Ranking Meets Distance Education

Pozzi, Francesca; Passarelli, Marcello; Persico, Donatella; Brasher, Andrew; Holmes, W.; Whitelock, Denise; Sangrà, Albert

doi:10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4391

Cited by 17 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Quality is a highly subjective topic, and its perceived notion varies according to the industry. In HEIs, quality is often measured as per the university standards and global rankings (Pozzi et al, 2019). Due to the competitive market forces, achieving and maintaining quality goals is mandatory in HEIs.…”

Section: Higher Education Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

An empirical study into the use of 7 quality control tools in higher education institutions (HEIs)

Mathur

Antony

McDermott

et al. 2022

TQM

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PurposeThe main purpose of this study is to revisit Ishikawa's statement: “95% of problems in processes can be accomplished using the original 7 Quality Control (QC) tools”. The paper critically investigates the validity of this statement in higher education institutions (HEIs). It involves analysis of the usage of the 7 QC tools and identifying the barriers, benefits, challenges and critical success factors (CSFs) for the application of the 7 QC tools in a HEI setting.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey instrument was developed, and as this is a global study, survey participants were contacted via social networks such as LinkedIn. Target respondents were HEIs educators or professionals who are knowledgeable about the 7 QC tools promulgated by Dr Ishikawa. Professionals who work in administrative sectors, such as libraries, information technology and human resources were included in the study. A number of academics who teach the 7 basic tools of QC were also included in the study. The survey link was sent to over 200 educators and professionals and 76 complete responses were obtained.FindingsThe primary finding of this study shows that the diffusion of seven QC tools is not widespread in the context of HEIs. Less than 8% of the respondents believe that more than 90% of process problems can be solved by applying the 7 QC tools. These numbers show that modern-quality problems may need more than the 7 basic QC basic tools and there may be a need to revisit the role and contribution of these tools to solve problems in the higher education sector. Tools such as Pareto chart and cause and effect diagram have been widely used in the context of HEIs. The most important barriers highlighted are related to the lack of knowledge about the benefits and about how and when to apply these tools. Among the challenges are the “lack of knowledge of the tools and their applications” and “lack of training in the use of the tools”. The main benefits mentioned by the respondents were “the identification of areas for improvement, problem definition, measurement, and analysis”. According to this study, the most important factors critical for the success of the initiative were “management support”, “widespread training” and “having a continuous improvement program in place”.Research limitations/implicationsThe exploratory study provides an initial understanding about the 7 QC tools application in HEIs, and their benefits, challenges and critical success factors, which can act as guidelines for implementation in HEIs. Surveys alone cannot provide deeper insights into the status of the application of 7 QC tools in HEIs, and therefore qualitative studies in the form of semi-structured interviews should be carried out in the future.Originality/valueThis article contributes with an exploratory empirical study on the extent of the use of 7 QC tools in the university processes. The authors claim that this is the first empirical study looking into the use of the 7 QC tools in the university sector.

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Section: Higher Education Industrymentioning

confidence: 99%

An empirical study into the use of 7 quality control tools in higher education institutions (HEIs)

Mathur

Antony

McDermott

et al. 2022

TQM

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Online learning transfers knowledge through digital means such as a digital learning management system and students are physically isolated from their lecturers or institutions (Pozzi et al, 2019;Kalimullina et al, 2021). Under COVID-19, it has emerged as emergency remote teaching and learning (ERTL), which is an interim mode until the pandemic has normalised (Gherheș et al, 2021).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lecturer Autoethnographies of Adjusting to Online Student Interactions during COVID-19

Makwembere

Matarirano

Jere

2021

RESSAT

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In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed South African historically disadvantaged institutions, that had not yet reached advanced levels of technology use in teaching and learning, to find immediate solutions to salvage the disrupted academic year. Interactions with students, which had predominantly been face-to-face, shifted to various online platforms for lecturers to adopt emergency remote teaching approaches. Most of the lecturers were unprepared or incapacitated to make the shift to online environment. Studies have looked at the online teaching and learning experiences of students and lecturers during the COVID-19 pandemic but very few have taken an autoethographic approach to their inquiry and situated experiences in historically disadvantaged institutions. In this article, as lecturers, we use autoethnographies to provide an account of adjusting to interacting with students online during national lockdowns at a historically disadvantaged institution. The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) was applied to guide the study. This reflexive approach is valuable, as it captures professional encounters and reflections needed to understand the effects of rapid changes to teaching and learning in response to the pandemic. Given the education disparities that already existed between South African higher education institutions before COVID-19, the article contributes to the discourse on how historically disadvantaged institutions can advance higher standards of teaching and learning to serve students better. Our reflections point to the personal, technical and structural challenges of maintaining regular online interaction. Our findings show that different approaches and techniques were applied to adjust to virtual teaching and learning. As teaching and learning methodologies have the potential to ingrain social inequalities, we made recommendations on how to improve online interactions with students from historically disadvantaged contexts.

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“…Avalan su empleo también numerosos estudios en el marco de la investigación educativa (Charro, 2020;Çetinkaya y Keser, 2018;López-Gómez, 2018;McIntyre-Hite, 2016; Mirata, Bergamin y Van der Westhuizen, 2020; Mohr y Shelton, 2017; Plesch, Kaendler, Rummel, Wiedmann y Spada, 2013; Pozzi et al, 2019;Yeh et al, 2014).…”

Section: Marco Empíricounclassified

Tecnologías digitales y ecologías de aprendizaje: desafíos y oportunidades

Caamaño

Cancelo

Machado

2021

ESXXI

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La tecnología ha devenido, hoy en día, un factor primordial de cuyo adecuado empleo depende en gran medida el funcionamiento de los diversos contextos del aprendizaje humano. La teoría ecológica del aprendizaje considera el factor tecnológico como un componente especialmente relevante. Además, las tecnologías digitales están potenciando el desarrollo de nuevas oportunidades de aprendizaje que trascienden las fronteras temporales y geográficas, y propician sistemas que rompen el encorsetamiento de las estructuras de formación formal dando paso a ambientes flexibles, expandidos y diversos desde los que se favorecen mecanismos de aprendizaje informal. Desde esta perspectiva, y de cara a la construcción de tales contextos, resulta conveniente disponer de un marco de referencia paradigmático acerca de las oportunidades que las TIC puedan presentar y, paralelamente, valorar también la problemática asociada a su empleo. Para la identificación de este elenco de affordances tecnológicas, hemos seguido el método Delphi, en cuyo desarrollo han colaborado diversos expertos nacionales e internacionales. El análisis de resultados confirma el papel destacado de los usos tecnológicos en los contextos de aprendizaje actuales, y desvela su funcionamiento en íntima relación con los demás componentes que los integran. Resaltan no solo los aspectos potenciadores del aprendizaje, como son, entre otros, la facilitación de diversas herramientas de comunicación, acceso e intercambio de información, su potencialidad para la creación de vínculos entre personas y comunidades, y la transformación de los roles educativos. Se desvela también la emergencia de ciertas barreras en su empleo, como la ausencia de estrategias de uso. En este sentido, y siempre sobre la base del análisis de la configuración concreta de cada contexto, de sus elementos e interrelaciones, puede manejarse un marco de referencia general de affordances tecnológicas que sirva de guía para el desarrollo de una ecología de aprendizaje auténtica. Currently technology has become a primary factor in the various contexts of human learning, that depend, in a large extend, on the proper use of ICT. The ecological theory of learning considers the technological factor as a particularly relevant component of learning contexts. In addition, digital technologies are driving the development of new learning opportunities that transcend temporal and geographical borders and favor systems that break the confinement of formal training structures, giving way to flexible, expanded and diverse environments that generate informal learning mechanisms. From this perspective and with a view to the construction of such contexts, it seems convenient to have a paradigmatic frame of reference of the opportunities that ICTs can present. To identify this list of technological affordances, we have proceed through the Delphi method, in whose development various national and international experts have collaborated. The analysis of results confirms the prominent role of ICT in modern learning contexts and their operation in close relationship with the other components that comprise them. Their affordances for improving learning can be highlighted, such as, among others, the facilitation of various communication tools, access and exchange of information, their potential for creating links between people and communities, and the transformation of educational roles. In this sense, and always on the basis of the analysis of the specific configuration of each context in question, its elements and interrelations, a general framework of technological affordances can be used to serve as a guide for the development of an authentic learning ecology.

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Ranking Meets Distance Education

Cited by 17 publications

References 22 publications

An empirical study into the use of 7 quality control tools in higher education institutions (HEIs)

An empirical study into the use of 7 quality control tools in higher education institutions (HEIs)

Lecturer Autoethnographies of Adjusting to Online Student Interactions during COVID-19

Tecnologías digitales y ecologías de aprendizaje: desafíos y oportunidades

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