Kaizen in university teaching: continuous course improvement
International Journal of Lean Six Sigma
ISSN: 2040-4166
Article publication date: 14 May 2019
Issue publication date: 30 October 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The current evaluation standards in German higher education institutions (HEIs) do not often lead to measurable quality improvement. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate whether Kaizen can improve the quality of teaching. The presented concept illustrates the evaluation of each course unit to continuously encourage quality feedback from the learners and intensify the exchange with lecturers.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research is used to combine the continuous improvement philosophy of Kaizen with student course evaluations. A pilot study of the concept provides data from four course cycles to analyze learnings and setbacks.
Findings
Learners in the pilot courses welcomed the intense participation and allowed improvements to elements such as course concept, course material, presentation style and content or detail selection. The participation rate declined during each term and was highly influenced by triggers like exam and grade relevance. Kaizen could successfully improve course quality, especially in the first two years of newly developed courses.
Research limitations/implications
The presented results have been collected from one course over four years in one institution. The next stage of research would be the application of the approach in other institutions to validate results and make potential adjustments to the concept, for example, toward continuous learning.
Originality/value
Although course evaluation has become standard in German HEIs, most institutions only implement it once per term or year. This paper discusses a new approach to expedite the evaluation of teaching quality at the point of action (Gemba) to facilitate the short-term reactions of lecturers.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge Professor André Coners for his ongoing support and encouragement. Big thanks to all students of the courses Lean Management and Six Sigma at the South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences who participated in the weekly evaluations and gave valuable feedback for the continuous course improvement.
Erratum: It has come to the attention of the publisher that the article, Ingo Krel, “Kaizen in university teaching: continuous course improvement” published in International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, used the wrong affilation for the author. This should be Department of Applied Business and Technology Management, South Westphalia University of Applied Sciences, Hagen, Germany and not Department of Applied Business and Technology Management, Fachhochschule Südwestfalen, Hagen, Germany. This error was introduced in the editorial process and has now been corrected in the online version. The publisher sincerely apologises for this error and for any inconvenience caused.
Citation
Kregel, I. (2019), "Kaizen in university teaching: continuous course improvement", International Journal of Lean Six Sigma, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 975-991. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLSS-08-2018-0090
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited