Quality Improvements of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: a comparison with developments in industrial settings

Abstract

AS is the case in many areas of society, quality issues have come into focus also in higher education. One expression is that there are a number of institutions in higher education where a Total Quality Management (TQM) perspective has been adopted. However, most of these examples are found in non-academic activities. This article discusses the possibility to achieve improvements in teaching and learning from the adoption of a TQM perspective. The discussion will be based upon an analogy with one particular development common in trade and industry, namely the transition towards process orientated structures, and towards less reliance on screening, rework, and scrapping of non-conformances. The basic argument is that a similar change in higher education accompanied by the adoption of a TQM perspective comprising elements as focus on customer needs, process orientation and continuous improvements could result in improvements in teaching and learning.

A framework for implementing TQM in higher education programs

“…Students are non‐standard human beings who are embodied with a range of experiences, emotions and characteristics and hence treating them as products misses the complexities of the learning process as a unique learner. However, many researchers have compared industry with education and have pointed out that although industry and education differ from business process perspectives, some of their outcomes such as focussing on building flexibility and improving customer base in a dynamic environment are very much similar (Stensaasen, 1995; Lundquist, 1998 and Srikanthan and Dalrymple, 2003). From the work of Juran and Gryna (1980), Stensaasen states that educational institutions may be considered as industries which provide education as the service with raw materials as incoming students on whom the processes of teaching are applied and turned out as the finished products of graduates.…”

“…As against Kohn's comments, they mention Total Quality's basis in sound psychology, its demonstrated benefits to both schools and industry and its self‐refining mechanisms. Lundquist (1998) states that there are some striking similarities between industry and higher education – the customer focus, process orientation and continuous improvement philosophies of TQM adopted in industry is very much applicable in education.…”

Business process reengineering: critical success factors in higher education

“…Moreover, the organisation should know very well about how to manage the impact of change in the organisation. Particularly, in the HE sector, academic staff are the key personnel and important assets (Rowley, 1996;Lundquist, 1998), therefore management should have the "art" of dealing with people in its particular environment. Effective change management should consider soft issues around the human, and would avoid resistance to change among employees (Mumford, 1999;Moran and Brightman, 2000;Mabin et al, 2001).…”

Monitoring of Official Degree Qualifications: The Key Role of Academic Quality Assurance Systems (AQAS)

“…Equally, evaluating quality should be used to create projects that will show common improvements that will have an impact on the evolution of Degrees, Centres and Universities as a whole (Lundquist, 1998;Pozo et al, 2009); thus, the demand for the social responsibility of Universities to the society that supports them is met (O'Donovan, Price & Rust, 2004).…”