementation units. | ||
| The institution conducts self-assessments regularly and uses the results to improve its operations and programs. |
Assuring quality for open and distance learners should include variables relating to learners awareness, learners database, expectations of learners, learners information, learners with different backgrounds and needs, close link between the institution and the learners, learners participation in decision-making process, career counselling and placement support. The distance education institution should ensure that the learners’ needs are met satisfactorily.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Learner’s awareness | The institution ensures that potential learners and the wider community are aware of its courses and programs on offer, its operational systems and the advantages of ODL. |
| 2. | Learner’s database | The institution maintains the confidentiality of information about its learners. |
| 3. | Expectations of learners | The institution conducts systematic and accurate assessments of its learners’ expectation and satisfaction with various aspects of its services for policy making. |
| The institution gathers sufficient information on its learners’ expectations and their satisfaction with the services provided in its policy making process. | ||
| 4. | Learners information | The institution uses information about its learners carefully when designing learner-centred programs and support services. |
| The institution provides the tutors with easy access to information about its learners. | ||
| 5. | Learners with different backgrounds and needs | The institution provides support services for learners who are socio-economically, physically or psychologically disadvantaged, and have special learning needs and preferences. |
| The institution accommodates the various and different interests of the learners in regard to learning orientation, duration of study, and learning purposes. | ||
| 6. | Learners’ autonomy and inclusivity | The institution provides face-to-face or mediated tutorial support to all learners to minimize stress, frustration, failure and dropout. |
| 7. | Close link between the institution and the learners | The institution provides formal and informal communications and other face-to-face provisions to maintain a close link with its learners. |
| 8. | Learners participation in decision-making process | The institution provides appropriate channels to its learners to participate in the decision-making processes of the institution. |
| 9. | Learner’s feedback | The institution ensures availability and utilization of regular feedback from various stakeholders to increase supports of them. |
| 10. | Career counseling and placement support | The institution provides career counseling and placement services with the active participation of potential employers. |
| 11. | Alumni support | The institution conducts impact evaluations to follow up the progress of its graduates, and develops curricula in line with the changing needs and environment of the society. |
The ODL institution should ensure that a variety of media are used to facilitate the student learning process and meet the learners’ needs effectively. The selection and application of media should reflect the teaching and learning needs in a course, and they should be most appropriate. In particular, the choice of media should be based on knowledge of the learners and educators’ backgrounds and abilities, requirements of the content, learners’ access to associated technology, pedagogical design of the course, and limitations of the media.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Variety of media used to deliver learning materials | The institution utilizes the appropriate media and technologies that match the course content in order to enhance and expand learning. |
| The institution utilizes the appropriate media and technologies according to the students’ particulars, learning needs, and their circumstances. | ||
| The institution utilizes media and technologies that are accessible, equitable and practical. | ||
| The institution considers the costs and benefits to the institution and the learners when selecting the media and technologies to use. | ||
| 2. | Training and support related to the use of media for staff and students | The institution informs students of the potential impacts of media choices on student access, and develops alternative measures for those students who are unable to make effective use of the media chosen. |
| The institution provides adequate training for staff members regarding the use of media. | ||
| The institution provides adequate training for students regarding the use of media. | ||
| The institution provides suitable and sufficient administrative and technical supports to both tutors and learners on the use of media. | ||
| 3. | Research and development related to the use of new technology | The institution undertakes systematic research and development on integrating new technologies into the academic and administrative services for students. |
| The institution encourages research on new technologies so that it can make informed choices on the technologies to use. |
Assessment is an essential feature of the teaching and learning process, is properly managed, and reflects external standards. Assessing quality for learner assessment in open and distance learning should include variables relating to institutional policy on assessment, planning and production of assessment materials, assessment administration, assessment results processing, and assessment results dissemination and utilization. The distance education institution should ensure that student learning is effectively assessed.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Institutional policy on assessment | The institution has appropriate policies and procedures to ensure that assessment is timely, fair and of the right amount. |
| The institution provides sufficient time, staffing and financial resources for assessing learners’ performance. | ||
| 2. | Planning and production of assessment materials | The institution ensures that all academic staff members are conversant with formative and summative assessment procedures and their importance in the learning process. |
| The institution ensures that the purposes of the assessment are clearly described in the course materials, and the learners are able to self-assess some of their assignments. | ||
| The institution ensures that the assessment materials are valid and reliable. | ||
| The institution ensures that the scheduling and use of media in the assessment are flexible. | ||
| 3. | Assessment administration | The institution has effective procedures to ensure that the assessment processes meet the institutional requirements. |
| The institution has systematic procedures to recruit and train staff members who are responsible for assessment. | ||
| The institution has an effective system to ensure the confidentiality and security of the assessment materials. | ||
| 4. | Assessment results processing | The institution has established guidelines for processing assessment results. |
| The institution employs a sufficient number of qualified assessors. | ||
| The institution has an efficient and effective system for recording and filing assessment results. | ||
| 5. | Assessment results dissemination and utilization | The institution ensures that assessment results are delivered to students in a timely manner. |
| The institution has an effective system for the learners and the institution to provide feedbacks on the assessment results for improving the programs and courses. | ||
| The institution has an effective system for the learners and the institution to provide feedbacks on the assessment results for improving the programs and courses. |
The ODL institution should ensure that research can be performed by academic staff. The institution should have a support system for research. The ODL institution should also ensure that community service can be performed by academic staff. The institution should increase social contribution by promoting lifelong education among the people and providing quality education opportunities to local communities and alienated areas and class at an affordable cost. Regional campuses should play the role of lifelong education center in each region.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Research support system | The institution has clearly defined policies for research. |
| The institution employs a sufficient number of qualified staff members to ensure that quality research works on ODL methodologies and technologies are carried out. | ||
| The institution ensures that a sufficient number of research projects are carried out by qualified staff members. | ||
| The institution provides the necessary time, staffing and financial resources to support the production of ODL researches of good quality and quantity. | ||
| The institution has dedicated research units with qualified researchers. | ||
| 2. | Use of research | The institution disseminates the research findings regularly through various types of media. |
| The institution encourages staff members to put research results into practical use. | ||
| 4. | Community service support system | The institution promotes its ODL programs to the public and communities regularly. |
| The institution conducts sufficient mission-related activities for the community. | ||
| The institution undertakes various types of activities suited to the needs of the community. | ||
| The institution deploys a sufficient number of staff to conduct community service activities. | ||
| The institution contributes to the local community through promoting and providing lifelong education. | ||
| 5. | Participation by and benefit to the community | The institution actively involves community members in its community service activities. |
| 6. | Guidelines for community service | The institution has clear guidelines for planning, implementing, and monitoring community service activities. |
The ODL institution should be able to ensure that it has competent and qualified human resources to operate the quality provision of ODL. The institution establishes development programs that help staff perform their tasks effectively.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Selection and recruitment | The institution has clear guidelines and standard criteria for selecting, recruiting, and retaining qualified staff members, who are expected to perform the tasks in pursuit of the vision, mission, and goals of the institution. |
| The institution reviews the composition of academic staff members and their qualifications regularly to ensure that they are appropriate for the operation of the institution. | ||
| The institution employs a sufficient number of staff members to realize the institutional objectives and obligations to its students. | ||
| The institution employs a sufficient number of qualified administrators and supporting administrative staff to handle all functional and educational support services. | ||
| 2. | Shared vision and human resources principles | The institution promotes its vision, mission, goals and expectations of the staff in its staff recruitment procedures. |
| The institution has a well-defined performance management system, which is understood and accepted by all staff members as a tool to motivate them to develop their skills and knowledge; and to appropriately recognize and reward their achievements. | ||
| 3. | Job description and specification | The institution has well-defined job descriptions and specifications that provide information on the specific tasks to be performed by the staff members. |
| 4. | Training and development | The institution provides its staff members with a career development plan together with a reward system, and the plan and system are communicated to and acknowledged by the staff members. |
| The institution develops, implements and monitors human resource development programs based on the specific needs of the staff members and requirements of the institution. | ||
| The institution retrains staff regularly to update their job skills. | ||
| 5. | Performance management system | The institution has well-defined performance standards for the various duties of individual staff members. |
| The institution selects and promotes staff members based on their performance. |
Learner support should include variables relating to tutorial and learning services to ensure that students’ learning process is facilitated and their needs are met. Learners are supported by the provision of a range of opportunities for real two-way communication through the use of various forms of technology for tutoring at a distance; contact tutoring, assignment tutoring, mentoring, counselling, and the stimulation of peer support structures. The needs of learners for physical facilities and study resources and their ability to access these are also taken into account.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Tutorial | The institution provides clear tutorial guidelines to tutors and learners. |
| The institution has procedures to ensure that a sufficient number of qualified tutors are recruited for the courses. | ||
| The institution selects tutors who meet the particular criteria for tutoring the courses. | ||
| The institution provides appropriate training to tutors for tutoring the course. | ||
| The institution has an effective system which ensures that the tutors give constructive feedbacks about the learners’ learning progress to the learners and the institution. | ||
| The institution provides orientation sessions to learners prior to tutorial activities. | ||
| The institution has a mechanism for monitoring students’ learning progress. | ||
| The institution provides a variety of tutorial modes that are easily accessible by the students. | ||
| The institution provides sufficient facilities for conducting tutorials. | ||
| 2. | Counseling | The institution has counseling guidelines for the counselors and students. |
| The institution ensures that the counselors are aware of their roles in providing counseling. | ||
| The institution provides both synchronous and asynchronous channels for the counselors to communicate with the learners. | ||
| The institution has an effective process of diagnosing student problems to determine the individual counseling needs of the learners. | ||
| The institution has an effective mechanism for monitoring and evaluating student learning support services. |
Program design and curriculum development for ODL should involve specific needs assessment, qualified experts, and consideration of stakeholders’ interests, regular evaluation, clear guidelines, and accommodation of individual students’ capacity development. Programs are designed and developed with the needs of learners, employers and society in mind; to encourage access to quality education; and set in place assessment methods effectively test and measure students’ achievement of the stated learning outcomes of the program appropriate to the aims and objectives of the programs.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Program design | The institution designs programs based on assessments of learners’ specific needs. |
| The institution consults experts and considers the interests of stakeholders when designing programs. | ||
| The institution evaluates its programs regularly. | ||
| 2. | Curriculum development | The institution has clear guidelines for curriculum development. |
| The institution considers the capability of individual students in the curriculum development. |
Course design and curriculum development should include variables relating to course design, consistency of course content and test/assignment, clear objective of the course, use of a variety of media, learning material components, student learning support, and course team approach, course team training, and evaluation of courses. The distance education institution should ensure that courses are designed and developed to meet the learners’ needs effectively.
| No. | Sub-components | Statement of Best Practice |
| 1. | Course design | The institution designs courses through proper planning. |
| The institution designs courses based on the needs of learners. | ||
| The institution has a systematic schedule for course design and development. | ||
| 2. | Course content and test/assignment | The institution ensures that the course content is relevant to the goal of the study programs. |
| The institution ensures that the course content and tests/assignments are consistent. | ||
| The institution ensures that the course objectives are clear and informative to the learners. | ||
| 3. | Course objective | The institution employs media and technologies appropriate to the course objectives and the characteristics, learning needs and circumstances of its learners. |
| 4. | Student learning support | The institution designs courses with sufficient integration with the learning support services. |
| 5. | Course evaluation | The institution has an effective system for evaluating the course materials regularly for future improvement. |
| 6. | Course team approach | The institution provides sufficient time and resources for staff members to give ODL course development the priority, commitment and quality input it requires. |
| The institution provides sufficient professional and technical support for staff members engaged in designing, developing, delivering and evaluating ODL courses and materials. | ||
| The institution provides appropriate training for staff members to ensure that they possess the knowledge and skills to design, develop, deliver, evaluate and assure quality in courses and materials. |