ASQ Communities

Education, as any other continuous process industry, needs to implement a quality control system; a Total Quality Assurance. There is a big difference between having a QC system, and measuring the quality of a given education. While the second choice provides metrics after the process has been completed, the first choice offers the managers (the teachers) the possibility to act according to the responses and make the necessary changes to achieve the desired quality. A QC system requires metrics in real time; a continuous evaluation.

The other thing that the Education industry needs is a “measurement” system. Not a set of standardized tests. A QC system uses standard units to measure the different steps of a process. The concept of Learning Objects, used in the e-learning industry as standard of content, can easily be adopted by the Educational industry to measure the courses. Instead of using “credits” or “units”, LOs could be used to quantitatively and qualitatively measure the syllabus contained in a curriculum. Correlating content between institutions would be just a matter of matching the LOs of the desired curriculum. LOs also could be used for internationalization of career titles or certificates.

This Virtual platform will potentiate teachers’ capacities to become “teaching managers”. I would like to paraphrase Deming: Teachers who will work ON the system, monitoring study performance data of individuals, and correcting their weaknesses on-time, will achieve the desired knowledge (quality).

Patricia Elgee: Standardized test can be a valid measure. For example, if the student is being tested on reading, some standardized test, test for main idea, supporting details, vocabulary, characterization, plot, and inferences. In higher grades, the tests might also have questions about the author's objectives, prejudices, and style..
Too often, people complain about "teaching to the test." Certainly if the tests are good, then covering all the relevant aspects of the subject will prepare the student to succeed on the test.
I often thought that if students were tested every year, then at the begining of the year, one could take an average of the class in the different test areas, then take an average of the same class at the end of the year, and learn a lot about where the individual student, the class as a whole, and the teacher are making the greatest and the least gains.
These statistics can be helpful in pointing out areas that need work.
If Suzie's classes all blossomed in spelling, we might ask Suzie to give a presentation on her methods of teaching spelling. Jane might have students fly high in understanding characterization, but show less than standard expectation in spelling.
Professionals would then be given recognition for excellence, as well as, ideas about the effect methods of others.
Teachers are terrified of seeing standardized testing, when they should be taught that it can be a wonderful tool to hone their own skills.
Students take pride in mastering difficult tasks, and find confidence in success.
Teachers, students, and other people are often over or under-rated by subjective evaluations. Standardized tests are excellent tools, if not for the entire measurement, then at least for an objective measure.
I was in FL in the 70's, then again just last year. The difference that they made in the quality of education is remarkable. There have been programs on PBS about astounding changes made in education in some of the poorest areas.
When schools excell, the community gets behind them 100%.
Jonathan Nituch: Some jurisdictions do have a quality assurance system in higher education. Here in Ontario, Canada, we do have such a system as described here http://cll.mcmaster.ca/COU/degree/outcomes.htmlArnaldo hit the nail on the head that education needs to be measurable in order to have quality. As part of the quality assurance system, Ontario converted to Outcome Based education. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outcome-based_educationI teach part-time at two community colleges in the province and the outcome based learning does allow me to provide a better quality of education. The learning outcomes are part of the course outline, they are part of each lecture that I do, and they are part of the assessments for the course (exams). When the students see "Evaluate project performance through the cost management technique earned value management (EVM)." as one of the ten learning outcomes in my project management class, they know that they will not leave the class without that skill. For employers, this also makes it easy to see what capabilities a student has based on the course learning outcomes. Course outcomes also contribute to higher level outcomes at the program level. It a wonderful system that definitely improves the quality of learning that our student achieve.
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