IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 19, Issue 8, Ver. IV (Aug. 2014), PP 19-21 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org www.iosrjournals.org 19 | Page Quality Concerns and Best Practices in Open and Distance Learning Dr. Vikas Sharma, Dr. Anuradha Goswami Abstract: The quality of education would play a crucial role in balancing the socio economic framework of the country like India which is in the transactional phase of knowledge based society. Education should be such that it builds an inner strength of our people. It should bring our ancient heritage to the new generation, it makes available our aesthetic treasures to the young generation. Education permeates every aspect of life. It must be such that it brings the best out of our past, takes the best of the present. As classroom based teaching continues to be the main form of education which require higher demands on physical infrastructure and human resources, our country is not able to impart education to every single child. The aim of making education accessible to all can be accomplished if various modes such as formal and non-formal are effectively deployed to fulfill the existing educational needs of the prospective learners. Thus the needs was felt to establish distance educational system to provide educational to those who for one reason or the other cannot avail the opportunities of formal education. I. Introduction Educational institutions are the treasures of knowledge. These are the agents of social change and transformation. Higher education which was primarily considered to be affordable for a limited section in the society, today, by virtue of „open education‟, this participation can be widened by making it available at free or low cost of the remaining majority. The movement of open education has the potential to address the barriers of higher education and introduce several alternatives for the underprivileged who aspire to complete higher education. Distance education has really opened new window of opportunities for those who desire for further studies. In a way it has helped numerous professional, dropouts, housewives, etc to accomplished their unfinished dreams, The whole purpose of providing distance education is to provide cost-effective, quality education to large sections of our populations including those living in remote and far flung areas. Distance learning caters to the educational needs of the target groups, through the open of learning and provide facility to study according to their own pace and convenience to the distance learners. The distance education system provides opportunities not only to the young students but also to those from the older age groups. The main reason for increasing interest in distance education lies in the need for continuing education in today‟s competitive world. II. Courses of Study Various courses available in different distance teaching institutes range from conventional general undergraduate programme to technical and vocational courses. Most of the institutes including the first Open University, started with the general undergraduate programme. The growth rate of enrollment in distance education is higher than in the formal system. Need of the hour is to introduce skill based programme through ODL system. The distance learning institute needs to introduce skill based programme, and make use of information and communication technology to make possible pathways for learners with an emphases on relevant hands on experience and allow learners to enter job market and also pursue higher education. Higher education including open and distance learning is an instrument of transformation. Open and distance learning: A highly potential alternative Open and distance learning is also a highly potential system of expanding education to the people when conventional classrooms have failed to keep up with the population of the country that has been growing at a geometrical progression. The annual growth rate of enrollment in distance education during the last 10 years has been much higher than that in the formal education system. The Government of India has taken up quite a few ambitious and expensive ICT projects for delivery of services to the masses at the grassroots level across the length and breadth of the country taking advantage of the recent advances in this field. This can be utilized towards a better literacy drive in future. ODL learners are not a homogeneous community. They may include younger ones, middle aged and older ones. They might belong to literate, semi-literate, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled categories. They may