Question

Discussion post

I would not call the student a customer, but they are most definitely a stakeholder. It's one argument that a customer would be the person or organization who hires the student would be a customer, but it's much easier to consider a student a stakeholder. In this way, we can also include the organization that hires the student, faculty who teach the student, and even potentially the bank that provided the student loans, parents, and many other possibilities.

It indeed does begin with parents! There is no reason we should allow school systems to do the same thing over and over again and expect better results when no changes are made. Your comment on objectivity and measurement is indeed a challenge because there is always some subjectivity inherent in education - we cannot escape this. Do you have ideas for Quality Function Deployment in education?

Answer 1

I believe the teaching system in the Education institutions have got revamped with various necessary changes in the field of Quality Function. The conventional learning is now supported with different tools of Information technology such as use of white projector boards in teaching, aiding the teaching with the presentation slides with ample illustrations and application-based conceptual learning, use of internet in teaching methodology and even avenues like video-conferencing is now available to connect some distinguished visiting faculty or mentors with the students. This demonstrates that the method of teaching has also come a long way with application of knowledge been given more significance than earlier. It is the blend of both the kind of learning that is essential to determine the success of ‘teaching’. This already hence incorporates the ideas for Quality Function Deployment in education.

Answer 2

You are correct that the student is a stakeholder in education, along with many other individuals and organizations involved in the process. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a useful tool for ensuring that the needs and expectations of all stakeholders are considered in the design and delivery of education programs.

One way to apply QFD in education is to use it to design or improve specific courses or programs. This involves identifying the key stakeholders involved in the course or program, such as students, faculty, administrators, and any external organizations or individuals. The next step is to gather information from these stakeholders about their needs and expectations for the course or program. This can be done through surveys, focus groups, or other methods of data collection.

Once the information has been gathered, a QFD matrix can be created to identify the key requirements for the course or program, and to determine how these requirements can be met. The matrix should include the requirements identified by the stakeholders, along with measures of how well these requirements are currently being met and how well they can be met in the future. The matrix can also be used to prioritize the requirements and to identify any trade-offs that need to be made in order to meet all of the stakeholders' needs.

One challenge in applying QFD to education is the difficulty of measuring some of the key requirements. For example, student satisfaction and engagement are important factors in the success of a course or program, but these can be difficult to measure objectively. One solution is to use a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures to assess student satisfaction and engagement, such as surveys, focus groups, and classroom observations.

Overall, QFD can be a useful tool for ensuring that the needs and expectations of all stakeholders are considered in the design and delivery of education programs, and for identifying areas where improvements can be made.