McDonald's is astoundingly successful at purveying inexpensive
fast food of consistently high quality. They have achieved this
primarily through standardization and quality control. If you purchase
an "Egg McMuffin," or a "Big Mac" at an outlet in Seattle, or Milwaukee,
Chicago or Miami, it will be almost exactly the same.
Standardization is increasingly making in-roads into education. Once the realm of diversity (of opinion, thought, approach, teaching technique, classroom styles, etc.) and independence (academic
freedom), the higher education classroom is being transformed into a
"product" type delivery system. The "products" in this case are the
concepts, lesson plans, group exercises, assignments, etc. - indeed, the
education itself.
The intent of this transformation is to provide
a "standard" high quality student classroom experience within
disciplines, and across institutions. With the student being the
customer (consumer) of the educational delivery system, we want to make
sure he or she is getting the highest possible quality product, and the
key to this is "quality control" and standardization.
Instead of
the after-the-fact quality control offered through instructor
"evaluations," " classroom observations," and the like, the approach
introduces a far more intrusive and directive model. Lesson Plans,
indeed, entire courses and curricula are loaded into pre-packaged
modules, on thumb drives (USB) or onto computers, or servers.
As
in the fast food business, manufacturing, or other product producing
sectors, the product creation and delivery process is developed to gain
the efficiency and effectiveness obtained in industry.
JUST LIKE McDONALD's
Just
like McDonald's where the customer can expect to enjoy a standard, high
quality product, served in a clean, well-designed environment, the
student consumer can expect convenient delivery of the educational
product, for his consumption, and enjoyment - "satisfaction guaranteed."
THE PROCESS
First,
a product team is assembled. In this case it consists of academic
experts, curriculum designers, course writers, technology experts,
product representatives, trainers, content specialists, etc. The
product development process is based on outcome objectives, i.e., "what
do we want the student to know?," "what should he learn during this
course?" and "how do we measure that?" This "beginning at the end"
philosophy is crucial. It keeps the spotlight on the product, promotes
quality, and ultimately, "customer satisfaction."
THE ENTERTAINMET COMPONENT
Gen
Y students have different expectations from their predecessors, and are
less likely to indulge obsolete or dated instructional methods and
techniques. They demand to be engaged.
Instructors are
partially selected on their ability to "entertain" as well as "inform."
They are expected to be animated, humorous, engaging, and
entertaining. They are expected to convey knowledge in convenient,
enjoyable, and satisfying, bites.
STEAMLINING THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS
The
more standardized the process becomes, the less latitude for the
educator, the more prescribed the content, exercises and learning
activities are, the more the business managers of the career and "for
profit" colleges like it. This concept may, however, benefit the student
as it concentrates on a quality, standardized, classroom experience.
IT'S EASIER
Once
the instructor has mastered the technology, the whole instructional
process is easier under this model. Everything is pre-packaged. No
messy development of lesson plans - they're already done - and done
well. No thinking about creative learning activities and approaches -
they're already there. You could almost do it in your sleep! (if it
wasn't for the requirement to be animated and entertaining.)
STUDENT NEEDS
Students
in this new education model will be immersed in technology throughout
their degree program. This is the world of today, and the future. They
will participate and interact with SMARTboards, laptops, WiFi,
simulations, business games, remote "clickers," interactive learning,
real-world relevant projects, presentations, etc. It's designed to
match their learning styles and attention spans It is preeminently
designed to prepare them for their careers. Although many students are
"comfortable" with technology, fewer are proficient, and fewer yet have
an in-depth understanding. The curriculum should help them become more
proficient and better prepared for the technology demands of the future
business environment. The intensely technological nature of the
classroom experience also addresses the various learning styles. The
auditory learner will have voice, music, and noise. The visual learner
will enjoy the videos, powerpoints, and other visuals. The kinesthetic
learner will appreciate the hands on components, especially the
SMARTboard.
Student satisfaction is, of course, a primary
objective. Education, especially for-profit education, exists to serve
the student, while running a business. And, through serving and
satisfying the student, ultimately the student will stay in school,
graduate, and learn valuable knowledge and skills in the process. These
graduates will benefit the business community, and society at large.
An advanced society like ours is critically dependent on an educated and
productive populous.
EMPLOYER NEEDS
What do
employers want and need? The link to employer requirements is a vital
one. Businesses need educated workers. They require technologically
adroit employees who can meet the demands of a rapidly changing
technological environment and a highly competitive situation.
Ours
is a productive society. Businesses spend billions of dollars training
and re-training their employees. "Business Ready" graduates will be
more productive from day one and employers will appreciate this.
HAS EDUCATION COME TO THIS?
Purists
would argue that the more traditional approaches are preferable, and
that academic freedom is being infringed upon. They would say that
instructors should be hired based on their knowledge, quality of
education, expertise, research history and contributions to their
field. They would undoubtedly prefer to see pure "academicians" and
"scholars" in the classroom. However, there is room for an interesting
debate here. Is it about the instructor or the student? Obviously, we
understand that it's about both, but whose needs take precedence? The
answer has to be - THE STUDENT! After all, the whole educational system
is in place to meet the needs of the student, and ultimately, society.
Instructors
with real-world, practical experience and without techno-phobia will be
more adaptable to this new format, and perhaps better equipped to
relate to the student.
THE BOTTOM LINE
In education
there is always room for a broad range of opinions and approaches. Let's
try this new one. It works in business - why not education? This is
probably why Career Colleges are embracing the approach much more
readily than their mainstream counterparts. The "for-profit" Career
Colleges are definitely the forefront of this initiative, and "early
adopters."
We all know that "quality " is an issue in education.
Graduates with virtually identical credentials can have vastly
different skills, knowledge, and abilities. This is, and always has
been a concern. This standardized, quality-assured model addresses that
issue.
Sure, this educational model is controversial, as it should
be! But the end result may very well be that students have a
reasonably similar experience, learn comparable skills, and become
better "fits" within the business world. Employers can be better
assured and confident that graduates have the knowledge and skill base
they require to be successful contributors. They will probably, at some
point, wish to be full participants in the curriculum development
process. In the globally competitive market, this might just be what is
needed.
When we're teaching Business we must be business-minded.
Let's transfer those "best practices" from the business world to
academia, keep our students involved, and better prepare them for their
future careers. And, the lessons to be learned from places like
McDonald's may be more applicable to education than we might have ever
imagined.
Copyright ©, 2009, Dr. Ben A. Carlsen,
MBA. All Rights Reserved Worldwide for all Media. You may reprint this
article in your ezine, newsletter, newspaper, magazine, website, etc. as
long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in
any way, leave my name and bio box intact, and you follow all of the
EzineArticles Terms of Service for Publishers.