Faculty Perspective Regarding Challenges in Implementing Quality Assurance in Zimbabwean Higher Education Institutions

The study focuses on challenges in implementing quality assurance in HEI in Zimbabwe. Quality assurance has been regarded as the linchpin in HEI delivery. Intensive competition from both local and international boundaries are threatening the survival of HEI if they are not taking cognizance of the importance of quality assurance. The world is becoming increasingly global, hence stakeholders' preferences and tastes are also changing, demanding more and more quality education. The demand for quality assurance is increasing with the dispensation of higher education in the world. The study was premised in the qualitative research paradigm where narrative research design was adopted. Results indicated that numerous challenges surround the implementation of quality assurance in HEI. Therefore, the study recommended a raft of measures to curb those challenges.

Higher Education's Institutions Response to Statutory TQM Case Study

Quality is at the top of most agendas and improving quality is the most important task facing any higher education institution. High-quality education has become a key ingredient for socio-economic development. Many governments are putting more importance on the delivery of a quality education at institutions of higher learning. Enactment of pro higher education TQM legislation is now at the center of education delivery systems. In a highly competitive education sector, the success of academic institutions depends on the quality of education. This chapter presents a review of the responses of Higher Education Institutions in Zimbabwe to the introduction of statutory total quality management in education. Data and information for this study are collected through extensive literature and document review, interviewing experts, and personal experience. The feedback and insights and reviews are supported by TQM theory.

Development and Implementation of Integrated Quality Management Framework in Management Education

This chapter focuses on developing and implementing an integrated and inclusive quality management framework in Management Education considering possible future changes. The chapter reviews existing global management education, major global quality standards and practices of management education such as AACSB, AMBA, EFMD, etc., and several existing quality management frameworks and models in management education proposed by research scholars from different parts of the world. The study found the gaps that exist through analyses of different leading accreditation standards such as AACSB, AMBA, EFMD, etc. and provides an all-inclusive quality framework for management education bridging the gaps found and considering the future requirements. The new framework would enable higher education institutions offering management education to achieve internal excellence and enable them to work on accreditation for any global standards which they choose to use.

Benchmarking Global Best Practices for Improving Higher Education Quality in Africa

Given the deplorable state of higher education and the relatively poor attention given to education by African leaders and university administrators, the chapter interrogates global best practices in higher education and how Africa can key into this. Europe and the Asian Tigers, considered to have made significant progress in quality of higher education, are used as benchmarks for best practices in higher education. Relying on the review of extant relevant literature and document analysis, the chapter finds that practices such as massive inclusion of vocational and technical trainings in higher education curricula; increase budgetary allocations to higher education and policy implementation beyond mere formulation have impacted positively on higher education in Europe and among the Asian Tigers. As such, the chapter concludes that if Africa must make significant progress and improve on the quality of its higher education, it must begin to use these practices.

Rating Assessment of Students' Knowledge vis-a-vis Rating Evaluation of University Teachers

This chapter focuses on the problem of assessing the quality of higher education. It has been identified that the quality assessment of higher education consists of external and internal assessment of educational services quality. External assessment of educational services quality is carried out by all economic entities that are consumers. Internal assessment of educational services quality should be carried out by the university itself. For these purposes, the university develops a quality management system and organizes a department responsible for organizing and monitoring the quality of educational services. Internal assessment of educational services quality includes such parameters as the quality of student training and the quality of teaching at university. A rating assessment of students' knowledge is developed at university to control the quality of students' training. A rating assessment of the university academic staff is carried out to maintain the quality of teaching.

Lean Model of Quality Management in Higher Education

With the advent of management, technological, and quality-related developments in the 20th century, corporate firms in the manufacturing sector gradually shifted their focus toward lean philosophy to eliminate wasteful steps in business process, and create quality in their products and services. This move spurred demand for candidates with skills in implementing lean models. Universities and colleges had rarely introduced such skills in their programs due to diverse challenges and thus corporate firms faced deficiency of trained manpower. Researchers exposed that the colleges and universities needed to maintain good culture in making greater impact over the learners and corporate firms. Diverse challenges have been cited by researchers due to the concern of dimensional and complexity. However, lean model of quality management, known for its efficiency and ease of handling issues, is now emerging as a best practice even in higher education.

Barriers for Quality Management Implementation in Higher Education

To survive in a highly-competitive higher education sector, institutions of higher learning are focusing on quality management principles. Therefore, a strong need emerges for a deeper understanding of quality management. Despite a substantial, growing interest from scholars, policymakers, and educationalists in quality management as a common phenomenon in higher education, many obstacles remain in the implementation process. This chapter captures the worldwide quality issues and a controversy related to implementation of quality management in higher education, identifies the barriers for successful implementation of quality management in higher education, reviews the key barriers that deter the efforts to effectively execute quality management in higher education so that quality management strategies can be formulated by the top management and policymakers accordingly, and presents directions for future research.

Systemic Approach to Quality Enhancement and Competitiveness in Higher Education

This study, based on interaction university-industry (IUI), aims to enhance competitiveness in higher education. Some critical factors were considered, namely Human Capital, Absorptive Capacity, Quality of Research, and Differences of cultures. Through a Systems Dynamics approach, it is perceived that low education and training in IUI origins decreases technological competence and absorptive capacity. It also creates distance between the actors, inhibits risk propensity, and does not accelerate the technology transfer, the economic growth, and the competitiveness. After a literature review, followed by a qualitative research with 25 companies already cooperating with HEI, the results show that improving Human Capital and Absorptive Capacity, as well as reducing the Differences of cultures between university and industry, accelerate economic growth and increase competitiveness and internationalization. Quality of life is improved and a more developed, prosperous, and sustainable society is built.

Quality Management Systems in Sub-Sahara Africa Business Schools

In Africa globalization and massification of higher education have aided the establishment of foreign and private business schools across the continent. Concomitantly, quality and accountability issues have taken center stage regarding quality of business schools' programs. The dire situation of scarce quality management talent in the continent emphasizes the need for an overarching systemic approach for developing quality management education in the continent. This chapter descriptively investigates existing Sub-Sahara Africa Business Schools' quality management systems using documentary secondary data on purposively selected business schools aimed at identifying an integrated quality management system. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA) and the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) Excellence Model, are widely used frameworks for TQM implementation. It is argued that business schools seeking AABS accreditation could benefit if they also implement elements of ISO-9001, a TQM based quality management system as a foundation for continuous improvement.

International Quality Standards Application to Administrative Processes of Higher Education

Beyond accreditation of academic programs, higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world are interested in applying international quality-management standards to improve student satisfaction, increase effectiveness and efficiency, and gain competitive advantage. Many universities have benefited from the application of international quality-management standards, particularly ISO 9001, in their processes. Since ISO offers generic standards for organization of any size, this chapter explains how these standards can be applied to administrative processes of HEIs. The definition and indicators of quality in higher education is examined from a global perspective, and a detailed analysis of ISO 9001-2015 standard is provided with examples and explanations for each clause of the standard. The chapter includes evidence for the benefits of adopting ISO standards, comparison with other international standards, and a list of additional readings to provide an evidence-based, up-to-date handbook of quality management for administrative units of HEIs.