Standards send clear signals to both learners and providers.    So standards should encapsulate what makes for good quality and effective open and distance learning.

When ODL QC introduced its standards, in 1998, our aim was to do just that:   to adopt a straightforward and transparent set of principles that captured the essence of what we, and the good quality providers we accredit, aim to achieve.

Experience in implementing these standards, has lead us to a new, and we hope more successful set of statements.

They do not offer a significantly different vision of quality; our views on this have not changed.

But we hope they do offer a more succinct overview, a clearer and stronger set of messages as to what constitutes quality in open and distance learning.

These revised standards will come into force on 1st April 2006.

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Further details from:

Nicola Green at ODL QC on
020 7612 7090 or nicola@odlqc.org.uk.