Khóa luận tốt nghiệp Quản trị kinh doanh: Application of total quality management in English E-learning: casestudy of studynet joint stock company

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESSFACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION APPLICATION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN ENGLISH E-LEARNING: CASESTUDYOF STUDYNET JOINT STOCK COMPANY Student’s N

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

APPLICATION OF TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN

ENGLISH E-LEARNING: CASESTUDYOF STUDYNET

JOINT STOCK COMPANY

Student’s Name: Nguyen Thi Hang

Student ID: 12050041 Intake: QH-2012-E-QTKD

Program: International Standard Program

Hanoi- May 2016

and encouragement from many people And this is hereby to express my sincere

gratitude to them.

Initially, I would like to express my deeply appreciation to my supervisor Dr Nguyen

Thi Van Ha, lecturer of Business Administration Faculty — University of Economicsand Business, for her consistent availability, guidance and encouragement Without herhelp, I could not build up a good outline and find me the right way to complete the

final thesis as my best.

Secondly, I would also like to extend a special thanks to Dr Nguyen Dang Minh forsharing his valuable time and knowledge with our class I am also greatly grateful to

Ms Vu Thi Thu Hang and Ms Dang Huong Thao, the coordinators of strategicmission program for their eagerness and great assistance in order to accomplish this

thesis I also want to thank the members of examining committee in my defense day

I also want to give a special thank to my family and my friends for their support,encouragement and assistant during completing my final thesis

Lastly, I am appreciative to Faculty of Business and Administration, University of

Economic and Business for giving a chance to study as well as unforgettable

experience.

Thank all of you.

Nguyen Thi Hang

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONSTQM: Total Quality Management

QFD: Quality Function Deployment

JSC: Joint Stock Company

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The need for applying Total Quality Management in e-learning has risen since the use

of e-learning has expanded Expanding the use of E- learning has put pressure in

changing the organization, processes and services in education More emphasis has to

be put on the quality of operations and contents of teaching and learning, online

learning materials and pedagogic and technical support services for e-learning

The purpose of this thesis is to providing fundamental knowledge of TQM and model

to applying TQM in E-learning process of Studynet Joint Stock Company byidentifying problem relating quality of E-learning process in the studied company and

then making some useful suggestions for this company to improve their current

1 The significance of thesis.

Education has recently reformed with the technological development and exploitations.

In the traditional way, teachers and students used to face to face each other in a realclass It is now being replaced gradually by online class where the teachers can deliver

their lectures and lessons to their students through Internet It seems to be more

convenient and effective This new teaching method has been applied in colleges,

universities over the world such as: Harvard University, Cambridge University and Singapore National University More than that, many business start —ups take their

ideas from providing online teaching service.

There are not any signs that E-learning is slowing down In fact, more and more

organizations, universities, institutions, corporations are turning into E-learning due to its convenience and effectiveness Here are several statistics about E-learning market.

The global eLearning Market is expected to reach $107 billion by 2015 [1] The global

self-paced eLearning market reached $32.1 billion in revenue in 2010 [2], with a five year compound annual growth rate of approximately 9.2% This means that the self- paced eLearning market should see estimated revenues of $49.9 billion in 2015 [3] It

seems to be attractive for startup in E-learning industry

In Vietnam, the e-learning market has grown for 5 years recently, and is attracting theattention of investors It is considered a potential market for start up to join and

compete because this market is new and promising According to investors, thank tothe deep and rapid integration in a range of field, Vietnam is said to be a developingenvironment for e-learning potentially In the survey in March, 2014, Vietnam is one ofthe countries that have the highest growth rate in e-learning market with 46% Themost popular e-learning fields are online English learning and entrance exam review

Furthermore, Vietnamese people play big attention in education Annual report shows

that expenditure for education account for 20 % of government budget and 47%expense of the Vietnamese is spent on education, according to Taylor Nelson’s market

research.

Another factor affecting e-learning market is that number of Internet users is aboutfrom 37 million to 40 million and they spend 2 hours per day on accessing Internet thatmake up 31.5 % of media using time More than that, this rate has an increasing trend

This is a great opportunity to develop the online business

Back to case of Studynet JSC, it began as startup when they saw the potential of

e-learning service The main business portfolio is to provide the online English e-learning

service with foreign teachers through Skype for all ages

In academic environment, the customers are learners Fulfilling their expectation is a

key way that makes customer satisfied in service organization like e-learning.Successful companies understand the powerful impact of customer-defined quality canhave on business For this reason, many competitive firms continually increase their

quality standards For example, both the Ford Motor Company and the Honda Motor

Company have recently announced that making customer satisfaction is their numberone priority For example, the slow economy of 2003 impacted sales in the auto

industry Both firms believe that the way to rebound is through improvements in

quality, and each has outlined specific changes to their operations Ford focused ontightening current strict standards in their production process and implementing aquality program called Six-Sigma Honda, on the other hand, is focused on improving

customer-driven product design Although both firms have been leaders in

implementing high quality standards, they believe that customer satisfaction is still

what matters most [4]

Case of Study Joint Stock Company is chosen to research for this thesis In current situation, Studynet JSC is encountering several problems relating quality in E-learning

company will achieve strategic objectives and satisfy the customers through improving

quality management of English E-learning It will help the firm to recognize the

importance of applying total quality management

3 Research object.

This study focuses on two objects including TQM and E-learning The research scope

is limited in the E-learning process in Studynet JSC and look at the process of businessactivities, work flow, teaching English online of the company to make processes,

guidelines, regulations, forms and specific responsibilities of personality and sections

of the Total Quality Management Besides, the time to carry out survey, collect surveydata as well as analyze data was limited Therefore, some analysis and conclusions may

be still subjective and can be continuously improved

4 Research questions.

About the topic of Application of Total Quality Management in English E-learning :

Case study of Studynet Joint Stock Company, the researcher wants to give the

company the understanding and interpretation of TQM and how to apply it into

E-Question 1: What is the importance (benefits) of applying TQM in E-learning inStudynet Joint Stock Company?

Question 2: What are the problems related the quality in E-learning process in Studynet

Joint Stock Company?

Question 3: What are the solutions for improving the quality of E-learning in Studynet

Joint Stock Company?

5 Research scope.

The research scope is limited in the process of English e-learning in Studynet JointStock Company and issues of its English e-learning quality The research is carried out

at the company by observation, survey, and in-depth interview directly within 3 months

between February and April in 2016.

6 Research methodology.

In this research, qualitative approach will be applied with direct observation and

interview method All needed data comes from the primary and secondary resources.

The primary data was collected directly from the company through the questionnaire

survey with leaners and interviewing the staff, teachers and managers at Studynet JSC.The questions were carefully designed to meet the objectives of the study Thequestions addressed very specific issues Prefacing discussion, the interviewees wereoffered a brief summary of the content of the questionnaire This gave them the

opportunity to discuss the results and identify additional issues The secondary data will be referred from the previous articles, related books and journals that include theoretical context, frameworks and literature

Based on the collected data, the analysis will be conducted to find the problems regardng the quality and the causes of these problems From analyzing, the research

will pesent the solutions and recommendations to improve the quality of e-learning

proces for Studynet JSC

7 Resarch contributions.

When the research is implemented, it will contribute the understanding about the

imporance of applying TQM in E-learning process to the managers, staffs and teachers

of Stulynet JSC By studying the detected problems, the researcher and company have

a genral view of how to integrate TQM in E-learning process in Studynet JSC It is

used a the document to refer and for company that want to pursue the perfection of the

servic: quality that It is also considered as a suggestion and solutions for enhancing

and measuring the quality of service that company brings to customers

8 Reearch structure

Apart from the content of table, lists of figure and tables, acknowledgements, andintrodiction, this research is divided into four parts:

Chaptr 1: Literature Review This part provides an informational background on

histor’ or origin of TQM, TQM philosophies, E-learning process, and application of

TQMin E-learning process

Chaptr 2: Research Methodologies In chapter 2, it includes the methods that research

will b: conducted from collecting the data, handling the data to analyzing the data

Chaptr 3: Research results and analysis The chapter 3 will undertake the explanation

from lata collected and analyze the cause of problems found out in E-learning process

at Stulynet Joint Stock Company.

Chaptr 4: Findings and recommendations

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Fundamentals of total quality management.

1.1.1 The introduction of Total quality management.

Quality

Quality is very misunderstanding concept Different people have different definitions

of quality at different time It is difficult to find a common definition of quality and

more difficult to define it in manufacturing organization and service organization Today, there is no single universal definition of quality Some people view quality as

“performance to standards.” Others view it as “meeting the customer’s needs” or

“satisfying the customer.” [5] Let’s look at some of the more outstanding definitions of quality written by the quality gurus like Deming, Juran, Crosby, Ishikawa and Feigenbaum.

Juran said that quality as “fitness for use” He explained that each member in the

organization must be involved in the effort to make products or services that are fit for

use.

Crosby added a definition that quality as conformance to requirements There was no

defects and doing it right the first time.

Ishikawa also emphasized importance of total quality control to improve organizational performance According to him quality does not only mean the quality of product, but also of after sales service, quality of management, the company itself and the human

life.

According to Deming, quality is a continuous quality improvement process towards

predictable degree of uniformity and dependability.

In addition to these definitions, Feigenbaum defined total quality as a continuous work

processes, starting with customer requirements and ending with customer’s

satisfaction.

definitions in manufacturing usually focus on tangible product features In contrast to

manufacturing, service organizations produce a product that is intangible Usually, thecomplete product cannot be seen or touched Rather, it is experienced Examples

include delivery of health care, experience of staying at a vacation resort, and learning

at a university The intangible nature of the product makes defining quality difficult

Also, since a service is experienced, perceptions can be highly subjective In addition

to tangible factors, quality of services is often defined by perceptual factors

Dimensions of quality for manufacturing versus service organizations are shown in

Table 1.1

Table 1.1]: Dimension of quality for manufacturing versus service organization

Manufacturing Organization Service Organization

Conformance: most common quality definition | Tangible factors

that refers to the degree to which a product

characteristic meets preset standards

Performance— such as acceleration of a vehicle consistency— the degree to

which the service is the same

each time

reliability— that the product will function as responsiveness to customerexpected without failure needs

features— the extras that are included beyond the | courtesy and friendliness of

basic characteristics staff

serviceability— how readily a product can be | atmosphere

repaired

durability— expected operational life of the | Timeliness/promptness in

product resolving complaints

Time — the amount of time a

customer has to wait for theservice

The relative importance of these definitions is based on the preferences of eachindividual customer It is easy to see how different customers can have different

definitions in mind when they speak of high product quality

Introduction of total quality management

Diversifying the perspective of quality from gurus creates the different approach to

Total Quality Management.

The theoretical essence of the Deming approach to TQM concerns the creation of anorganizational system that fosters cooperation and learning for facilitating theimplementation of process management practices, which, in turn, leads to continuous

improvement of processes, products, and services as well as to employee fulfillment,both of which are critical to customer satisfaction, and ultimately, to firm survival(Anderson et al, 1994a) Deming (1986) stressed the responsibilities of top

management to take the lead in changing processes and systems Leadership plays in

ensuring the success of quality management, because it is the top management’sresponsibility to create and communicate a vision to move the firm toward continuousimprovement Top management is responsible for most quality problems; it shouldgive employees clear standards for what is considered acceptable work, and provide the

methods to achieve it [6]

According to Jura and Gryan(1993), TQM is the system of activities directed at

achieving delighted customers, empowered employees, higher revenues, and lower

costs Juran believed that main quality problems are due to management rather than

workers The attainment of quality requires activities in all functions of a firm Heconsidered quality management as_ three basic processes [Juran Triology]: quality

control, quality improvement and quality planning [7]

In the approach of Crosby to TQM, he identified a number of important principles andpractices for a successful quality improvement program, which include, for example,management participation, management responsibility for quality, employee

recognition, education, reduction of the cost of quality (prevention costs, appraisalcosts, and failure costs), emphasis on prevention rather than after-the-event inspection,

doing things right the first time, and zero defects [8]

Feigenbaum (1991) defined TQM as: An effective system for integrating the quality

development, quality-maintenance, and quality-improvement efforts of the various

groups in a firm so as to enable marketing, engineering, production, and service at the

most economical levels which allow for full customer satisfaction [9]

Ishikawa (1985) argued that quality management extends beyond the product andencompasses after-sales service, the quality of management, the quality of individuals

and the firm itself He claimed that the success of a firm is highly dependent on treating

quality improvement as a never-ending quest A commitment to continuousimprovement can ensure that people will never stop learning He advocated employee

participation as the key to the successful implementation of TQM [10]

After five approaches provided by quality gurus, the author have a background for

better understanding of the concept of TQM Although, these approaches aredistinctive, the author can find some common points which are listed below:

(1) It is management’s responsibility to provide commitment, leadership,

empowerment, encouragement, and the appropriate support to technical and human

processes It is top management’s responsibility to determine the environment andframework of operations within a firm It is imperative that management foster the

participation of the employees in quality improvement, and develops a quality culture

by changing perception and attitudes toward quality.

(2) The strategy, policy, and firm-wide evaluation activities are emphasized.

(3) The importance of employee education and training is emphasized in changingemployees’ beliefs, behavior, and attitudes; enhancing employees’ abilities in carrying

out their duties.

(4) Employees should be recognized and rewarded for their quality improvement

efforts.

(5) It is very important to control the processes and improve quality system and

product design The emphasis is on prevention of product defects, not inspection after the event.

(6) Quality is a systematic firm-wide activity from suppliers to customers All

functional activities, such as marketing, design, engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, inspection, shipping, accounting, installation and service, should be

involved in quality improvement efforts.

All perspectives approaching to TQM can be wrapped in this definition below:

Total Quality Management refers to a management philosophy for continuouslyimproving overall business performance based on leadership, supplier qualitymanagement, vision and plan statement, evaluation, process control and improvement,

product design, quality system improvement, employee participation, recognition and reward, education and training, and customer focus [11]

1.1.2 Total quality management principles and practices

Implementing TQM assists companies increase customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and

foster team work, people involvement Companies can also gain higher returns on sales

and investment The ability to provide quality services allow for higher prices to be

charged Total quality means better access to global markets, greater customer loyalty,

wider recognition as a quality brand, etc.

All above benefits come from the effective TQM Base on the Deming’ 14 points forimplementing quality improvement; we have seven concepts that creating effective

TQM.

Continuous improvement: TQM requires never-ending process for continuousimprovement that involves people, suppliers, equipment, materials and procedures The

basic of philosophy is that every aspect of organization can be improved The end goal

is toward perfection that never gain but always sought [12]

PDCA is continuous improvement model of do, plan, check and act that was developed

by Walter Stewart, another pioneer quality management PCDA is a circle to emphasize the continuous nature of improvement process, shown in Figure

Figure 1.1: PDCA circle ( Source: Jay Heizer, Barry Render, 2011)

The Japanese use “Kaizen” to describe the continuous process of unending

improvement On the other hand, TQM and zero defect also are used in US to express the never-ending improvement efforts Whether it is TQM, Kaizen or Zero defect, they are key role in building a work culture that endorses the continuous improvement.

definition of quality; (2) Measure process and collect data ;(3) analyze the data, ensure

the repeatability and reproductivity, (4) Improve by modifying or redesigning the

existing process and procedure; (5) Control new process to make sure the performance

levels are maintain.[13]

Six-sigma is a set of tools: check sheet, scatter diagrams, cause and effect diagrams, pareto chart, flowchart, histogram, statistical process control.

Employee Empowerment

Employee Empowerment refers to involve employees in every step of the production

process It means that give employees the means for making important decisions, and

making those decisions the "right" ones When done right, the results are heightened productivity and a better quality of work life Here are five techniques for building the

employee empowerment: establish communication network that involve employees,

develop open and supportive supervisors, moving the responsible from managers and

staffs to production employees, building high-morale organization, creating the formal

organization structures as a team or quality circle [15]

Team can be built to address variety of issue that focuses on quality Quality circle is a

group of employee who meet regularly to solve the work-related problems These

members receive training in group planning, problems solving and statistical quality

control.

Benchmarking

Benchmarking contains selecting a demonstrated standard of performance thatrepresents the very best performance for a process or an activity Typical performancemeasures used in benchmark is percentage of defect, cost per unit or per order,

customer retention rate, processing time per unit, services response time, customer

satisfaction rate The steps for developing benchmark: defining what to benchmark,form the benchmark team, identify the benchmark partners, collect and analyze thebenchmarking information, and take the action to match or exceed benchmark.[15]

Just-In-Time (JIT)

JIT is designed to produce and deliver the goods just as they are needed Thephilosophy behind JIT is one of continuous improvement and enforced problem

solving JIT is related to quality in three ways:

JIT cuts cost of quality because JIT reduces inventory, cost are lower In additions, the

inventory hide the bad quality that JIT immediately exposes.

JIT improves quality: as JIT shrinks lead time, it can keep the evidences of errors fresh

and limits the number of potential resources of errors In effect, JIT creates an early warning system for quality problem

Better quality means less inventory and a better, easier to employ JIT system: the

purpose of keeping inventory often is to protect against poor production performance

resulting from unreliable quality If consistent quality exist, it allows firms to reduce all

cost regarded with inventory.[16]

Taguchi concept:

Most quality problems are a result of poor product and process design Genichi Taguch

i has provided us with three concepts aimed at improving both product and process qua

lity They are quality robustness, quality loss function, and target oriented quality.[17]

Quality robust products are products that can be produced uniformly and consistently i

n adverse manufacturing and environmental conditions.

A quality loss function identifies all costs connected with poor quality and shows how t

hese costs increase as the product moves away from beingexactly what the customer w

ants.

Target oriented quality is aphilosophy of continuous improvement to bring the product

exactly on target.

Knowledge of TQM tools: To empower employees and implement TQM —

as a continuing effort, everyone in the organization must be trained in the techniques of

TQM

1.1.3 Total quality management tools or techniques.

There are seven basic quality tools for effective TQM:

1 Cause and effect diagram: A Cause-and-Effect Diagram is a tool that helps identify, sort, and display possible causes of a specific problem or quality

characteristic It graphically illustrates the relationship between a given outcome and

all the factors that influence the outcome This type of diagram is sometimes called an

"Ishikawa diagram" because it was invented by Kaoru Ishikawa, or a "fishbone diagram" because of the way it looks.[18]

2 Check Sheet: The check sheet is a simple document that is used for collecting data

in real-time and at the location where the data is generated The document is typically a

blank form that is designed for the quick, easy, and efficient recording of the desired

information, which can be either quantitative or qualitative.[19]

3.Control Chart: A control chart is a statistical tool used to distinguish between variation in a process resulting from common causes and variation resulting from special causes It presents a graphic display of process stability or instability over

6 Pareto Diagram: A Pareto chart, named after Vilfredo Pareto, is a type of chart that

contains both bars and a line graph, where individual values are represented in

descending order by bars, and the cumulative total is represented by the line.[23]

7 Scatter diagram: It is used to determine if there is a relationship or correlation

between two variables It is used to display what happens to one variable when another variable changes in order to test a theory that the two variables are related The data

The development and explosion of technology has a great change in all aspect of our

life including education E-learning has emerged as a new method of teaching andlearning due to advanced technology especially launch of Internet Gradually, E-learning is replacing traditional classroom that has existed for a long time

E-learning is becoming an increasingly popular emerging new approach to teachingand learning in most institutions of higher learning and organization worldwide E inE-learning stands for electronic; this suggests that teaching and learning process is not

conducted in normal way.

There are many definitions of E-Learning Here are the most outstanding definitions

E-learning refers to learning facilitated and supported through the use of information

and communications technology (Jenkins and Hanson, 2003) This definition is close tothe definition of The Commission on Technology and Adult Learning, 2001 that E-learning, defined as instructional content or learning experiences delivered or enabled

In E-learning guidebook, E-learning is commonly referred to the intentional use of

networked information and communications technology in teaching and learning

As we can see that, all definitions share some mutual ideas that the advanced

information and technology is driving force for E-learning conducted

A number of other terms are also used to describe this mode of teaching and learning.They include online learning, virtual learning, distributed learning, network and web-based learning Fundamentally, they all refer to educational processes that utilize

information and communications technology to mediate asynchronous as well as

synchronous learning and teaching activities.[25] All these terms are covered indefinition of Kaplan-Leiserson: E-learning: Covers a wide set of applications andprocesses, such as Web-based learning, computer-based learning, virtual classrooms,and digital collaboration It includes the delivery of content via Internet,

intranet/extranet (LAN/WAN), audio- and videotape, satellite broadcast, interactive

TV, and CD-ROM.

The E-learning approach:

Self-paced and facilitated/instructor-led are two general E-learning approaches:

Self-paced:

Self-paced learners are provided e-learning courseware (web-based training) housed on

a Web server which can be complemented by supplemental resources and assessments

Learners can access it from an online learning platform or on CD-ROM Learners are

free to learn at their own pace and to define personal learning paths based on theirindividual needs and interests E-learning providers do not have to schedule, manage or

track learners through a process [26]

E-learning content is developed according to a set of learning objectives and is

delivered using different media elements, such as text, graphics, audio and video It

must provide as much learning support as possible (through explanations, examples,

interactivity, feedback, glossaries, etc.), in order to make learners self-sufficient

Instructor-led and facilitated e-learning

In this model, a linear curriculum is developed that integrates several content elements

and activities into a chronological course or syllabus The course is scheduled and led

by an instructor and/ or facilitator through an online learning platform E-learningcontent for individual study can be integrated with instructor’s lectures, individualassignments and collaborative activities among learners Learners, facilitators andinstructors can use communication tools such as e-mails, discussion forums, chats,polls, whiteboards, application sharing and audio and video conferencing to

communicate and work together At the end, a final step typically includes an exercise

or assessment to measure learning.[27]

The E-learning activities:

The E-learning activities is divided into synchronous activities and asynchronous activities

Synchronous activities occur in real time Synchronous communication between twopeople requires them to both be present at a given time Examples of synchronousactivities are chat conversations, live webcasting and audio/video conferencing [28]

Asynchronous activities do not depend on time, happen anytime that learner want to

study A self-paced course is an example of asynchronous e-learning because onlinelearning takes place at any time E-mail, blog, or discussion forums are examples ofasynchronous communication tools [29]

The e-learning component:

The e-learning components consist of different component from the e-learning

approach:

e e-learning content includes: simple learning resources (documents, audio files,

videos, PowerPoint presentation) that are non-interactive; interactive e-lessonwhich are text, graphics, animations, audio, video and interactivity in the form

of questions and feedback.

e e-tutoring, e-coaching, e-mentoring: provide individual support and feedback to

learners through online tools and facilitation techniques.

e Collaborative learning range from discussions and knowledge-sharing to

working together on a common project Social software, such as chats,

discussion forums and blogs, are used for online collaboration among learners.

e virtual classroom is an e- learning activities where an instructor teaches

remotely and in real time to a group of learners using a combination of materials (e.g PowerPoint slides, audio or video materials)

1.2.2 E-learning advantages and disadvantages.

E-learning advantage:

E-learning is becoming an increasingly popular emerging new approach to teaching

and learning in most institutions of higher learning and organization worldwide Gradually, E-learning is replacing traditional classroom that has existed for a long time

There are a number of advantage that urge people to choose e-learning The benefits ofe-learning are mainly the cost efficiency, accessibility and flexibility in terms of time

and place E-learning allows learning to take place when the lecturer and the learner are

separated both in time and space (Uys, 2003).Moreover, it can reduce the setup costfrom traditional classroom that need a lot of money to invest for educational

organization; and also save cost, time for students or learns in sense that there no need

to travel It offer convenience for both tutor and the learner (learning anytime or

anywhere) Other benefits of e-learning as adapted and shortened from Unwin (2008)

include:,

e The potential for interactivity amongst and between learners and teachers,

Enables conduct of lessons from a remote location and extends geographical access to education,

e Content is more timely, consistent and dependable with potential for re-use,

e Combination of both synchronous and asynchronous learning,

e Supports student centered e-learning paradigm and students can learn at their

own pace,

e Ease of access to information

e Increases access to learning and training opportunity,

e E-learning lowers costs and improves cost-effectiveness of educational

resources,

e Offers the combination of education with work and family life,

e Scalability: e-learning solutions are highly scalable

e Facilitates the management of student records and tracking students’,

E-learning disadvantages:

In spite of a range of advantages that we can take from e-learning, it still has severaldisadvantages when implementing E-learning According to Juhadil et al (2007) those

who adopt advanced technology during the teaching and learning process need to

possess a range of ICT skills It is a challenge as well as a prerequisite for adopting

e-learning Studies also support that e-learning possesses some disadvantages (Collins et

al 1997; Klein and Ware, 2003; Hameed et al, 2008; Almosa, 2002; Akkoyuklu and

Soylu, 2006; Lewis, 2000; Scott et al 1999; Marc, 2002; Dowling et al, 2003; Mayes,2002) The main weaknesses of e-learning that have been given by these studies

include the following:

1 E-learning as a method of education makes the learners undergo contemplation,remoteness, as well as lack of interaction or relation It therefore requires a very stronginspiration as well as skills with to the management of time in order to reduce such

effects.

2 With respect to clarifications, offer of explanations, as well as interpretations, the

e-learning method might be less effective that the traditional method of e-learning The

Jearning process is much easier with the use of the face to face encounter with the

instructors or teachers.

3 When it comes to improvement in communication skills of learners, e-learning as amethod might have a negative effect The learners Though might have an excellentknowledge in academics, they may not possess the needed skills to deliver their

acquired knowledge to others.

4 Since tests for assessments in e-learning are possibly done with the use of proxy, itwill be difficult, if not impossible to control or regulate bad activities like cheating

5 E-learning may also probably be misled to piracy and plagiarism, predisposed by

inadequate selection skills, as well as the ease of copy and paste.

6 E-learning may also deteriorate institutions’ role socialization role and also the role

of instructors as the directors of the process of education

7 Also not all fields or discipline can employ the e-learning technique in education

For instance the purely scientific fields that include practical cannot be properly studies

through e-learning Researches have argued that e-learning is more appropriate in

social science and humanities than the fields such as medical science and pharmacy,

where there is the need to develop practical skills.

8 E-learning may also lead to congestion or heavy use of some websites This maybring about unanticipated costs both in time and money disadvantages

1.3 Applying Total quality management in E-learning.

1.3.1 Overview of quality management in E-learning

E-learning is one kind of educational service It is difficult to measure and the evaluatethe quality of service because they are compounded by subjective elements The

concept of TQM is also applicable to academics Many educators believe that theDeming’s concept of TQM provides guiding principles for much needed education

reforms The principle of Smart Teaching, e-learning, JIT teaching, self-improvement and learning, total quality curriculum and transformation plan leads to a need of

effective implementation of TQM in this service sector The study of Ho and Wearn

(1995) developed a TQM model for higher education and training as applicable to

TQM in education The aim was to determine the advantages of TQM and how TQM

can be effectively and efficiently applied in higher education institutions (HEI) They

developed a TQM excellence (HETQMEX) model for higher education and trainingbased on fundamental concepts of service quality: 5-S, marketing and education quality

control, quality control circles, ISO-9000 and total preventive maintenance The findings showed that most HEIs concentrate exclusively on students and perhaps employees, as customers but neglect the diversity of customer which TQM must

satisfy The research suggested commitment from everyone, competence andcontinuous improvement as solutions to some significant problems encountered inimplementing TQM Lo and Sculli (1996) applies the TQM concepts to a qualitymanagement programme for industrial and engineering managers and covers both theaspects of syllabus design and the operation and monitoring of the programme with this

application The application was based on the ISO-9000 quality assurance management

systems In another study conducted by Helms et al (2001) found that some collegesand universities have faced difficulties implementing TQM in higher educationbecause of strong tenure systems in place The authors present a review of the tenure

process in higher education as well as the ongoing evaluation, or post-tenure review process, conducted once the tenure has been achieved The study links the post-tenure

review movement to the pervasiveness of TQM and concludes with suggestions that

educational institutions can adopt tenure, post-tenure review and TQM can work

compatibly together Also, Engelkemeyer (1993) categorised the shortcomings of

present higher education systems as poor teaching, anachronistic programmes, incoherent curricula, excessive price and growing and inefficient administrative

bureaucracies Lewis and Smith (1994) observed that while ‘accreditation’ and

‘assessment’ in universities focus on only ‘inputs’ and ‘outputs’ of the system

respectively, a TQM approach integrates and improves all the three stages — inputs,

processes and outputs With changing pattern of education delivery from face-to-face

to online, course content and nature of learners, the concept of quality has become aninherent component of the educational process for its success Globalisation of

education provides adequate cause for concern to this area TQM in education is a timely tool, which must be clearly understood, adopted and implemented as soon as possible Studies done by Bayraktas et al (2008), Huston (2007), Ali et al (2008),

Khan et al (2008) and Mahapatra and Khan (2007) in this area are of interest too.[30]

1.3.2 Problems related to quality in E-learning.

Quality of E-learning:

Defining quality of e-learning varies from the perspective, scope and dimension.According to Pawlowski (2003), quality in the field of e-learning is not associated with

a well-defined measure There are a lot of the debates for what makes up the success

learning Speaking in another way, what are factors that need to define quality of learning From the viewpoint of Ehlers 2002a, 2002b, 2003a, Quality can be distinguished by three different dimensions: different meanings of quality, different quality perspectives and different levels of the educational process to which quality can apply [figure 1.2]

And last but not least it is important to clarify different semantic understandings ofwhat quality actually means: If quality is understood in the way of excellence we candistinguish it from quality in the sense of usability or value for money [31] Definingquality thus means positioning oneself in this multidimensional space There is nopatent remedy and no universally applicable, standard perspective for developing orassuring quality Quality development always has to take different perspectives anddifferent meanings into account.[32]

In this research, the author wants to concern the perspective of learners It makes thisresearch more complete This goes along with a new awareness in the field of qualityresearch in education which emphasizes the importance of a subjective research

perspective in the area of services in general quality in learning has to be considered as

a co-production process between the learning-environment and the learner and is thus

part of his/her own responsibility A learning process is not something that is delivered

to a learner by an e-learning-provider but rather constitutes a process of co-production

between the learner and the learning-environment That means that the product/

outcome of an educational process can not exclusively be influenced by the

‘production processes’ of an educational institution [33]

Another model that concern about the quality of e-learning developed by (Holsappleand Lee-Post, 2006) is E-Learning Success Model This model is a description of aprocess devoted to measure and assesses success Success in e-learning is defined as amultifaceted construct to be assessed in three successive stages: system design, systemdelivery and system outcome As shown in fig.1.3, in the first stage the goal is to attainsystem design success by maximizing the three quality dimensions: system quality,information quality and service quality The second stage is to gain system delivery

success by maximizing the use and user satisfaction dimensions The final stage is to

attain system outcome success by maximizing net benefits dimension Each successdimension is quantified as a single numeric measure by aggregating the ratings of itsset of attributing factors obtained via survey instruments The overall success of e-

learning can then be evaluated for each dimension A low score for any success

dimension indicates a deficiency in that area and efforts can be spent accordingly toremedy for the deficiency [34]

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Figure 1.3: The E-learning Model (Source: Holsapple and Lee-Post, 2006) The author will use this model as a suggestion for designing questionnaire It considers

all aspects of the e-learning process.

1.3.3 Applying Total Quality Management principles in E-learning

Applying Total Quality Management philosophy through the E-learning system can

increase confidence in this style of education To be successful in implementing TQM,its eight key elements should be the main focus Meanwhile, The Baldrige Criteriaprovide a comprehensive way to achieve and sustain high performance across the

entire educational organization It is applied to improve schools and its student’s

education It is a valuable framework for measuring performance and planning in an

uncertain environment.

One model for improving quality in e-learning was suggested by Ola Ibrahim, School

of Business, University of Huddersfiel on Journal of Business Management & Social

The eight elements of Total quality management :

In 2010, Nayantara Padhi explains eight elements help TQM to describe a philosophythat makes Quality the driving force behind Leadership, design, planning, andimprovement He groups them in a form of a house where the foundation is theIntegrity & Ethics The Bricks were Leadership, Teamwork, and training Recognitionrepresented the roof, while Communication was the binding mortar [35]

(Source: Nayantara Padhi, 2010 )

The Baldrige Criteria Framework

In 2012, Paul steel argued in his paper “The Baldrige Business Model” that Baldrige,integration of systematic processes is the most active approach to accelerate

organizational improvement Baldrige Criteria are built upon a set of core values and

concepts They are Leadership, strategic planning, Strategic Focus, Measurement,Analysis, and Knowledge Management, Workforce Focus, operation focus and results.Relationship of these value and concept are present the map in the next page

The function of measurement, analysis and knowledge management in the Baldrigecriteria is to examine how the organization selects, gathers, analyses, manages, andimproves its data information, and knowledge assets And how it manages its

information technology It also examines how organization uses review findings toimprove its performance.[36]

Measurement Analysis, and Knowledge Management

Figure 1.5: The Baldrige Criteria (Source: Baldrige, http://www Baldrige.com)

Quality Function Deployment (QFD)

customer wants and needs, and then evaluate thoroughly each anticipated

product or service capability in meeting those needs

The suggested E-learning Model:

The suggested e-learning Model emphasise that the eight elements of TQM were

engaged in the Baldrige criteria framework QFD on the right top of the model is the main tool of evaluation of all the processes It will allocate the customers’ needs to the Leadership management, who will align functions activity to deploy the

eight elements of TQM, to produce a high quality E-learning system, which will affect

the social culture and environment of the development countries people The main process of the offered service is the communication It appears in the Model comprising the core activities of the teaching and learning process Communication could be Synchronous; concerned with chat, video conference, and shared blackboard.

Or, Asynchronous; concerned with Electronic bulletin board, messaging, calendar, document repository, and wiki The process of teaching and learning includes three

mains activities affecting the learner [37]

1-Administration service: - concerned with enrolment, payment, and virtual library.

2- Support service and staff:- concerned with team work, orientation support, and

pedagogical and technical support

3- Learning Object:-concerned with accessibility, usability, and didactic.

In this model, the author recommend that the whole teaching and learning process should interact with the Integrity and ethics, teamwork, and training Then the output

arises in sort of high quality e-learning service, well-educated qualified members of