The need for quality in education

All education courses should be of good quality.

Poor quality makes it difficult to learn.    It may leave the student not wanting to learn, or convinced that he or she cannot learn.

So quality is a key issue in education, in the classroom, at the workplace, or at home.    Quality means that the learner can learn successfully from the opportunities on offer.

Assessing quality is just as vital, both by providers and by regulatory and accrediting bodies, from Ofsted to ODLQC.

And so is pointing the potential learner towards good quality.    It can be hard to assess in advance if a course is right for you;   it must be taken on trust.    And courses, whether face-to-face or at a distance, can be expensive.

Quality in open and distance learning

The emphasis on learning for oneself is a great strength of open and distance learning.    But it means that materials, advice and support must all be relevant, reliable and consistent.

New, and often inexperienced, providers moving into distance learning may not understand how to monitor and maintain quality.    Techniques are different, as are funding regimes and organizational infrastructure.