5.3 - Quality Improvement for next course

Abstract

If you are a VET provider with a long-term perspective of providing high quality courses, you need to
learn from your mistakes. It’s now time to implement the last part of the PDCA Cycle (Plan – Do-
Check and Act). The last step of the Cycle suggests that you as Quality Manager “return to the Plan
step if the results are unsatisfactory or standardise the solution if the results are satisfactory”. This
card will indeed suggest some tips on how to improve the quality of your next courses through a
Quality Improvement Plan and stakeholder involvement.

Why is this important for you as a QM?

• To stay focused on the improvements and on your goals;
• To implement a quality of culture within your organization, opening up to quality improvements and new strategies to achieve goals;
• To identify strengths and improvements needed;
• To plan improvements with relevant stakeholders, indeed you are not alone within your organization to increase the VET performance provider;
• To implement the improvements and suggestions you got from reviewers;
• To deliver your next course with all the lesson learned from the previous one in order to surprise your clients and students with more tailor made courses;

How should I implement the action? 

• Once you get feedbacks on your performance, you can start implementing the changes into your VET organization, organizing them into a Quality Improvement Plan;
• Remember always to include in the plan the assessment methodology that you have used to assess the overall quality of the course and educational programme (in comparison with the standards);
• Identify areas for improvement that should be in line with your organization’s philosophy;
• Include relevant stakeholders also to discuss the feedback and the areas of improvement that you have identified; experts may give you very innovative perspectives!
• Write down all the strengths identified for each of the indicators that you have analysed;
• Transform your weak point into key improvements, create a table with the: elements to be improved, indicators in the assessment process, decided outcome, how to get to the outcomes, deadline and success measure, for example:

• Implement your changes when designing the new educational activities, keeping in mind that the PDCA cycle never ends!
• Remember to update your Quality Improvement Plan annually at least and make it available on request;

How should I know if I have successfully implemented this action or to what extent?

• Once that you have implemented your improvements, you need to review whether your improvements actually work;
• Is your quality feedback better after the changes that you have implemented (trainers and learners, are they more satisfied?
• Did you receive better comments?
• What are the impressions of the stakeholders around you?
• Was it easier to reach the goals set and to meet the quality indicators?
• If the improvement made to a course was caused by the will to overcome a specific problem encountered, was it effective in eliminating the problem?
• Indicators for VET quality could be also related to EQAVET n.2 and 6 available here.

Links & further readings (includes also third-party resources- videos, etc.):

• The Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. 2019. Quality webpage to know more about Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement Plan [https://www.acecqa.gov.au/assessment/quality-improvement-plans]. 27.03.2020.
• ASD, Excellence through Quality. 2019. WHAT IS THE PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT (PDCA) CYCLE?[https://asq.org/quality-resources/pdca-cycle]. 27.03.2020.