Abstract
The dynamic business environment and powerful market forces in the 21st century are challenging leaders at open universities to compete successfully in the national and global higher education stage. The notion of quality is becoming an important and overriding issue with the paradigm shift in the education landscape due to the rapid penetration of Internet usage. Open universities are experiencing pressure from numerous stakeholders to become more client-focused, particularly in their provision of technology-enhanced education to systematically support the learning experience of open distance learners. In the pursuit of establishing institutional and national/regional-based quality assurance practices, Asian open universities should pay particular attention to one of the key components within the overall QA framework; that is, the web-based teaching and learning on the online learning management system (LMS). The assurance of quality in the web-based teaching and learning component is vital to support the effective and efficient delivery of open and distance education within the blended approach adopted by many open universities. In this study, the authors first examine the dimensions of quality assurance of key services that are closely associated with web-based education in the online LMS of Wawasan Open University (WOU). The authors then analyse the pattern of interactions in the LMS to determine the actual activities of learners in the web-based environment. By synthesising the findings, indicators that address diverse facets and components of quality relevant to web-based teaching and learning in the LMS are identified. The authors then discuss the application of the quality components within the overall QA framework in WOU to further enhance the quality of its web-based teaching and learning component. Assessment of learners' satisfaction in WOU is carried out to determine the effectiveness of the QA components in the LMS. The QA components identified in the web-based teaching and learning within the LMS are then recommended to Asian open universities for integration into their overall QA framework.
Highlights
The dynamic business environment and powerful market forces in the 21st century are challenging leaders at open universities to compete successfully in the national and global higher education stage
The assurance of quality in the web-based teaching and learning component is vital to support the effective and efficient delivery of open distance education within the blended approach adopted by many open universities
This study focuses on the expectations and the actual activities in the learning management system (LMS) that are related to the satisfaction of the key stakeholder; that is, the open distance learner
Summary
The dynamic business environment and powerful market forces in the 21st century are challenging leaders at open universities to compete successfully in the national and global higher education stage. The assurance of quality in the web-based teaching and learning component is vital to support the effective and efficient delivery of open distance education within the blended approach adopted by many open universities. The vision of Wawasan Open University is to be a vibrant community that inspires lifelong learning, supports innovation and nurtures all-round personal growth. This vision is clearly reflected in its mission statement, which declares that the university is committed to the expansion of opportunities in higher education and to teaching excellence aimed at increasing the level of knowledge and scholarship among all Malaysians. Owned by the Wawasan Education Foundation, WOU offers accessible, flexible and affordable education to the adult community in support of lifelong learning. There are 38 programmes offered by the four faculties, which are the School of Business and Administration, the School of Science and Technology, the School of Foundation and Liberal Studies, and the School of Education, Languages and Communications
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