Washington, District of Columbia
June 23, 1996
June 23, 1996
June 26, 1996
2153-5965
14
1.250.1 - 1.250.14
10.18260/1-2--6102
https://strategy.asee.org/6102
530
Session 3630
IMPROVING TEACHING QUALITY THROUGH TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT
Richard Lundstrom, Jawaharlal Mariappan and K. Joel Berry GMI Engineering & Management Institute
Abstract
This paper presents the experience gained and the lessons learned while implementing a Total Quality Management (TQM) approach in teaching two courses at GMI Engineering & Management Institute. The primary purpose of this effort is to improve the quality of engineering design education. The many other benefits of this approach include increased student involvement, a systematic way to evaluate students, discernment and objective measures for teacher performance and the development of an environment of trust, faculty teaching portfolio and emphasizing the teacher as a quality manager in the classroom. This paper describes in detail several issues involved in the development of a TQM approach in classrooms. Specifically, it elaborates on the ground work needed to implement such an approach, development of a common shared vision for the course, the delivery methods to effectively carry out instructions and exercises to enhance student involvement. The courses included are mechanism design and automotive chassis design. They are required courses in Mechanical Engineering at GMI for the machine design and automotive specialties respectively.
Introduction
There has been increased attention on improving the quality of engineering education in the country. Engineering educators (Bieniawski, 1995; Cage, 1995; Dixon, 1991; Furman, 1995; Howel et al, 1995; Wilczynski and Douglas, 1995) have been addressing several issues such as integrating design education into the engineering curriculum to improve the quality of engineering graduates. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) has adopted new guidelines for the recognition of engineering programs. ABET requirement of minimum number of design credits from any combination of courses has been changed, and now it is necessary for the engineering schools to pn~vide an integrated design experience that builds upon the fundamentals of basic, engineering anti socia I sciences. Furthermore this experience must be developed in a systematic way and integrated throughout the curriculum. This new approach and expectations are radically different and require engineering educators find new ways to teach the material and stay current with quality management such as TQM in addition to staying ahead of this trend.
The current structure of engineering education has been shaped by the principles and guidelines developed years ago. The primary focus on research at academic institutions, attempts to bring professor’s research contributions into the undergraduate curriculum at the expense of fundamental engineering courses
$&’-’ 1996 ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings } ‘..*,HlyL: .
Lundstrom, R., & Mariappan, J., & Berry, K. J. (1996, June), Improving Teaching Quality Through Total Quality Management Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6102
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 1996 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015