This book explores issues related to people, policy, and places of teaching and learning resulting from the trend towards dual and multi-mode provision of distance education. It explores reasons for the trend as well as some of the opportunities and challenges which may arise. In many developing countries, demand for higher education provision outstrips the supply of full-time places; while in many developed countries the cost of full-time provision means that distance and online provision may be more accessible than full-time provision. At the same time, the growing use of online learning platforms has generally resulted in more flexible forms of provision. Consequently, an increasing number of higher education institutions now offer dual (contact and distance or online) or multi-mode (contact and distance and online and other) forms of provision. This volume helps to navigate this changing distance education landscape. The chapters in this book were originally published in Distance Education.

This book explores issues related to people, policy, and places of teaching and learning resulting from the trend towards dual and multi-mode provision of distance education. It explores reasons for the trend as well as some of the opportunities and challenges which may arise. In many developing countries, demand for higher education provision outstrips the supply of full-time places; while in many developed countries the cost of full-time provision means that distance and online provision may be more accessible than full-time provision. At the same time, the growing use of online learning platforms has generally resulted in more flexible forms of provision. Consequently, an increasing number of higher education institutions now offer dual (contact and distance or online) or multi-mode (contact and distance and online and other) forms of provision. This volume helps to navigate this changing distance education landscape. The chapters in this book were originally published in Distance Education.

Quality assurance and its management are common practices in higher education. However, they have only recently become a major concern in open and distance learning (ODL), especially in developing contexts. South Africa has identified ODL as a strategic avenue for expanding access to higher education, and has recently transformed a policy on ODL practices. However, having a policy will not necessarily assure quality unless practices on the ground are aligned with such a policy. The ODL mode of delivery in developing contexts needs to consciously build quality into its management and practices. While internationally there have been attempts to address quality management issues through journal articles and books, generally the literature in this area remains scanty with respect to ODL. This is especially the case in terms of closing the gap between policy propositions and implementation. Assuring Institutional Quality in Open Distance Learning (ODL) in the Developing Contexts seeks to bridge this gap between policy propositions and implementation of ODL in developing contexts, with a focus on South Africa.