lifelong learning and distance higher education - Asia Pacific Region

CHAPTER 7QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEYOF MEGA UNIVERSITIESInsung JungCHAPTER SUMMARYMega universities (i.e. those with over 100,000 students) are among the most importantproviders of distance education worldwide and are increasingly using ICT-based learning.Until recently they placed more emphasis on widening access than assuring quality, butnow they recognise quality assurance as a key issue that needs to be addressed not onlywithin individual universities but also jointly and in the global context. At the same timeQA frameworks are at an early and therefore crucial stage of development. This chapterreports on a recent survey to examine and compare QA practices in mega universitiesand draws certain important lessons for the mega universities in the future developmentof effective QA policies. Where lifelong learning is referred to, this is understood asa process that people undertake to acquire knowledge, skills, and values needed forpersonal and occupational development throughout their lifetimes; often linked to adultlearning.BACKGROUNDOver the past few decades, there has been a noticeable growth in distance education(DE) around the world. More than 10 mega universities have been developed to meetthe increasing educational needs of adults and lifelong learners. 1 A mega university isdefined as “a distance teaching institution with over 100,000 active students in degreelevelcourses” (Daniel, 1996: 29). Some mega universities such as Anadolu University inTurkey and China Central Radio and TV University in China have over 500,000 activestudents. Considering the high level of student enrolment, the mega univerisities arebecoming “very important for the future of higher education (HE) all over the world”(Daniel, 1998), including HE as part of lifelong learning.In parallel with the development of mega universities, cross-border DE has grown. Forexample, universities in Australia, UK, USA, and Canada have actively exported theirDE programmes to other parts of the world. China, Hong Kong (China), India, Malaysiaand Singapore in the Asia-Pacific region have been among major importers of those79