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The degree of quality of an open education offer or opportunity can be measured by different actors, such as the institution itself, its learners or the State. The latter measures the compliance with a given country's legislation and recommendations of the object being offered (e.g. a course, a certificate, a degree). It can also be measured against the standards of a competent body which can issue credentials, such as a quality assurance agency or an association/community recognised by its members.

The granularity in which quality is measured in open education may also vary, ranging from an institution's overall reputation to the quality of a particular offer such as an OER. In general, quality standards in open education should seek to comply with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in Higher Education [1], which have been divided in three parts: internal quality assurance, external quality assurance and quality assurance agencies. The term quality assurance means all activities within the continuous improvement cycle (e.g. assurance and enhancement activities) (ESG, 2015) [2]

[1] http://www.enqa.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/ESG_2015.pdf

[2] Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area (ESG) (2015), Brussels, Belgium.

Source: OpenEdu Framework (2016)