Kent State University (Ohio) has focused on developing an organizational culture that expects and promotes quality. A college finance division statement, distributed to division staff, identifies its values and beliefs and emphasizes a culture in which planning, empowerment, and continuous improvement are key elements. (MSE)

The quality assessment process for Australian universities is examined, including its impact on quality improvement, whether judging quality at the institutional level is too coarse a measure to give accurate results, some alternatives, and whether the whole institution approach may lead to greater external interference in institutional affairs.…

Educators' response to the quality assessment and assurance provisions in Estonia's proposed higher education reform law is discussed. It is argued that copying the ready-made standards of Western European countries is not realistic or appropriate. Institutionalized attitudes about vocational education are also examined. (Author/MSE)

Total Quality uses group methods to identify and collectively prevent or solve specific problems related to consumer satisfaction and quality issues in business. This article integrates social influencing strategies with developmental group processes for facilitating consumer satisfaction and problem-solving in total quality groups. A case study…

The quality of early childhood programs can be assessed from the top down, through the viewpoint of an adult observer, or the bottom up, through the viewpoint of a child in the program. Questions that can be asked from each perspective are listed. (LB)

The concept of risk-adjusted measures of quality is discussed, and a methodology is proposed for risk-adjusting and integrating multiple adverse outcomes of anesthesia services into measures for quality assurance and quality improvement programs. Although designed for a new anesthesiology database, the methods should apply to other health…

Reviews recent objections to Total Quality Management (TQM), suggesting that the reported implementation problems are a product of inadequate leadership rather than defects in the model. Indicates that compatibility between organizational culture and the tenets of TQM must exist to avoid such implementation problems. (27 citations). (MAB)

Reasons for differences in academic standards in new and established South African universities are attributed to a fragmented educational system, disparities in student enrollment and staffing, and lack of a culture of learning. Areas requiring attention before quality assurance can be implemented are identified, and recommendations are made.…

Discussion of Total Quality Management (TQM) highlights its history in business and industry, explains its use in higher education settings, and describes recent quality efforts in library services. Topics addressed include a history of quality; barriers to quality control; examples at Pennsylvania State University; and learning opportunities for…

It is argued that despite the current view of college teaching as a discrete set of skills, good teaching is more complex and involves understanding the specific contexts in which teaching occurs, and how teachers understand and communicate concepts to a changing student population. Portfolio-based peer assessment of college teachers is…

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education's accreditation standard requires that teacher education programs be based on essential knowledge. This article describes five attributes of a knowledge base for program design as a set of beliefs; an organizing theme; source documents; a program model; and program outcomes and evaluation…

The consistent application of sound criteria will increase the reliability of manuscript reviews, but many other factors contribute to low quality research articles. The central question must be whether or not the study was worth doing. Familiarity with the research domain is a necessity for appropriate research evaluation. (SLD)

Systems chosen for teacher appraisal in both United Kingdom and United States frequently reflect interests of end users rather than teachers themselves. Drawing on experiences of group of teachers involved in open-ended evaluation process, this paper examines various appraisal systems and argues for those empowering teachers to reflect on their…

The initial implementation of the Total Quality Management approach by 10 Boston-area (Massachusetts) institutions is summarized. The institutions include Babson College, Bentley College, Boston College, Boston University, Lesley College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Wentworth…

Describes efforts by the Motorola Training and Education Center (MTEC) to develop and implement a model for applying the concepts of quality/continuous improvement to the design of courseware. MTEC's role as change agent is discussed; the use of an instructional systems design model is explained; and problems are identified. (LRW)