Perspectives on quality and quality assurance in learner support areas at three Southeast Asian open universities

While quality measures in higher education in general have gained significant and growing attention over the past 30 years, questions remain about quality in open universities. This research was an international comparative case study focusing on perceptions of quality and quality assurance (QA) in learner support areas at open universities. The goal of the study was to explore and understand the concept of quality and QA in three open universities in Southeast Asia from the perspectives of practitioners, instructors, and administrators serving in learner support areas. Results indicate that staff at all three institutions view satisfying students as the primary quality criterion in learner support areas, while their conceptualizations of QA focus on the importance of quality guidelines (standard operating procedures) as the roadmap to meeting individual quality criteria.