Quality Enhancement in Autonomous Colleges

Concept of quality

·         Quality is often considered to be a standard or norm with which to compare two similar things in order to assess the worth of the thing compared.

·         Quality is ‘the degree of excellence of a thing or superiority in kind’(webster’s dictionary)

·         Quality is ‘a grade of goodness’ or excellence (how good) (oxford dictionary)

Meaning of quality

·         Quality means ‘Conformance to specifications’ or ‘Fitness for use’ or Consumer satisfaction

·         Quality= fitness-for purpose (FFP)

3- dimensions  of quality

•         Product quality ----Process quality ------Organization quality----àTotal quality

   Total quality control, TQC –

·         Quality is no accident

·         Quality is not an act, it is a habit

·         Quality must be planned

·         Quality generally signifies the degree of excellence.

Quality management practice in Higher education (Becket and Brookes,2008; Green 1994)

      :·        Quality as exceptional (highest) standards.

       ·         Quality as conformance to standards.

       ·         Quality as fitness for purpose.

       ·         Quality as effectiveness in achieving institutional goals.

       ·         Quality as meeting customer’s stated or implied needs.

 5-developmental stages of quality management in HEIs (Expert group  HBO 2006)

              1.    Activity – oriented-individual responsibility for quality.

              2.    Process- oriented.

              3.    System – oriented

              4.    Chain – oriented.

              5.    Total quality management – oriented.

Why worry about Quality in higher educational institutions ?

·         Competition-for students, funds, survival.
Customer satisfaction (students, parents, sponsoring agencies)
Getting value for their money &time spent.
Employable skill- sets.
Satisfy needs of the labor market.
Maintaining standards-improvement in the quality of the educational transactions, educational provisions and facilities.
Accountability of funds utilized.
Improve employee morale and motivation-
High morale and motivation of staff in performing their duties and responsibilities.
Credibility, prestige and status-(brand value)-credibility of individuals & institution.
Image and visibility- capacity to attract better stakeholder support.

Characteristics of a quality curriculum (National research council,1999)

·         Curriculum is attached to the lives and cultures of learners.

·         It attracts students.

·         It guides students in making sense of their worlds.

·         It helps students organize and retain the important ideas & skills in a discipline.

·         It moves beyond information to thought  and to thinking.

·         It actively involves students as doers and problem solvers.

·         It helps students to demonstrate the efficacy of the ideas and skills.

·         Students like to learn those things recognized  by experts ,community adults and the society.

5-Quality prerequisites of HEIs

1.    Quality  syllabus

2.    Quality  faculty

3.    Quality teaching and evaluation

4.    Quality research

5.    Quality of character and outlook of faculty / students.

Quality syllabus

·         Regular up-gradation,

·         advanced theoretical /expt. thrust,

·         credibility of content,

·         inter disciplinary orientation,

·         sensitive to change,

·         relevance to self/society

Quality faculty

·         Computer-literate.

·         Literacy in teaching tools and techniques.

·         Sound  knowledge in the subject.

·         Personality characteristics

·         Academic / research eminence.

Quality teaching

·         Teacher-student ratio,

·         Various  modes of teaching

·         Learner  centered approach

·         Interactive and participatory character of  teaching

·         Innovative teaching methods

·         Regularity of classes

·         Student attendance

Quality  evaluation

·         Evaluation with objectivity, impartiality, transparency

·         Continuous internal assessment, CIA-formative

·         Semester-end-examination, SEE – summative; CIA: Semester exam weightage= 50;50 or 40;60

·         External valuation-central, double, moderation /adjustment of pass/fail ratio, re-valuation, re-totaling

·         Question paper pattern-3 components-short answer, medium answer, long answer type questions

Quality research

·          Quality of     Infrastructure

·         Quality of research publications-citations

·         Quality of research guidance and projects

Quality of character and outlook of faculty / students

·      Imparting value education
    Cultural connectivity of educational process.

TQM ensures  5-core values

1.    Institutional development

2.    Educational system development

3.    Student development

4.    Community development

5.    Locality development