From Compliance to Continuous Improvement: Strengthening Internal Quality Assurance in Online Higher Education

Abstract The rapid expansion of Online and Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has increased the need for higher education institutions to move beyond regulatory compliance towards continuous quality improvement. This study examines how internal quality assurance mechanisms contribute to continuous quality improvement in online higher education, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of quality culture. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was adopted, and data were collected from 400 academic and administrative personnel involved in online programme delivery, quality assurance, learner support, assessment, and programme monitoring in Indian higher education institutions. The study examined four internal quality assurance dimensions: quality governance and compliance, data-driven monitoring, faculty quality development, and learner feedback responsiveness. Data were analysed using SPSS and AMOS through reliability analysis, correlation analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling, and mediation analysis. The findings revealed that all four internal quality assurance dimensions significantly influenced quality culture and continuous quality improvement. Data-driven monitoring emerged as the strongest predictor of quality culture, while quality culture demonstrated the strongest effect on continuous quality improvement. Mediation analysis further confirmed that quality culture partially mediated the relationship between internal quality assurance dimensions and continuous quality improvement. The study concludes that compliance-oriented quality assurance alone is insufficient to generate sustained institutional improvement. Quality enhancement becomes more effective when governance, monitoring, faculty development, and learner feedback are embedded within a shared institutional quality culture. The findings provide practical implications for CIQA, IQAC, academic leadership, and Online and ODL institutions seeking to transform formal quality assurance processes into evidence-driven continuous improvement.