Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has been offering programmes in distance learning (PJJ) since 1995 under the management of the Institute for Distance Education & Learning (IDEAL) which was later named in 2004 as the Center for External Education (PPL). Programme offerings began with the Bachelor of Computer Science in 1995/1996 session.Followed by a Bachelor of Education (Guidance and Counseling) programme, Bachelor of Education (Teaching of Malay as a First Language), Bachelor of Education (Teaching of English as a Second Language), Master of Human Resource Development and Bachelor of Communication in year 1998. Since 2009, UPM through UPM Education and Training (UPMET) has offered twelve (12) PJJ programmes at the Diploma, Bachelor and Master levels through course work. The handling of this PJJ program involves 14 Learning Centres (PP) throughout the country which are monitored by UPMET. To ensure the quality assurance aspects of the ODL programme, the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) has developed the Code of Practice for Open and Distance Learning (COP:ODL) in 2013. In line with current ODL developments and input from stakeholders, MQA has made improvements to the COP:ODL document and produced COPPA:ODL (Code of Practice for Program Accreditation: Open and Distance Learning) in 2019.   1.1      Purpose   This handbook aims to explain the policies, governance and responsibilities of PTJ and         individuals involved in the offering, administering and monitoring of ODL programmes as well as the criteria and standards of COPPA:ODL (2019).This guide needs to be read together with COPPA:ODL (2019) as well as policies and directives  from time to time related to the ODL programme. This guide will be a source of reference for programme owners, programme managers, programme audit evaluation panels and parties involved in the management and quality monitoring of the ODL programme at UPM.       2. This handbook contains five (5) parts for the reference of the parties involved as shown in              Table 1 below:   Table 1 : Summary of the Contents of the UPM ODL Programme Quality Assurance Handbook SECTION PARTIES INVOLVED A: UPM ODL Policy, Governance and Expert Programme owner, programme manager, programme audit assessment panel and PTJ that monitor the quality assurance  of the ODL programme B: COPPA Criteria and Standards: ODL (2019) C: UPM JPP and SIM ODL Development Guide Programme owner D: ODL Learning Management System Programme owner E: Guide on Programme Document Preparation Programme owner and programme manager   1.2    ODL Definition          ODL refers to the provision of flexible educational opportunities in terms of access and                    various modes of knowledge acquisition methods namely: Flexible means the option is available to get education anywhere, anytime and in any way Access means opportunities that are made available to all without time and place constraints. Multiple modes means the use of multiple delivery systems and learning resources.   1.3   Difference between Conventional Delivery Method and ODL Based on the Second Edition of the Guidelines for the Public University Academic Programme Development by JPT (2018), programme delivery methods include conventional and ODL methods. Conventional delivery methods are defined as fully face-to-face teaching and learning (PdP) or blended learning.While for ODL, the PdP of the programme is handled with a course component that is implemented online over 60% of the total number of courses in the programme.   1.4  Mandatory and General Criteria of the ODL Programme COPPA:ODL (2019) has outlined mandatory and general criteria for a programme to be categorized as an ODL programme, namely:   Mandatory Criteria    A programme is categorized as an ODL programme when it meets the following criteria:   (a) The programme must have a composition of courses offered as ODL exceeding 60% of the total number of courses offered in the programme. For example, the ABC Programme has 40 courses with 120 credits to graduate. Therefore, at least 24 courses (60%) out of 40 courses must be offered in the form of ODL; and   (b) The course offering should have at least 80% Student Learning Hours (JPP) on an ODL basis. For example, for each of the 24 courses in the ABC Programme offered in the ODL form, it should have a JPP of at least 80% on an ODL basis. This means, if a course in the ABC Programme has 120 hours of student learning, then at least 96 hours must be delivered through ODL. Note: Please refer to Section C: JPP Development Guide and UPM ODL SIM for further information on JPP.   General Criteria   COPPA Standard: ODL (2019) and MQA Notification Letter No. 12/2020 emphasises three (3) general criteria that must be present in the learning of the ODL program, namely:     (a) Self-Instructional Materials (SIM) which are self-teaching materials to guide students to complete competencies with the characteristics of self-learning, self-explanatory, self-contained, self-motivating, self-directed and self-evaluating.   (b) Learning Management System (LMS) which is an e-learning platform that needs to be provided for students to obtain learning materials, submit assignments, obtain information and communicate with lecturers and classmates.   (c) ODL experts are individuals or entities who have knowledge and experience in ODL learning. ODL experts are consulting experts in developing and improving PdP methods in ODL.

Date of Input: 21/08/2023 | Updated: 30/08/2023 | aidawati