Open University is a new type of university in China, and building open universities is one of reform projects in Chinese educational system. The development of Open University relies on quality, and quality improvement is an important aim for which the reform wants to achieve. The paper implements some literature review on quality assurance (QA) issue and analyzes the historical stages of modern distance education in China. The author points out that QA should have two dimensions, the one is external QA, and the other is internal Quality Management (QM). The QA of Chinese distance education institutions, including open universities, is led and controlled by government, however, the government is lack of related QA policy and framework on DE. Meanwhile,government-led accreditation is not accordance with the reform aim, establishing the policy of independent third-part accrediting agencies. In the progress of open universities construction, the policy-makers and the practitioners realize that QA and QM should have priorities, but there are many issues to be solved. In order to improve and assure quality of open universities, people should hold appropriate view on QA, emphasize the external assurance mechanisms related with the government, the third-part accrediting agencies, the society, and accomplish internal QM system at the same time.%开放大学是我国高等教育发展进程中的新事物，开放大学建设更是国家教育体制改革项目之一。它的发展依靠质量，它的建设更要以提升质量为抓手。该文在分析了有关开放大学质量保证的研究和实践以及我国现代远程教育发展具有鲜明的阶段性特征之后，指出开放大学的质量保证应该具有外部质量保证和内部质量管理两个维度。目前，我国开放大学质量保证具有政府主导的质量管理特性，但又缺乏国家层面的远程教育质量保证体系框架，在评估原则上与纲要中所倡导的“管、办、评”相分离的发展趋势相悖。在转型后的两年多的探索过程中，开放大学还需要确立开放大学的现实责任，在质量内涵建设上亦存在深层的质量保证瓶颈。保证和改进开放大学的教育质量，需要诉诸于科学合理的教育质量观，完善政府、第三方组织机构和社会多元主体相结合的外部评价机制，健全内部教育质量保证体系。
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