ODLQC

ODL QC, the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council, was established in 1968 as the UK's national accrediting body for open and distance learning (ODL) providers.

Interest in ODL methods grew in the 1960s in the UK. This led, in part, to the establishment of the Open University as well as the National Extension College in Cambridge.

It also focussed renewed attention on the work of correspondence colleges, which was long standing and well-regarded, but largely unregulated.

The government set up a committee, the Gurr committee, to review the sector. This reported in 1968: its main recommendation was that a system of voluntary registration and quality control be established, so that those private-sector colleges who wished to demonstrate their quality, could opt into a scheme of independent assessment and accreditation. ODL QC, known originally as the Council for the Accreditation of Correspondence Colleges (the name changed in 1995) was set up to run such a scheme.

Members of the Council fall into two groups. The majority are independent of the sector; formally appointed by the Secretary of State until the mid 1980s, these members are now nominated by representative bodies from other sectors with an interest in ODL methods, such as awarding bodies, the FE and HE sectors, the trade unions, and the British Council. The remaining members are elected by the accredited bodies themselves.

Most accredited providers come from the private sector, although a few are drawn from public sector as well. Most of them work in further education, although a few are involved in school and university-level education as well.

External links

* [http://www.odlqc.org.uk Official site]