American Distance Higher Education Quality Certification System

Quality is an eternal issue in distance higher education. To guarantee and improve education quality is the core theme of the reform and development of distance higher education all over the world. In China's distance higher education, tremendous progress has been made and much experience has been accumulated in this regard. However, some noticeable issues have also emerged in its development, in particular the issue of education quality. Research on the quality accreditation system in distance higher education in the US is helpful for us to learn from their good practice of guaranteeing education quality of distance higher education and promote the reform and development of distance higher education in China.In this research, the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US is examined from the aspects of institution transition, the structure and function of accreditation system, institutional culture and implementation mechanism of accreditation system from the perspective of institution analysis to describe and analyze the quality, structure and function of US higher education accreditation system and probe into the varieties of socio-cultural factors and implementation mechanism of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US so that the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in China can draw lessons and inspiration from its counterpart in the US. In this study the author adopts the methods of institution analysis, literature research, comparative research, case study, factor analysis and historical analysis to answer the following questions: what is the accreditation system of distance higher education in the US and what is not? How is it functioning? What is the relation between the quality and function of the accreditation system of distance higher education in the US? Which factors are necessary to guarantee its functioning? Against what background did the accreditation system of distance higher education in the US come into being and under what system does it function? What internal/external factors and objective/subjective conditions are necessary to guarantee its very existence and its functioning? Whether and how can we draw lessons from the application of the accreditation system in the distance higher education in the US? More stress will be put on the research theme and research perspective so as to yield new findings.Chapter One lays the theoretical foundation and logical basis for the thesis. In this chapter the notions of distance education, distance higher education and some other related or confusing ones are given full analyses and exploration to set the research area. Based on these analyses, the author delineates the theoretical foundation of the research, namely, the institutional analysis theory, Total Quality Management, higher education evaluation theory and the third sector theory, which shape the theoretical framework for the chapters that follow.Chapter Two provides historical analysis method to describe the transition of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US, including its structural system, institutional culture and implementation mechamsm. With the method of factor analysis, this chapter discusses the cultural values that influence the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US from the aspects of high degree of autonomy and freedom in US schools, pragmatism, individualism and multiculturalism, all of which make the quality accreditation system in the US its American features and American spirits. Therefore, our understanding of the accreditation system of distance higher education in the US cannot be limited to its structure and function. Rather, we should probe into its underlying culture and value to gain a deeper understanding of the system per se. The quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US takes hundreds of years to develop and undergoes different stages to reach its consummation. It reminds us the fact that such a system is not established in just one step, but formed through gradual interaction with the political, economic and cultural elements within its nation. It is always under the influence of its politics, economy, culture and values.In Chapter Three the author analyzes the structure and function of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US. Both the methods of factor analysis and case study are applied to discuss the types, objectives, criteria, contents, procedures, nature and functions of the quality accreditation system of the US distance higher education. Although the structure and function of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US have their own particularities, they are almost the same as the structure and function of the quality accreditation system of regular higher education. Moreover, they are consummate with American characteristics.Chapter Four is about the implementation mechanism of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US. The author discusses implementation issues, namely, the implementation mechanism from the aspects of mechanism, accreditation mechamsm of higher education, quality accreditation mechanism of distance higher education, constituents of mechanism and mechanism of implementation. As a quality guarantee and improvement system, accreditation system plays multiple roles in distance higher education and its relations with society and government. The implementation mechanism of the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US mainly takes the form of buffer, server and switch. Buffer mechanism is the main mechanism of the quality and function of intermediary organizations of higher education between schools and government; server mechanism provides information for government and public as well as schools so as to reduce the information asymmetry between universities and government, universities and society; switch mechanism works as the coordination mechanism between universities and government, market, academic circle, students and society. The three mechanisms reinforce each other and work together in the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US. America boasts the largest distance higher education system and has always maintained a high level of education quality, both of which are closely related to its consummate quality accreditation mechanism of distance higher education.In Chapter Five the author analyzes the lessons and inspirations drawn from the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US. The quality accreditation systems of distance higher education in the US and China are compared in terms of their respective historical processes, structural systems, social backgrounds and the implementation mechanisms. Based on the comparison, the chapter proceeds to analyze and reflect on how China can learn from the quality accreditation system of distance higher education in the US. Currently, China's distance higher education is undergoing great development and reform. At the same time, it is also facing a great many unprecedented problems and challenges. Although these problems are different to varying degrees from the problems of distance higher education at the same period in the US, in general, distance higher education in China having developed so far has provided appropriate soil for the growth and development of accreditation system in China. It is indicated that accreditation system in China is already at the embryo stage, very close to being the real thing. We need to accelerate this historical process to make it appear on the stage of the reform and development of distance higher education in China to an early date and become a "new force" in the reform of distance higher education in China.