ABSTRACT
In distance education the range of possible educational methods differs considerably from those normally used in face-to-face teaching; but in either case the aim must be to provide ‘quality education’. Although the importance of this concept is now widely acknowledged, and methods of ‘quality assurance’ (i.e. procedures for sustaining and improving quality) are widely canvassed, few attempts are made to state what ‘quality’ actually means. In this chapter I shall be regarding ‘quality in higher education’ as meaning: ‘Defining worthwhile goals and enabling students to achieve them.’
