TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT FOR LANGUAGE TEACHERS
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT FOR LANGUAGE
TEACHING
In most countries and cultures the issue of quality management is frequently under
consideration of higher education establishments. Long-life learning and a high level of
accountability are frequently cited as rationales for a greater emphasis on quality. Other
issues include the greater expectations and diversity of students as consumers, their
demand for high flexibility in provision, and fierce competition within and across
national borders. Total Quality Management (TQM) is used to outline two fractionally
varied but related notions. The first one is continuous improvement and the second notion
is used to define such tools and techniques as brain-storming and force-field analysis
generally applied to make quality improvement more real thing. TQM is both a mind-set
and a set of practical activities being able to promote continuous improvement. It is not a
set of slogans but balanced and systematic approach used to achieve appropriate level of
quality and meet students’ needs and requirements.
As any approach TQM renders a continuous shift of a university’s focus from
short-term practicability to long-term quality improvement. Sustainable innovations,
improvement and changes are the main things which should be followed, thus keeping on
the cycle of continuous improvement. Higher educational establishments are to make
conscious attempts to analyze what they are doing and create plans of future actions to
improve it. To sustain a continuous improvement it is necessary to trust the staff and
delegate decisions to the appropriate level, thus granting responsibility to the staff to
deliver quality within their own sphere. Teachers’ training to implement quality concepts
and ideas is one of the most important elements in required educational change. The best
aspects of the professional development mean improving academic and cultural
standards. Blending the best aspects of professional skills with total quality is greatly
vital for significant success. If TQM has the importance for improving education it is
necessary to address the quality of the learners’ experience. It is a common fact that
students can do their best in a style which is relevant to their needs and inclinations. An
educational establishment that is about to follow the total quality route is supposed to
consider the issue of learning styles and needs and develop the strategies which result in
making learning more individualized and differentiated. The learner plays a role of a
primary customer and unless the learning styles meet individual needs it will be too early
to proclaim about achieving total quality.
Providing and establishing appropriate feedback is one of the most important
elements to carry out quality assurance process. This assessment is required to be a
continuous process and must be performed during the whole period of studies. The
results of assessment processes should be discussed with the students afterwards and it
could be done in the form of completing a record of achievement. The feeling of being
involved into the process of carrying out the assessment will assist in creating the
students’ analytical skills. It is also important that the results of the formal monitoring
will be used to establish the validity and suitability of the programmes developed by
university’s staff and definite corrections should be done in the case of not corresponding
to existing needs and requirements of students’ body. None of this is easy to implement
taking into consideration the previous background. It can be an emotional experience and
any unexpected turns could be predicted. Meanwhile, the main result which is foreseen
is improving students’ motivation and providing practical experience of using TQM tools
that can be applied to different educations situations and in a varied educational
environment. Thus, TQM can be a powerful tool to achieve main educational goals in
spite of being developed for manufacturing purposes. The key elements to a successful
implementation of TQM are: (1) gaining the support of everyone in the chain of
supervision (2) identifying your learners, (3) focusing on refining educational process,
and (4) applying Deming’s 14 Points as a guide and a checklist during the
implementation effort. The final result will be providing a more efficient educational
process and a teamwork attitude rather than as an attitude between faculty and students.
The role of higher education in stimulating national economic growth and the
importance of highly qualified specialists to national economies intensify the demand in
ensuring the quality of higher education. It is obvious, that quality assurance processes
should be both intensive and transparent, and that quality enhancement initiatives should
be firmly embedded in any quality management programmes
TEACHING
In most countries and cultures the issue of quality management is frequently under
consideration of higher education establishments. Long-life learning and a high level of
accountability are frequently cited as rationales for a greater emphasis on quality. Other
issues include the greater expectations and diversity of students as consumers, their
demand for high flexibility in provision, and fierce competition within and across
national borders. Total Quality Management (TQM) is used to outline two fractionally
varied but related notions. The first one is continuous improvement and the second notion
is used to define such tools and techniques as brain-storming and force-field analysis
generally applied to make quality improvement more real thing. TQM is both a mind-set
and a set of practical activities being able to promote continuous improvement. It is not a
set of slogans but balanced and systematic approach used to achieve appropriate level of
quality and meet students’ needs and requirements.
As any approach TQM renders a continuous shift of a university’s focus from
short-term practicability to long-term quality improvement. Sustainable innovations,
improvement and changes are the main things which should be followed, thus keeping on
the cycle of continuous improvement. Higher educational establishments are to make
conscious attempts to analyze what they are doing and create plans of future actions to
improve it. To sustain a continuous improvement it is necessary to trust the staff and
delegate decisions to the appropriate level, thus granting responsibility to the staff to
deliver quality within their own sphere. Teachers’ training to implement quality concepts
and ideas is one of the most important elements in required educational change. The best
aspects of the professional development mean improving academic and cultural
standards. Blending the best aspects of professional skills with total quality is greatly
vital for significant success. If TQM has the importance for improving education it is
necessary to address the quality of the learners’ experience. It is a common fact that
students can do their best in a style which is relevant to their needs and inclinations. An
educational establishment that is about to follow the total quality route is supposed to
consider the issue of learning styles and needs and develop the strategies which result in
making learning more individualized and differentiated. The learner plays a role of a
primary customer and unless the learning styles meet individual needs it will be too early
to proclaim about achieving total quality.
Providing and establishing appropriate feedback is one of the most important
elements to carry out quality assurance process. This assessment is required to be a
continuous process and must be performed during the whole period of studies. The
results of assessment processes should be discussed with the students afterwards and it
could be done in the form of completing a record of achievement. The feeling of being
involved into the process of carrying out the assessment will assist in creating the
students’ analytical skills. It is also important that the results of the formal monitoring
will be used to establish the validity and suitability of the programmes developed by
university’s staff and definite corrections should be done in the case of not corresponding
to existing needs and requirements of students’ body. None of this is easy to implement
taking into consideration the previous background. It can be an emotional experience and
any unexpected turns could be predicted. Meanwhile, the main result which is foreseen
is improving students’ motivation and providing practical experience of using TQM tools
that can be applied to different educations situations and in a varied educational
environment. Thus, TQM can be a powerful tool to achieve main educational goals in
spite of being developed for manufacturing purposes. The key elements to a successful
implementation of TQM are: (1) gaining the support of everyone in the chain of
supervision (2) identifying your learners, (3) focusing on refining educational process,
and (4) applying Deming’s 14 Points as a guide and a checklist during the
implementation effort. The final result will be providing a more efficient educational
process and a teamwork attitude rather than as an attitude between faculty and students.
The role of higher education in stimulating national economic growth and the
importance of highly qualified specialists to national economies intensify the demand in
ensuring the quality of higher education. It is obvious, that quality assurance processes
should be both intensive and transparent, and that quality enhancement initiatives should
be firmly embedded in any quality management programmes
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