This paper, based on the results of a series of surveys, offers an analysis of various approaches to quality assurance in distance education (including e-learning) in the context of cross-border higher education. It commences with a discussion of the exponential growth and changes of distance education and identifies four notions of quality and differing approaches to quality assurance in distance education at the institutional and national levels. Pedagogical and practical values, strengths and weaknesses of each approach are discussed with regard to cross-border higher education and example cases are provided. The paper concludes with a list of policy directions and argues that quality assurance mechanism of distance education should not be distinguished from that of conventional higher education especially at the national level.

cross-border education, distance education, higher education, quality approaches, quality assurance