Change initiatives in higher education are frequently guided by an institutional change management program which provides employees with a framework and set of skills to better understand problems and facilitate change at the organisational level. In this paper, we explore employee perceptions of Six Sigma as a tool for facilitating change at one…

Higher education is undergoing great changes that require universities to adapt quickly, and making these changes can be difficult. One discipline that can aid in executing change is project management, which has developed a set of clear processes and strategies for completing initiatives quickly and effectively. Several authors have identified…

This research analyzes the scheme proposed to assess the quality of higher education institutions in China, namely, the Quality Assessment of Undergraduate Education (QAUE) scheme. This article aims to determine the impact of the QAUE on universities and explore the reasons that intended effects have or have not been generated in the evaluated…

Purpose: Teaching and unit evaluations surveys are used to assess the quality of teaching and the quality of the unit of study. An analysis of teaching and unit evaluation survey practices in Australian universities suggests significant changes. One key change discussed in the paper is the shift from voluntary to mandatory use of surveys with the…

Presents a case study and findings of a training needs assessment which was conducted to determine the training implications of implementing an integral system of quality assurance at the Fridley, Minnesota, plant of Onan Corporation, a manufacturer of electric generator sets and switch gear. (MBR)

Quality is fast becoming a policy priority in states and localities around the country. As a result, formal and informal networks of youth organizations are seeking and developing strategies to help them assess and improve performance. This report takes a close look at efforts underway in three networks and provides a preliminary framework for…

The experience of the University of Illinois at Chicago in learning about the Total Quality Management approach and applying it to the institution are outlined. Four distinct stages of change were identified: awareness creation; establishment of initial teams; development of infrastructure for quality improvement (QI); and institutionalizing the…

Reports on a five-year ethnographic, longitudinal study of a British higher education college during a process of change in quality assurance. Identifies tensions experienced during the process and stresses the influence of context, the unpredictability of change, and the lack of simple prescriptions for managing change projects. (DB)

During a time of administrative reorganization at the University of Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), the efforts of a team preparing to implement the Total Quality Management approach were suspended. Problems encountered included flaws in organizational structure, insufficient communication, hidden agendas, deteriorating relationships, limited…

At Rio Salado Community College (Arizona), project documentation is the final step in the continuous improvement cycle. This stage is very important because it assists others in understanding the work the team has done and documents in detail when, where, how, and why process changes were made. (MSE)

Based on the work of the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges and the Center on Education and Training for Employment, this document addresses the subject of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the community and technical college by examining the concept, application, and implementation of TQM and the lessons learned. First, "The…

Examines relationships which exist internationally between contexts, methods, and impact on institutions of external quality assessments in higher education. Argues that debates about quality assessment are frequently debates about power and change. Case studies of the University of Aalborg (Denmark), Uppsala University (Sweden), and Monash…

The use of the Total Quality Management (TQM) approach by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Management approach to restructure the graduate school admissions process is described, and lessons learned from the venture are discussed. The resulting five-day admissions procedure now in place is outlined. (MSE)

The origins and strategies for change in the administrative structure of Carnegie Mellon University (Pennsylvania) are discussed, including trends within all of higher education and conditions specific to the university. Quality improvement efforts are described briefly. Special attention is given to the institution's procurement-disbursement…

The trend toward outside contracting of college and university services is examined, and issues involved in the decision to do so are discussed. The experience of one university in outsourcing its printing services shop is offered as illustration of how this approach can resolve several administrative issues: cost, quality and extent of services,…