To aid the continued development and growth of industry; educational institutions; organizations; and society in general, students, institutions, and employers are progressively looking towards ways that assessment and certification can help improve the quality of teaching, the effectiveness of learning, and the ways that achievements are recognised.

The need for students to have formal recognition of their open learning (to use in education and the employment market) is not currently being addressed by course providers. Despite great potential, the lack (or slow emergence) of standardised practices relating to assessment, certification, and quality assurance in open learning is preventing courses from increased participation and credibility, particularly in higher education institutions.

This issue of eLearning Papers will bring together diverse perspectives on this pioneering area of research. The topics include (but are not limited to) 

• recognition of prior learning
• the role of the universities as certification bodies
• design scenarios and tools for assessing and improving open learning
• quality standards for open learning
• quality control and assurance of OER produced and used (third-party) from the producers’ and consumers’ point of view
• assessing collective projects and online collaboration
• portfolio building, making things as proof of learning