Assuring quality of higher education has become more critical in the face of globalisation of education which is a major characteristic of the knowledge economy of the 21 st century. The importance of assuring quality is underscored by the existence of institutional, national, and international agencies established to ensure that higher educational institutions and their programmes meet certain stipulated set of minimum standards. In developing countries like Nigeria where provision of higher education is primarily a public service, globalisation of the knowledge economy has made it imperative for educational programmes to meet not only national standards but also global standards and best practices. In addition, the emergence of private universities, cross- border education, and degree mills that offer low quality educational delivery and qualifications, provision of higher education has brought another dimension to the fore that is, a commercialised approach to higher education. A major outcome of this development is the competition engendered among higher education providers and the use of quality indices to promote their goods and services. This paper seeks to examine issues of quality and the role they play in the promotion of higher education programmes in general and distance higher education in particular using the National Open University of Nigeria as a case study.
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An appraisal of quality assurance issues in promoting programmes in higher education: Case study of the National Open University of Nigeria
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Author(s)
Akeusola, O.; Ofulue, Christine
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