Thomas C. Keiser and Douglas A. Smith
For their presentation, Tom Keiser and Doug Smith discussed the problems many companies encounter in implementing customer‐driven quality programs. The format of this summary…
Abstract
For their presentation, Tom Keiser and Doug Smith discussed the problems many companies encounter in implementing customer‐driven quality programs. The format of this summary attempts to present the exchange of ideas between Keiser, president of The Forum Corporation, an international training and consulting firm which specializes in helping companies achieve superior performance by becoming customer‐driven, and Smith, president of Kraft General Foods Canada Inc., which struggled with the implementation of a customer‐focused total quality management program.
Thomas C. Keiser and Douglas A. Smith
Highlights the difficulties of implementing a quality programme within acompany from the experiences of two chief executives. Illustrates that80 per cent of companies which try to…
Abstract
Highlights the difficulties of implementing a quality programme within a company from the experiences of two chief executives. Illustrates that 80 per cent of companies which try to implement a quality improvement effort fail at the first attempt. Describes the reasons why and what can be done. Essentially quality can help the organization execute strategy by making it much more concrete and deploying it to every person who needs to implement it, and quality provides a means of saturating the organization with the voice of the customer and the voice of the employee, which leads to far better communication about the key priorities for improvement.
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The Institute of Personnel Management's annual conference at Harrogate each October is attended by about 2,000 personnel practitioners. Although a wide variety of issues are…
Abstract
The Institute of Personnel Management's annual conference at Harrogate each October is attended by about 2,000 personnel practitioners. Although a wide variety of issues are debated over the course of the three‐day conference, one underlying theme throughout many of the sessions was the shift from “industrial relations” to “human resource management.” This has implications not only for the personnel function, and its professional members, but also for trade unions, who are increasingly being pushed from the centre stage of employee relations.
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Krystal Hans and Kylie Parrotta
Purpose: The authors attempt to capture new forensic science students’ pre-conceptions of the field and their assessment of competencies. Methodology: The authors surveyed…
Abstract
Purpose: The authors attempt to capture new forensic science students’ pre-conceptions of the field and their assessment of competencies. Methodology: The authors surveyed students at a Historically Black College and University and a Primarily White Institution on their viewership of crime and forensic TV shows and measured their competencies in a range of forensic science skills at the start and end of the semester, along with having students capture errors and evidence from an episode of CSI Las Vegas. Findings: Students who were viewers of crime series with and without prior forensics coursework over evaluated their level of preparedness at the start of the semester, often ranking themselves as moderately or well prepared in blood spatter analysis, fingerprinting, bodily fluid, and hair/fiber collection. Research limitations: The authors relied on a convenience sample of forensic science courses, and their comparison of student learning was disrupted by COVID-19. Originality: The authors examine student concerns with working at crime scenes and reflections on their abilities to succeed in the field. The authors discuss the need for incorporating media literacy, content warnings, and emotional socialization and professional development into forensic science curricula to better equip and prepare students for careers as crime scene investigators and forensic analysts.
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Lorayne Robertson, Wendy Barber and William Muirhead
This chapter explores issues of quality teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education courses from the perspective of teaching fully online (polysynchronous) courses in…
Abstract
This chapter explores issues of quality teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education courses from the perspective of teaching fully online (polysynchronous) courses in undergraduate and graduate programs in education at a technology university in Ontario, Canada. Online courses offer unique opportunities to capitalize on students’ and professors’ digital capabilities gained in out-of-school learning and apply them to an in-school, technology-enabled learning environment. The critical and reflective arguments in this paper are informed by theories of online learning and research on active learning pedagogies.
Digital technologies have opened new spaces for higher education which should be dedicated to creating high-quality learning environments and high-quality assessment. Moving a course online does not guarantee that students will be able to meet the course outcomes more readily, however, or that they will necessarily understand key concepts more easily than previously in the physically copresent course environments. All students in higher education need opportunities to seek, critique, and construct knowledge together and then transfer newly-acquired skills from their coursework to the worlds of work, service, and life. The emergence of new online learning spaces helps us to reexamine present higher education pedagogies in very deliberate ways to continue to maintain or to improve the quality of student learning in higher education.
In this chapter, active learning in fully online learning spaces is the broad theme through which teaching, learning, and assessment strategies are reconsidered. The key elements of our theoretical framework for active learning include (1) deliberate pedagogies to establish the online classroom environment; (2) student ownership of learning activities; and (3) high-quality assessment strategies.
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Robert Garrick, Larry Villasmil, Elizabeth Dell and Rhiannon Hart
This chapter reviews student engagement and learning over of a six year study period (>500 students) in a technology rich learning environment. The technology rich learning…
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This chapter reviews student engagement and learning over of a six year study period (>500 students) in a technology rich learning environment. The technology rich learning environment in this project consists of tablet PCs for each student (1:1 environment), visually immersive multiple projection screens, and collaborative digital inking software. This chapter reviews the education problem being addressed, and the learning theory used as a lens to focus specific active learning pedagogical techniques to address the educational problem. From this problem-based learning theory grounded approach, the features desired in a technology rich learning environment were developed. The approach is shared in this chapter with specific detailed examples to allow others to implement technology rich learning environments with active learning pedagogical approaches to address specific education problems in their institution. The technology rich learning environment implemented and studied includes multiple hardware/software pieces to create a system level solution versus a single device or single app solution.
Mentoring has been shown to positively affect student engagement, confidence, leadership, and skills. It is through the development of relationships, knowledge sharing, increased…
Abstract
Mentoring has been shown to positively affect student engagement, confidence, leadership, and skills. It is through the development of relationships, knowledge sharing, increased engagement, and a sense of belonging that mentors gain confidence and build leadership skills. However, little is known about the types of leadership, practices, and behaviors that mentors develop when undertaking the mentorship role. The purpose of this study is to examine the development of exemplary leadership practices that the mentoring role nurtures in undergraduate female student mentors. In particular, this study adopted the Kouzes and Posner (2002) transformational and servant leadership practices model to collect data from undergraduate female mentors (n = 94) and mentees (n =142). Results demonstrated significant correlations among all Student Leadership Practices Inventory Scale (S-LPI) subscales – Inspite a shared vision, Model the way, Challenge the process, Enable others to act, and Encourage the heart – and provided evidence for the association of the mentoring role with the development of transformational and servant practices. However, among the five transformational leadership practices, Inspire a shared vision was not correlated with the mentoring role. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that curriculum developers of undergraduate programs create curricula containing an array of peer teaching/mentoring experiences based on clear roles and job descriptions for mentors. Further research is recommended to explore the impact of mentoring programs with a wider sample of students from diverse backgrounds.
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss significant changes in the concept and practice of employment relations over the last 50 years. It does so from both public policy and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss significant changes in the concept and practice of employment relations over the last 50 years. It does so from both public policy and management perspectives and highlights the continued failure to align these two perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on the author’s research as an adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and his previous experience as a civil servant in the Employment Department. A range of published sources are relied on, including quantitative, survey based and qualitative, case-study and other evidence.
Findings
The over-riding need to tackle inflation led governments in the 1960s and 1970s to make repeated attempts to build a stronger legal framework around collective bargaining, and to intensifying incomes policies which brought governments into frequent conflict with the trade unions. This was followed by incremental reform of trade union legislation under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, to which there has subsequently been no serious challenge. The question is posed whether the author is nearing the end of the road for trade union voice in the UK, or whether there is scope for a “new deal” under which trade unions can join with other key stakeholders in making a positive contribution towards economic regeneration. Looking forward, the paper discusses shifts in trade union approaches to industrial action and major challenges for employers, including managing individual conflict and employee voice.
Originality/value
The paper suggests that the ambiguity of the term “employee relations” means the author needs to ask what are the specific challenges facing employee relations practitioners today. Employee relations managers are undertaking a wide range of jobs. Their current focus on employee relations reflects a shift from the defensive attitudes that characterised the earlier part of the period to a more positive one. The paper concludes by arguing the case for a national forum bringing together employers, trade unions and other key stakeholders to advise government on workplace issues.
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Give teams clear goals, a model for success, and constant support.
Although student-centered learning (SCL) has been encouraged for decades in higher education, to what level instructors are practicing SCL strategies remains in question. The…
Abstract
Purpose
Although student-centered learning (SCL) has been encouraged for decades in higher education, to what level instructors are practicing SCL strategies remains in question. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a university faculty’s understanding and perceptions of SCL, along with current instructional practices in Qatar.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed-method research design was employed including quantitative data from a survey of faculty reporting their current instructional practices and qualitative data on how these instructors define SCL and perceive their current practices via interviews with 12 instructors. Participants of the study are mainly from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field.
Findings
Study results show that these instructors have rather inclusive definitions of SCL, which range from lectures to student interactions via problem-based teamwork. However, a gap between the instructors’ perceptions and their actual practices was identified. Although student activities are generally perceived as effective teaching strategies, the interactions observed were mainly in the form of student–content or student-teacher, while student–student interactions were limited. Prevailing assessment methods are summative, while formative assessment is rarely practiced. Faculty attributed this lack of alignment between how SCL could and should be practiced and the reality to external factors, including students’ lack of maturity and motivation due to the Middle Eastern culture, and institutional constraints such as class time and size.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited in a few ways. First regarding methodological justification the data methods chosen in this study were mainly focused on the faculty’s self-reporting. Second the limited number of participants restricts this study’s generalizability because the survey was administered in a volunteer-based manner and the limited number of interview participants makes it difficult to establish clear patterns. Third, researching faculty members raises concerns in the given context wherein extensive faculty assessments are regularly conducted.
Practical implications
A list of recommendations is provided here as inspiration for institutional support and faculty development activities. First, faculty need deep understanding of SCL through experiences as learners so that they can become true believers and implementers. Second, autonomy is needed for faculty to adopt appropriate assessment methods that are aligned with their pedagogical objectives and delivery methods. Input on how faculty can adapt instructional innovation to tailor it to the local context is very important for its long-term effectiveness (Hora and Ferrare, 2014). Third, an inclusive approach to faculty evaluation by encouraging faculty from STEM backgrounds to be engaged in research on their instructional practice will not only sustain the practice of innovative pedagogy but will also enrich the research profiles of STEM faculty and their institutes.
Social implications
The faculty’s understanding and perceptions of implementing student-centered approaches were closely linked to their prior experiences – experiencing SCL as a learner may better shape the understanding and guide the practice of SCL as an instructor.
Originality/value
SCL is not a new topic; however, the reality of its practice is constrained to certain social and cultural contexts. This study contributes with original and valuable insights into the gap between ideology and reality in implementation of SCL in a Middle Eastern context.