Week 8: Assurance and improvement of quality processes and outcomes in Education

This topic concerns the assurance and ongoing relevance of quality processes and outcomes in education and must be seen in the context of the other topics in education dealt with previously.

First, if the educational establishment to remain relevant and vibrant for today’s student, the quality of the teaching staff is essential to any quality teaching-learning programme in any organisation in the education sector. While research into the quality of teachers in centres of higher education has been extensive (Cox, McIntosh, Terenzini & Reason, 2009) studies in their particular approach to education or teaching methodology has not. In a study conducted by Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) it was found that no research was extant dealing with instructional approaches such as active learning, collaborative learning, cooperative learning, small-group learning, constructivist-oriented approaches (e.g., problem-based learning), or learning communities. Post-1990 evidence suggested that each of these instructional approaches were statistically significant and positive when contrasted with traditional pedagogies. (Cox, McIntosh, Terenzini & Reason, 2009). Since the 1990s, a major increase in the number and variety of instructional approaches that are more student or learning-centered compared with traditional pedagogies have been noted (Lindholm, Szelenyi, Hurtado, & Korn, 2005). Nonetheless, lecturing remains the preferred method of instruction in most Universities. Juxtaposed with O’Neill’s theory of education as being a delicate interaction between the nature of the student, the role of the teacher and the method of instruction (O'Neill, 1979; Blaikie, 1998), the current challenge for administrators is to ensure that teachers develop instructional methods with a commitment to teaching excellence and meaningful assessment of teaching (Paulsen & Feldman, 1995) that influence positive student outcomes in the best way for the new generation of technologically savvy students.

Next,  quality assurance in an educational establishment benefits the end user, primarily. Besides providing a quality and holistic education to the student, a higher education degree opens up avenues in life options. A study by Rumberger and Thomas (1993) posited that acquiring a qualification in Higher Education had multiple benefits for the student later in the workplace. Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) listed the benefits of having a tertiary education qualification:

• Provides a net occupational status advantage over high-school diploma of about .95 a standard deviation

• Increases workforce participation and the likelihood of being unemployed decreases

• Produces positive yet complex influences on job satisfaction

• Holds a statistically significant advantage in financial mileage over the non-higher workforce educated doing the same job

• Potentially better chances at increasing earning power (p. 535-536)

Finally, the push to ensure and improve the quality of teaching processes and outcomes in education is an economic one. The education sector is a multi-billion dollar sector in Australia alone and is her fourth biggest export. Ahead of Tourism but behind Gold, the Education sector in 2012/2013 was worth $14.385 billion (Connelly & Olsen, 2013) as shown below:

Conclusion

There are three main reasons why the assurance and improvement for the quality of teaching processes and outcomes in Education is essential. First, to meet the evolving educational landscape of the present technologically savvy student, teachers must adapt and change their teaching methodology to a satisfactory level as highlighted above if the educational institution is to remain vibrant and relevant. Next, the acquisition of a degree in Higher Education has long term ramifications on the bigger economy and the well-being of the country’s citizens. Finally, the assurance and improvement for the quality of teaching processes and outcomes in Education is a multi-billion dollar industry that warrants continual improvement and updating if the sector is to remain attractive.

In Tort Law, we are reminded of the duty of care which is a legally binding obligation and carries a certain amount of moral responsibility. So too does education. Educators and educational establishments have a duty to provide the best for its students because we are in a large way responsible for our students' future. W.B. Yeats read by Harvey Keitel cautions educators to tread lightly on our students' dreams:

For further consideration

What evidence is there to support the view that educational institutions actively invest in QA? Besides external validation requirements, what internal structures are put in placed to assure a quality product is given to the end user? If finance is a consideration, what ratio is this given in overall budgets? 

References

Blaikie, J. (1998). My philosophy of education: A synthesis project – The history and philosophy of education. (unpublished project paper). Nairobi, Kenya: CTIE.

Connelly, S. & Olsen, A. (2013). Education as an export for Australia: Green shoots, first swallows but not quite out of the woods yet. Retrieved from http://www.spre.com.au/download/AIEC2013ModelingPaper.pdf

Cox, B.E., McIntosh, K.L., Terenzini, P.T. & Reason, R.D. (2009). Culture of teaching: It’s causes and consequences. Retrieved from https://www.ed.psu.edu/educ/parsing- project/.pdf%20documents/AIR%202009

Headlink. (2008, October 18). The Cloths of Heaven - W. B. Yeats (by Harvey Keitel). [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZjwLu9cXJ8&feature=youtu.be

O'Neill, J. (1979). Accountability as an individual mission (Unpublished doctoral thesis), Columbia University, USA.

Lindholm, J. A., Szelenyi, K., Hurtado, S., & Korn, W. S. (2005). The American college teacher: National norms for the 2004-2005 HERI faculty survey. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students (vol. 2): A third decade of research. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Paulsen, M. B & Feldman, K. A. (1995) Taking teaching seriously: Meeting the challenge of instructional improvement. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No.2. Washington DC.

Rumberger, R. W. & Thomas, S. L. (1993). The economic returns to college major, quality and performance: A multilevel analysis of recent graduates. Economics of Education Review, 12(1), 1-19.