What are the enablers for quality

improvement in higher education?

PREPARED BY : MAHMOUD MOHAMED AHMED

PRESENTED TO : PROF. DR. MOHAMED ABD EL AZIZ

Arab Academy For Science , Technology and Maritime Transport

College of International Trade & Logistics

Institute of International Trade and Logistics

Master in International Transport and Logistics

Contents Introduction

WHAT IS QUALITY?

IMPROVING QUALITY IN LEARNING

Quality improvement

Quality tools

STRUCTURES OF HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNANCE

External governance

Institutional governance

Challenges in institutional governance

Small group teaching methods

Techniques for Small Group Work

Origination six Sigma

Six Sigma principles in Higher Education

Web 2.0 definition and web 2.0 in education

What Is A Wiki ? And what is the role of wiki in education ?

Examples of wiki

Case of Committee Meetings In Higher Education

1. Introduction

Ideas of quality were originally developed in the 1930s and 1940s,

primarily by W Edwards Deming, a statistician who was best

known for helping postwar Japanese business to become foremost

in quality in the world (Sallis 1993:15).

Deming supplied a simple answer to the Dilemma of poor quality:

find out what customers want. The resultant approach is popularly

Known as Total Quality Management (TQM).

Demonstrating quality education is vital to today's

educational stakeholders, who expect and demand

positive returns on their educational investments (Weller

& McElwee 1997:201). It is important to know that all

processes in any organisation contribute directly or

indirectly to quality as the customer defines it (Swift et

al 1998:93). Applying this principle to education means

that the learning process needs to be assessed in the

light of quality as defined by the learner. This will

determine whether learners' needs have been met (Arcaro 1995:24).

2. WHAT IS QUALITY?

Despite the importance of quality, it seems to be an enigmatic

concept. A literature survey Indicates that the majority of authors

define quality as continuously meeting and exceeding The needs

of customers. Juran (1999a:2.1,2.2) and Goetsch and

Davis (1995:3), however,add another focus that has met with general agreement.

"Quality" means those features of products and services which continuously meet or exceed customer

needs and thereby provide satisfaction. Customer

satisfaction is a vital goal and is considered as the

absolute test of an organisation's effectiveness (Daugherty 1996:85; Oakland & Oakland1998:188).

3. IMPROVING QUALITY IN

LEARNING

Customer focus first

QM advocates that all stakeholders should become so customer focused that they continually Find new ways to meet or exceed customers' expectations (Weller & McElwee 1997:209).

Colleagues within an educational institution are customers and rely upon particular internal services of others to do their work effectively (Sallis 1997:32). According to Sallis, the best way of developing the internal customer focus is to assist individual staff members to identify the people to whom they provide services. This is known as the "next- in-line analysis". The people next in line are the direct customers and may be internal or external (Arcaro 1995:31; Sallis 1997:25). Internal customers refer to people within the institution, which includes the teaching, support and administrative staff, learners, the institution's council and the student representative council. Downey, Fraser and Peters (1994:10) strongly believe that the learner is the primary and ultimate customer in any decision within the educational institution. External customers are "end-users" and include people external to the institution such as society in general, the government and the labour market (Greenwood & Gaunt 1994:27; Downey et al 1994:24; Pike & Barnes 1994:35; McClaskey & Owens 1997:3-6).

Quality improvement

Improving quality of products or services encompasses various strategies which are

interlinked. These strategies include the PDCA cycle, diagnostic and remedial

journeys,storyboarding, benchmarking and SWOT analysis:

PDCA cycle: (Plan, Do, Check and Act) cycle.

Step 1: Plan. This is the planning element of the PDCA (Early & Coletti 1999).

Step 2: Do. Carry out the plan (Early & Coletti 1999).

Step 3: Check. Check or study the data on the effects of the improvement

or innovation(Early & Coletti 1999:3.16).

Step 4: Act (or adjust). Act on what the small-scale programme shows (Early & Coletti

1999:3.16).

diagnostic and remedial journeys :

The remedial journey: from cause to remedy. This journey includes developing

alternatives for the remedy, selecting and implementing the remedy and establishing

controls to hold the gains.

symptom cause remedy

Storyboarding: • Identify the problem area.

• Observe and identify causes of the problem.

• Analyse, identify and verify root cause(s) of the problem.

• Plan and implement preventative action.

• Check effectiveness of action taken.

• Standardise process improvement.

• Determine future action.

Benchmarking:

When pursuing benchmarking, the best practices in other organisations or institutions are uncovered, adopted and implemented (Downey et al 1994:49; Swift et al 1998: 144; Camp & DeToro 1999:12.2). Because the external environment changes so rapidly, goal setting, which is usually internally focused, often fails to meet customer expectations. It is important to know that customer expectations are driven by standards set by the best suppliers in education

Phase 1: Planning what to benchmark

• Identify the problems.

• Identify benchmark partners

• Determine the measurement method

• Collect data

Phase 2: Analysis of the performance gap

Phase 3: Integration of functional goals

Phase 4: Develop action plan

Quality tools

Control charts Figure 6 depicts a control chart indicating a department's extra monthly income of R5 000 from business partners over the past two years; the department has become dependent on it for giving extra discussion classes (cf Latta & Downey 1994:82). To monitor the situation, upper and lower spending levels are established: upper limit = R6 000 and lower limit R4 000.

Pareto chart by

phenomena

shows the number of

learners failing a module in

a B.Ed learning programme.

The chart reveals that 75%

of learners failed Philosophy

of Education, 55% of

learners failed School

Management and 52%of

learners failed Education

Law. No other module has a

higher than 50% incidence

of learner failure.

Scatter diagram

Flow chart

A scatter diagram is used to test for a cause-

and-effect relationship (Latta & Downey

1994:41). In the chart one variable is plotted

against another to determine if there is a

correlation between the two variables

(Downey et al 1994:84).

A flowchart is a graphic representation of a

process which details the sequencing of

materials, work activities, operations and

decisions that make up the process

(Downey et al 1994:85; Swift et al

1998:247).

STRUCTURES OF HIGHER

EDUCATION GOVERNANCE The governance structure of an institution tells us how stakeholders

(including the executive head of the institution, staff, students, parents, governments, laypersons, etc.) communicate with each other: who is accountable to whom, how they are held accountable and for what. In the context of the rapid changes in society and its relationship with higher education.

These new structures of governance in the higher education sector, including:

• External regulation : refers to the authority of the State

to lay down the rules of operation for HEIs.

• External guidance : refers to the steering power and co-ordination by external stakeholders as members of university boards

• Managerial self-governance : to senior leadership and management staff (rector/president, deans)

• Academic self-governance : refers to governance through consensus within and among the academic communities of an HEI.

External governance

National and international bodies

• National quality assurance bodies are also an important part of the external governance of HEIs. These bodies are often responsible for setting quality standards and conducting evaluations, elaborating and implementing policies and standards for improving the quality of education at the institutions.

External regulations on information sharing and transparency

• An annual report is required in most countries, usually prepared and presented to the Ministry by the executive head of the institution. Although many annual reports include information on the institutional budget, they are used primarily as an accountability tool for educational and other activities.

Institutional governance

Academic body

• The academic body is composed mainly of academic staff members employed at the institution. The body usually includes student representatives and in some countries non-academic staff can also be members.

Decision-making body

• A decision-making body is responsible for the strategic planning, general educational and research policy, and overall development of the institution. It usually has the authority to confirm or modify the institutional statutes or charter and its approval is required for most decisions taken by the executive head.

Challenges in institutional

governance

In order for an HEI to function successfully, all of the

institutional-level governance bodies must co-operate with

each other, share information via open lines of

communication and have transparent, trust-worthy processes

of operation.

Web 2.0 definition and web 2.0 in

education

Describes World Wide Web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier Web sites which was coined in 1999 and was popularized by Tim O'Reilly at the O'Reilly Media

Web 2.0 technologies can provide students with more engagement through greater customization and choice of topics, and less distraction from their peers .

By allowing students to use the technology tools of Web 2.0, teachers are giving students the opportunity to share what they learn with peers.

What Is A Wiki ?

At its simplest expression, a wiki is a web page that

anybody can edit. The spirit behind the original wiki idea is that any user of the World Wide Web could now read a

nd write at the same time using Their web browser , there

fore simplifying the web editing process . Ward

Cunningham inventor of the wiki

Wikis & Education:

Often go together. Many publicly available wikis,

such as Wikiversity ( is a Wikimedia

Foundation project that supports learning

communities, their learning materials, and resulting activities), allow for self-education. Wikis

are also sometimes used in classrooms for

collaborative projects.

Examples of wiki

This section will emphasize the way wikis are used to generate

value in education. It will start with very high.

Wikipedia

is one of the greatest popular successes of the internet age. As of

mid_December of 2007, more that 2.1million articles are available

in English. All these articles have been written by the Wikipedia

community , which is composed of web users like you and me.

E-Portfolios

is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a

user, usually on the Web. Such electronic evidence may include

inputted text, electronic files, images, multimedia, blog entries,

and hyperlinks.

E-portfolios in Education

In education the electronic portfolio is a collection of a students’ work that can advance learning by providing a way for them to organize, archive, and display work. The electronic format allows an instructor to evaluate student portfolios via the Internet, CD-ROM, DVD, or zip disk. Electronic portfolios have become a popular alternative to paper-based portfolios because they provide the opportunity to review, communicate and give feedback .

In education e-portfolios have six major functions:

• Document, skills and learning;

• Record and track development within a program;

• Plan educational programs;

• Evaluate and monitor performance;

• Evaluate a course;

• Find a job

Case of Committee Meetings In

Higher Education

I. Mission Statement

The U.S. Department of Education has established this negotiated rulemaking committee to

develop proposed student financial assistance regulations pursuant to Sec. 492 of the Higher

Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).

V. Committee Meetings

A. The facilitator(s) will maintain a clear and reliable record of tentative and final agreements

reached during the negotiation process, as well as discussions of preamble language. The

draft meeting summaries will be provided to members, who may share them with others

within their community of interests. After review and approval by the committee, this

record will be made available to the public.

B. The Department will make every effort to distribute materials to committee members in a

timely fashion. To the extent practicable, the Department will provide members with

documents for discussion at committee meetings at least seven days in advance of the

meetings.

C. A caucus for the purpose of consultation may be requested of the facilitator(s) at any time

by any member.

D. The facilitator(s) will be responsible for developing an agenda for all meetings of the

committee. This agenda will be developed in consultation with the members of the

committee.

E. All committee meetings, but not subcommittee meetings or caucuses, are open to the

public.

Small group teaching methods

Divides the students in this way to groups

No more than a small number of members from each of seven

students and each group determines the desired topic Discussed .

Choose from among its members the group leader The management

discussion and take responsibility to speak on behalf of the group at

the end.

Techniques for Small Group Work

The teacher explains the task assigned to each group To them , and distributes them cards where they are required to clarify the instructions . Have the opportunity for each group Work for a period of time estimated by the nature of the task assigned to each group to no more than Duration about 15 minutes , passing the teacher groups to ensure the participation of all members of the Discussion also offers help if he deems it necessary . At the end of the period prescribed for discussion Leader of each group advancing to view and his point of view and the findings of views and ideas are discussed These views with other groups to agree upon , modify, or criticize her .

Origination six Sigma :

Quality and style 6 Sigma (Six Sigma) of the best modern

methods for improving the stunning quality of services ,

products and processes . The company " Motorola " first began

to use this method in 1979 to express its own quality program

Six Sigma stages of the application :

Definition: involves identifying students' learning outcomes and

identify the roles and responsibilities of the project

Measurement: The measurement includes the development of

critical learning points in the learning processes

Analysis: This includes the analysis of data on a range of the

minimum expectations

Optimization: Includes a brainstorming opportunities for

improvement and disposal of waste in the areas of activities of

the education process

Control: This includes the development of the required

measurements of changes in the education process

Six Sigma principles in Higher

Education

First : focus on the customer, which mainly students

Second : link speed and quality and reduce cost

Third : Improving Operations

Fourth : the use of data for decision-making

Fifth : teamwork to get the greatest benefits

SWOT analysis:

The SWOT analysis can be divided into two elements: an internal

analysis, and an external analysis focusing on the outside environment

(Sallis 1997:110). The strengths and weaknesses are essentially an

internal audit on how effectively the institution, department or learning

programme is performing, while the opportunities and threats

concentrate on the external environment in which the institution,

department or learning programme functions(Sallis 1997:110).

Internal strengths

Qualified staff.

Management team.

Relevant learning programs.

Internal Weakness

High average age of staff.

Lack of car parking.

Long processes for appointing

new staff.

External opportunities

The excitement of establishing

a new institution.

The opportunity to enlarge staff

expertise to increase range of

offerings.

External Threats

Loss of identity, strengths and

reputation.

Risk of losing experienced staff.

Force-field analysis

Force-field analysis is a useful tool for studying a situation calling for change (Sallis 1997:97).

It is a problem-solving tool for helping change to occur and identifying possible strategies for change (Downey et al 1994:91). A distinction is made between driving forces that help change occur and restraining forces that resist change (Sallis 1997:44).

A force-field analysis could be used to identify the driving forces and restraining forces in the following situations (Downey et al 1994:94):

• High drop-out rate of learners

• Staff resistance to QM

• Staff dissatisfaction with appraisal system

Analysis of the performance gap

Examine the best practices from other institutions

and measure the performance gap. Examples of

performance gaps include lack of research on

views of customers, a poor assessment system, poor feedback on assignments or poor contact

with learners.

The analysis should include which inputs, outputs,

processes or steps within a process are superior

and to what extent each of these components is

superior.

References

http://www.cause.org/information-resources/ir-library/

http://www.books.iupindia.org/IB11014960009.htm

http://www.inqaahe.org/admin/files/assets/

http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/238/ar_steyn_qualitytools.pdf?sequence=1

http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/091EN.pdf

"Wikiversity.org Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.

www.ed.gov/

Thank You