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This article explores the use of longitudinal regression as a tool for identifying scoring inaccuracies. Student progression patterns, as evaluated through longitudinal regressions, typically are more stable from year to year than are scale score distributions and statistics, which require representative samples to conduct credibility checks. Historical data from a large-scale K-12 testing program were used to evaluate the usefulness of several proposed longitudinal procedures. Results showed that the use of longitudinal regression in quality control was effective in detecting scoring errors, especially when the scoring errors were non-negligible.

Purpose: In recent decades, higher education institutions have been encouraged to develop their own internal management systems as a response to perceived quality challenges in the sector. These quality management (QM) systems have often been found to mainly reflect external accountability requirements, with less focus on coherent study programme development. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between QM practices and study programme delivery in Norwegian higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The study examined how coordination and control of quality work with respect to educational activities take place, using data from a survey to study programme leaders in a large sample of Norwegian higher education institutions. Findings: The main findings show that a majority of institutions have established formal advisory bodies with a QM mandate, contributing to more coherent thinking, even though the division of labour between these bodies and formal decision-making structures often is unclear. The study also shows a high level of diversity in the collaboration practices among different actors involved in QM work, indicating that QM practices are adapted to local needs. Originality/value: The paper provides new knowledge as to how QM is conducted in practice at the local level. It nuances earlier studies by showing the involvement of collegial bodies in QM although such bodies may have unclear mandates and, thus, an unclear role in the QM process.

Purpose: K-20 accreditation is contingent on having policies and procedures that provide evidence of quality assurance (QA) and quality improvement (QI), viewed here as the first of two conflicting paradigms, requiring concurrent expressions of excellence and need. Standardized summative assessments using the traditional tabular rubric design (typically writing assessments) serve the QA purpose well while leaving QI difficult to achieve. This is the second-related pair of conflicting paradigms--formative vs summative assessment. The purpose of this study is to illuminate these conflicts, present a sample illustrative solution and suggest that both institutions and accreditation agencies implement policies resolving these conflicts. Design/methodology/approach: This viewpoint is based in part on an analysis of the content of many rubrics, with several selected for presentation herein. For K-12 settings, the AdvancED accreditation standards (used in 70 countries) and a multistate writing rubric are discussed. For postsecondary, a segment of the VALUE rubrics, used by a large number of postsecondary institutions across the USA, is presented. Examples of potential solutions for both levels are presented to clarify the problem and identify policy implications. Findings: This specific aspect of the QA/QI challenge is a solvable problem, and a solution is proposed with the potential to improve learning in the USA and other countries. Originality/value: Institutional personnel struggle with the conflicts often not realizing the source of their struggle. In this viewpoint, a new rubric format is suggested with the hope of initiating policy change discussions.

The purpose of this article is to examine the quality management of the secondary school science teachers in Korea. To improve the quality of teachers, it takes a coherent policy effort over the entire teaching career including pre-service teacher training, a quality control of teacher employment, and in-service teachers' professional development. The focus of this article is to explore ways to improve science teacher training and quality control, centering on the teacher employment test of secondary school teachers in Korea. In this context, the curriculum of the science teacher training colleges, which is based on the science teacher professional standards and knowledge base, and the specifics of the teacher employment test are examined. Science teacher education in Korea faces many challenges due to the inconsistency between the supply and demand of science teachers, the decrease in the number of students, the implementation of high school credit system, and so on. Based on the analysis results, ways to improve secondary science teacher education and quality control system are suggested Major suggestions include requirement of completion of basic subjects related to adjacent subjects in science subject areas to solve the out-of-field teaching, necessity of introducing multiple teacher certificates to cope with challenges of reduced class hours due to fewer students, and necessity of reinforcing practice-oriented education in teacher training process to bridge the gap between theory and practice for beginning teachers.

Given the political Right's attacks on U.S. academics as too liberal, we broach questions about knowledge production and curriculum development. We first explore how the Right has used arguments for freedom of speech and ideological diversity to undermine higher education's mission in the hope of polluting the public sphere with ideas that are deeply erroneous and destructive. We then describe the mission of higher education to serve as a "quality control" mechanism for ideas in the public sphere and reaffirm the importance of "academic freedom" in safeguarding that mission. We end by calling for communication and instruction scholars in particular, and academics in general, to safeguard their academic expertise against "Post-Truth" attacks.

These guidelines describe considerations relevant to the assessment of test takers in or across countries or regions that are linguistically or culturally diverse. The guidelines were developed by a committee of experts to help inform test developers, psychometricians, test users, and test administrators about fairness issues in support of the fair and valid assessment of linguistically or culturally diverse populations. They are meant to apply to most, if not all, aspects of the development, administration, scoring, and use of assessments; and are intended to supplement other existing professional standards or guidelines for testing and assessment. That is, these guidelines focus on the types of adaptations and considerations to use when developing, reviewing, and interpreting items and test scores from tests administered to culturally and linguistically or culturally diverse populations. Other guidelines such as the "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" (AERA, APA, & NCME, 2014) or Guidelines for Best Practice in Cross-Cultural Surveys (Survey Research Center, 2016) may also be relevant to testing linguistically and culturally diverse populations. A glossary of terms and definitions is also provided.

In the competitive world of recruiting, the better an applicant can apply what has already been learned to a new environment, the greater the career opportunity. This study captured the transformative learning experience of students, guided by their instructors and industry partners, related to learning and executing Lean Six Sigma principles in a variety of environments. Lean Six Sigma principles which seek to reduce inefficiencies and thus improve the customer experience have long since been associated with manufacturing. Expanding the application of Lean Six Sigma from blue-collar settings to include white-collar and green-collar work provides students additional problem-solving approaches to process challenges in all-collar environments. Additionally, the experience aided students in viewing customers from both internal and external lenses, linked customer loyalty to organization success, and demonstrated the value such skills were to both personal career growth. Suggestions for faculty and recommendations for future studies are included.

Purpose: In this paper, the authors focus on training as a frequently used knowledge management tool. This paper aims to help training function to achieve excellence at the first attempt by evaluating and deciding on the most interesting method for each training action before engaging the investment. Design/methodology/approach: The authors apply instructional theories to evaluate the relevance of training methods and explored the multiple criteria decision analysis methods, which is a mathematical approach, for the evaluation to be rational. An experimental research based on study cases is also presented to test the applicability and effectiveness of the model proposed. Findings: A decisional model that allows to choose rationally the most appropriate training method for each case. It is based on Elicitation and Choice Translating Reality (ELECTRE I) method, which is a multi-criteria decision analysis method and uses criteria from First Principles developed by Merrill in 2002. Practical implications: The proposed model may have several implications for the improvement of training performance, particularly in the context of quality management systems that require product compliance based on continuous improvement and risk-based approaches. It can, therefore, be used as a tool to control the quality of training process or control the risk relative to the execution of a training action or more generally as a tool to "check" that training methods chosen are the most appropriate to attempt the training objectives before "act" the training action. Originality/value: The combination of a decision analysis system with the theory of instruction and the applicability to training process management.

The study sought to provide an understanding of the quality assurance challenges and opportunities faced by private universities in Zimbabwe. The study analyzed the factors determining provision of quality higher education in private universities and the resultant effects of failing to achieve the minimum acceptable standards. The author employed the case study method which falls within the qualitative research paradigm. The major techniques used were documentary analysis, direct observation and participant observation by the author. The results showed that financial constraints and poor corporate governance were the major factors leading to failure by private universities to uphold high quality standards. The study also highlighted the need for an effective national quality assurance agency in making sure that only institutions with the necessary financial, material and human resources should be allowed to operate as private universities.

Much of the current literature related to Open Educational Resource (OER) development and practice concentrates on higher education, although a growing body of work is also emerging for the primary and secondary school sectors. This article examines the user perspectives of teachers and teacher educators, regarding: discovery of teaching resources; what they know about OER; their sharing practices; and their perspectives on resource quality and trust. The research was done in the context of the Open Resource Bank for Interactive Teaching (ORBIT), a JISC-funded Phase III OER project at the University of Cambridge. ORBIT is an OER Resource Bank containing more than 200 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) focused lesson ideas for primary and secondary teachers as well as serving as a resource bank of OER to be used by teacher educators in a variety of settings.

Higher Education Institutions should provide students good teaching with good professors who have good knowledge of the matter they are teaching. Unfortunately, many times, the opposite happens: career leaps depend on "bibliometric indexes" (Impact Points, "h"-index, "s"-index, "RG"-index, "s"-index...).Until today, incompetent lecturers teach wrong ideas because they do not know Probability Theory and Reliability Theory. There is a must: professors must use the Scientific Approach when they teach, they must know what scientificness entails. Cases of incompetent teaching are presented: the Bass model, invented by Bass in 1969, is used here to show how Bass itself made errors in the first time, and later, many professors copied, with irrational attitude, his ideas and diffused them to much more many students, all over the world. The same is for the fuzzy theory applied to Quality, for inventory management, for six sigma.

Counseling self-efficacy (CSE), defined as one's beliefs about his or her ability to effectively counsel a client, is an important precursor of effective clinical practice. While research has explored the association of CSE with variables such as counselor training, aptitude and level of experience, little attention has been paid to CSE among school mental health (SMH) practitioners. This study examined the influence of quality training (involving quality assessment and improvement, modular evidence-based practices, and family engagement/empowerment) versus peer support and supervision on CSE in SMH practitioners, and the relationship between CSE and practice-related variables. ANCOVA indicated similar mean CSE changes for counselors receiving the quality training versus peer support. Regression analyses indicated that regardless of condition, postintervention CSE scores significantly predicted quality of practice, knowledge of evidence-based practices (EBP) and use of EBP specific to treating depression. Results emphasize the importance of CSE in effective practice and the need to consider mechanisms to enhance CSE among SMH clinicians.

Catch 'em young for imparting hands-on rigorous academic training. This is what has been relentlessly pursued while dealing with the undergraduate students of business management who are to be thoroughly exposed to the whole gamut of quality work life. Whether they opt for corporate career or pursue masters or choose be an entrepreneur, their exposure to the dynamics of quality management must be ensured most likely at student level. Needless to say that the student is more adaptive to change of attitude, behavior, learning etc., and is prone to imbibing the changes without any resistance. One of the collaborative approaches gaining popularity globally is the Student Quality Circle (SQC), an initiative for raising the bar of quality learning and quality teaching. To the best of our knowledge, Quality Circle very much in the vogue, does exist at scores of manufacturing units in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but this has not yet taken roots in the academic field. This research is essentially a pilot study done at College of Business Administration, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz University, Al-Kharj. The concept "student's quality circle" has been proved quite effective to a larger extent and its encouraging findings will prompt other colleges to opt for it. The study has done an objective analysis of pre and post session implementation of student quality circle and it has carefully measured its empirical impact on student's traits, attitude, learning, extracurricular activities, individual versus team chemistry, leadership, incubation of quality mind set, total quality environment, and student faculty relationship etc.

Benchmarking is a very common real-life function occurring every moment unnoticed. It has travelled from industry to education like other quality disciplines. Initially benchmarking was used in higher education. .Now it is diffusing into other areas including TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), which has yet to devise a comprehensive framework of assessment of a given TESOL provision, for instance that of Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013. This paper is derived from the author's research into improvement of TESOL, Curriculum in Lahore, Pakistan, based upon a comparative analysis of TESOL in Birmingham, United Kingdom. In the research, many benchmarks were drawn from a detailed comparative analysis and synthesis of extant literature, leading to the development and codification of quality characteristics and standards. Eventually, result was "TESOL Quality Audit Framework" that can be a prelude to improving learning and teaching strategies, staff, curriculum and institutional performance. In addition, the high impact benchmarks were used to formulate TESOL curriculum fit-for Malaysian preschool children (4-7 year olds) and teachers. A detailed worked example based upon four selected benchmarks, emphasizing use of one-day real-life project is illustrated. These projects have been utilized successfully to step-up the learning of both children and their teachers since 2000. The potential users of this workable framework consist of preschool and primary school children, teachers, TESOL teachers, curriculum policy makers and English curriculum coordinators, trainee preschool and primary school teachers, ministries and the departments dealing with pre-schoolers and younger children.

This paper is an endeavor to develop a customised and computerized matrix of Quality Function Deployment paradigm (QFD) that has been applied in industry, with the aim of probing quality assurance and enhancement in Universities. Results of testing the new matrix proved that, it is efficient and time-saving while compared with a detailed field study conducted at Philadelphia University, Jordan by the Jordan Accreditation Council. Challenges facing the application of the diverse relevant methodologies are mainly the scarcity of communication technologies and lack of physical and financial resources. This paper supports the adoption of the customized paradigm, to point out the following such as, Hybrid edutainment should be implemented; offices of quality management should be given a role in decision-making in Universities; awareness programs regarding the methods of quality assurance and enhancement should be organized, the culture of collaboration and interactivity among faculty members should be supported; and formation of regional networks of quality management should be advocated.

Potency assays of pharmaceutical products are designed to measure the amount of an active ingredient in a sample. They are important quality control tools for all medications, including intravenous (IV) admixture fluid bags which are commonly prepared by pharmacists in healthcare facilities via extemporaneous compounding. An interdisciplinary laboratory module was created by combining the learning outcomes of a pharmacy compounding course with the classic undergraduate chemistry quantitative analysis course. The pharmacy students prepared the IV bags of calcium gluconate or magnesium sulfate in isotonic saline vehicle based on given prescriptions. The analytical chemistry students applied United States Pharmacopeia complexometric titration methods to determine the concentration of calcium or magnesium in the IV fluid and convert it to mass for each bag. The analytical results allowed the pharmacy students to confirm whether their IV bags met the passing criteria for the labeled claimed mass. This transformative learning experience provides an interesting real-life application for a quantitative analysis laboratory course and highlights the importance of quality control in the pharmacy compounding course.

As universities in the United Kingdom gear themselves up for the next Research Excellence Framework, REF2021, with peer review at its core, we critically re-visit the idea of peer review as a gold standard proxy for research excellence. We question the premise that anonymous peer review is a necessary and enabling condition for impartial, expert judgement. We argue that the intentions and supposed benefits underlying peer review and its associated concepts have become congealed in received discourse about research quality. Hence we explore the key conceptual issues raised by the nested assumptions and concepts that come into play in peer review as currently practised: primarily those of secrecy, anonymity, legitimacy, trust, impartiality and openness. After delineating the benefits attributed to peer review, we contrast its declared virtues with its problematic features. We locate peer review in an audit culture in which the reviewer is an academic labourer. Drawing on recent trends in moral and political philosophy, we question the usefulness of the ideal of impartiality when tied to secrecy. Then we raise more deliberative, intersubjective possibilities for a revised understanding of peer review in the context of an academic community. Finally, we suggest ways in which the academic community could pursue quality in research by recasting peer review to be less secret and more open.

Introduction: Rating the quality of a body of evidence is an increasingly common component of research syntheses on intervention effectiveness. This study sought to identify and examine existing systems for rating the quality of a body of evidence on the effectiveness of health and social interventions. Methods: We used a multicomponent search strategy to search for full-length reports of systems for rating the quality of a body of evidence on the effectiveness of health and social interventions published in English from 1995 onward. Two independent reviewers extracted data from each eligible system on the evidence domains included, as well as the development and dissemination processes for each system. Results: Seventeen systems met our eligibility criteria. Across systems, we identified 13 discrete evidence domains: study design, study execution, consistency, measures of precision, directness, publication bias, magnitude of effect, dose-response, plausible confounding, analogy, robustness, applicability, and coherence. We found little reporting of rigorous procedures in the development and dissemination of evidence rating systems. Conclusion: We identified 17 systems for rating the quality of a body of evidence on intervention effectiveness across health and social policy. Existing systems vary greatly in the domains they include and how they operationalize domains, and most have important limitations in their development and dissemination. The construct of the quality of the body of evidence was defined in a few systems largely extending the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation was found to be unique in its comprehensive guidance, rigorous development, and dissemination strategy.

Learner-generated content (LGC) has always been produced as part of the learning process; however, it often generally goes no further than the teacher. Research has shown that by exposing LGC to a wider audience, students are motivated to produce work of a higher quality. The process of publishing and sharing LGC also helps students develop key 21st century skills. Furthermore, LGC becomes a valuable learning resource for peers as using the resources ensures that the peers are learning within their zone of proximal development (ZPD). This paper describes how blogs have been used to allow students to publish and share LGC. It also outlines how quality-control mechanisms have been used to ensure that any shared LGC is of appropriate, high-quality content.

In order to teach science well, science teachers need to know what to focus on in order to ensure their assessment of student learning is meaningful and useful for the students' on going learning and development. The diversity and range of content and skills within the subject of science mean that the assessment capabilities required by science teachers are wide ranging and complex, requiring specialist knowledge and skills in the assessment of science learning as part of the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Based on a review of the literature this paper proposes a framework for quality assessment in science which focuses on five areas: teaching, students, evidence of learning, future decision-making and impact. This paper advocates a concurrent consideration of all five areas of the framework to provide a substantial, rich, broad, rigorous quality assessment approach on which teachers and students can base teaching and learning. (Contains 1 table.)

The quality issue emerged as a topic of concern for the goods and product market has also become a key element in services like higher education. With the rise of the mobility of students, academicians and graduates, the quality and the compatibility of education systems have recently been subject to much debate. Moreover, the huge role of higher education in a society's economy and prosperity has added new dimensions to the measures of quality in higher education. With the quality assurance as a separate instrument in university management and in government policy, accreditation processes referring to compatibility of a higher education institution or a program with national or international performance standards started as a new quality assurance mechanism in different geographies around the World. On the other hand, the varying needs and living conditions, advancements in information technologies and internet, easy access and communication opportunities, and increased willingness to share information have given rise to a new form of education called distance learning. Online geographical information systems (GIS) program of Anadolu University is one of the distance education programs awarding an associate degree in the field. Using the GIS program as a case study, this paper analyses the eminent role of accreditation of online and distance learning programs on the transformation of quality measures in higher education. This paper also presents the detailed learning outcomes of the program and its importance for accreditation. (Contains 2 figures and 4 tables.)

This paper focuses on the training of undergraduate students' innovation ability. On top of the theoretical framework of the Quality Function Deployment (QFD), we propose a teaching quality management model. Based on this model, we establish a multilevel decomposition indicator system, which integrates innovation ability characterized by four primary indicators and their corresponding secondary indicators, curriculum, pedagogy, teaching forms and assessment. The proposed model and indicators provide guidance for university curriculum development, university education management and practice.

News media often publish comparative studies that report U.S. student performance in a global context. The school quality concern seems so simplistic that anyone who had compulsory education can chime into the discussion. In this article, the condition of U.S. education is further disentangled across the boundary of K-12 and higher education. Core program features are examined to reveal profound factors behind student performance in mathematics and science. These findings are grounded on triangulation of the interrelated observations that are typically obscured from test score comparisons across nations.

Are prospective employers getting "quality" educated, degreed applicants and are academic institutions that offer online degree programs ensuring the quality control of the courses/programs offered? The issue specifically addressed in this paper is not with all institutions offering degrees through online programs or even with all online courses. The concern is with those online courses where the means to ensure the validity of course grades is not guaranteed by measures of technology or academic rigor employed. More specifically, the practical measures to reduce or eliminate doubts about a student's acquired knowledge in quantitative online courses need evaluation and thought to arrive at a more circumspect solution. Is the grade earned truly indicative of a student's competency and level of acquired knowledge and understanding in an online quantitative course or merely an indication that the student somehow just satisfied proscribed evaluative criteria set by the faculty member without adequate measures of assessment?

News media often publish comparative studies that report U.S. student performance in a global context. The school quality concern seems so simplistic that anyone who had compulsory education can chime into the discussion. In this article, the condition of U.S. education is further disentangled across the boundary of K-12 and higher education. Core program features are examined to reveal profound factors behind student performance in mathematics and science. These findings are grounded on triangulation of the interrelated observations that are typically obscured from test score comparisons across nations. (Contains 1 figure.)