Quality Assurance Survey of Mega Universities

Mega universities (i.e. those with over 100,000 students) are among the most important providers of distance education worldwide and are increasingly using ICT-based learning. Until recently they placed more emphasis on widening access than assuring quality, but now they recognise quality assurance as a key issue that needs to be addressed not only within individual universities but also jointly and in the global context. At the same time QA frameworks are at an early and therefore crucial stage of development. This chapter reports on a recent survey to examine and compare QA practices in mega universities and draws certain important lessons for the mega universities in the future development of effective QA policies. Where lifelong learning is referred to, this is understood as a process that people undertake to acquire knowledge, skills, and values needed for personal and occupational development throughout their lifetimes; often linked to adult learning.