Assessment of Student Program Outcomes through a Comprehensive Exit Strategy

AbstractChoosing methods to assess student program outcomes is a matter of balancing best practices against the constraints imposed by the respective education authorities mainly the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) for engineering degrees offered by institutions of higher education in Malaysia. Methods that directly measure student learning and yield the most rigorous results are usually the most time consuming and may require the expertise of educational researchers or outside consultants. Currently, the Department of Electrical, Electronics and Systems Engineering at UKM use their classroom and existing grading practices to collect data that will contribute to assess student learning directly, but this requires extra time and effort. In addition, mechanisms to adequately report the findings need to be properly implemented. Another mechanism that could be used to assess student program outcomes is through a thoroughly designed student exit strategy. The exit strategy implemented this academic year involves two parts; exit survey and exit test. This is a Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) effort done since the past two academic years that enables the department to assess student program outcomes directly and indirectly in one approach. The exit strategy has proven successful as a valid measurement of student program outcomes. The exit strategy which combines both direct and indirect assessment forms a comprehensive and robust tool to effectively measure student program outcomes

Quality and TQM at Higher Education Institutions in the UK: Lessons from the University of East London and the Aston University

The objective of this article is to investigate the level of implication of Quality in the University of East London and TQM in the Aston University. The elements of Quality and Accountability are the major driving forces in academic institutions in the UK, and in this respect, the total quality management (TQM) movement has exploded, capturing the attention of educators at all levels. Certainly, higher education embraces the concept of TQM as a set of tools for planning continuous improvement. In wider context, TQM have all sought to achieve fundamental change in organizations. The focuses of these two cases are implication of Quality and TQM programme in the University of East London and Aston University respectively.

Perceptions of community college presidents: total quality management performance measures at their colleges

Department Head: Sharon K. Anderson.2009 Fall.Includes bibliographical references (pages 144-152).Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) measures such as Total Quality Management (TQM), Strategic Planning, Six Sigma, and the Balanced Scorecard are often met with skepticism among leaders of higher education. This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature regarding the study of relationships among specific variables, or building blocks, associated with TQM and their use within community colleges. Presidents at public, private, and tribal community colleges from every state and U.S. territory were surveyed to determine their perceptions regarding the presence of TQM performance measures at their college. These performance measures were building blocks of the variables under study. These independent variables were: (a) leadership, (b) continuous improvement, (c) employee fulfillment, (d) learning, (e) process management, (f) cooperation, and (g) customer focus. The dependent variables were: (a) product/service quality, (b) financial effectiveness, (c) operational efficiency, (d) public responsibility, (e) customer satisfaction, and (f) employee satisfaction. A total of 179 responses were received from the pilot and main studies and statistical analysis evaluated six hypotheses under study. The findings indicated that the presidents perceived at their colleges relationships existed between product/service quality and customer focus (H1), financial effectiveness and the other variables (H2), operational efficiency and continuous improvement (H3), public responsibility and the other variables (H4), customer satisfaction and employee fulfillment, cooperation, customer focus, and public responsibility (H5), and between employee satisfaction and the other variables (H6). This study adds to the field of research by allowing CQI practitioners to focus on those TQM variables that support each other. Implications for future study include the evaluation of leadership during a CQI process, how accepting or resistant individuals are to change, and an exploration of how integral TQM may be within institutions, whether identified or labeled as such

A model of outcome-based education (obe) for engineering education / Asmidar Alias and Norshariza Mohamad Bhkari

Outcome-Based Education (OBE) is an educational system which has been enforced on all engineering programmes. The driving force for this change is the current higher learning education development, which is an accreditation regulatory in the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA) Act. Shifting towards this new practice, the concept and delivery of OBE should first be recognised by any Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) provider for accreditation purposes. This paper focuses on the driving force and an implementation model of OBE practices in the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FCE) UiTM Pahang

Systematic review of the literature on professional education accreditation

This report is critical and systematic review of the literature on professional education accreditation models, associated methods, and the effectiveness and impact of each model. The review was conducted to inform a review and update of the Royal College of Vetinerary Surgeons (RCVS) standards of accreditation for veterinary degrees. The purpose of the study was to rapidly appraise the evidence for the effectiveness, impact, and feasibility of different accreditation approaches, in order to inform best practices for the accreditation of professional education programs. The study focused on accreditation for programs which produce practice-ready graduates, including for veterinary programs. The authors searched several databases for articles published from 2000 to 2020, using search terms identified during a scoping phase, and applied a rapid review methodology in line with contextual, time, and resource requirements. The full-text review included 32 articles, from which a clear transition in the literature was seen from input- and process-based models (pre- and early 2000s) to outcomes-based models (in the 2000s and early 2010s). Continuous quality improvement and targeted models (including risk-based and thematic) represent more recent approaches in accreditation practice. However the review identified limited empirical evidence for the relative effectiveness of different accreditation approaches in professional education, although evidence for the more recent accreditation approaches is emerging

Manufacturing Performance Reporting For Continuous Quality Improvement

Recently many plants have implemented the new manufacturing strategy of continuous quality improvement. The central hypothesis in this paper is that the implementation of a policy of continuous quality improvement results in a shift in the management control system. This article tests this hypothesis by examining the shop floor reporting policies of forty-two plants located in the United States. The paper documents that the extent of information concerning the current status of manufacturing, such as charts on defect rates or schedule compliance and productivity information, provided to workers on the shop floor is positively related to the implementation of continuous quality improvement programs

Using Formative Student Feedback: A Continuous Quality Improvement Approach for Online Course Development

The objective of this study was to examine the use of frequent, anonymous student course surveys as a tool in supporting continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles in online instruction. The study used a qualitative, multiple-case design involving four separate online courses. Analysis methods included pattern matching/explanation building, time series analysis, and thematic analysis. Findings suggested that instructors used student feedback to make course changes that alleviated technical difficulties, added and clarified content, and contributed to future course changes. Students and instructors responded positively to the opportunity to give and receive anonymous feedback and felt that it helped improve the course. It is uncertain, however, whether using CQI principles had an impact on end-of-semester teacher course quality ratings. An important finding from the research is that students like to be asked to help improve their learning experience, as long as the instructor listens and responds to their feedback. Evaluation is a valuable component of instructional design theories, which are based on the philosophy that the best designs result from an iterative process. Using a synergistic CQI approach, this study indicates that it is possible for changes to be made more quickly to a course when students are involved in the process. The combination of frequent student feedback with a willing and experienced instructor who can make expert course revision decisions allows the process of course improvement to be enhanced