Abstract

This project will result in a web-based course delivering SDS 486, "Standards and Documentation for Quality". The course is required for partial fulfillment of the Business Administration program recently approved for distance delivery as part of Indiana State University’s DegreeLink program. Place-bound and time-bound students will need access to a modest computer running Windows 95 and access to the Internet. In addition to reading assignments from their textbook and links to relevant Internet sites, students will complete a number of experiential exercises, including a simulation game, designed to tie the course concepts together. They will discuss insights gained from the exercises and the simulation game via a computerized discussion list.

 

Project Narrative

1. Introduction

The Commission on Higher Education recently approved distance delivery of the Business Administration major offered by Indiana State University as part of the DegreeLink program. ISU has offered IHETS classes for a number of years to allow students at Vincennes University (in Vincennes and Jasper) to complete the second two years of a Business Administration program. With approval of the DegreeLink program, the demand for courses offered at a distance will expand and necessitate use of additional types of media.

The ISU Business Administration program requires students to choose three emphasis areas to augment the core business courses they will take. Students take two classes in each emphasis area. One emphasis area routinely offered is Quality and Decision Sciences. The purpose of this project is to develop a web-based course for asynchronous delivery that will be available for students selecting QDS for an emphasis area.

SDS 486 is a seminar class that will be titled "Standards and Documentation for Quality." The course, taught once on campus with this topic, focuses on ISO 9000, ISO 14000, and QS 9000. ISO 9000 is an appropriate topic for a wide range of students. Many graduates of the program will take jobs with ISO firms or firms seeking ISO registration. Employees in all segments of the firm are involved in documentation for ISO. In addition to enabling non-traditional students to complete a requirement for the Business Administration program, the course is immediately relevant to non-degree-seeking individuals whose employers are seeking initial registration with ISO or seeking re-certification under the new standards becoming effective in January of 1999.

Asynchronous delivery enables time and place bound students to complete the course in their own homes, within the constraints of busy work and family schedules. Although the course addresses some statistical concepts, it does not require the intensive study of statistics that some QDS courses do. No specialized statistical software will be required for completion of the course. Much of the material is accessible enough to permit individualized study of textbook material augmented with materials delivered via the Web. The use of a discussion list and help via the phone will facilitate understanding of the few mathematically complicated parts of the course. The course also features the use of a simulation game to help students understand how implementation of quality principles affects the long-run health of the organization.

Dr. Leona Gallion, Acting Dean of the School of Business, asked me to develop the course for asynchronous delivery and is committed to offering the course on an on-going basis for partial fulfillment of the QDS emphasis requirements. (See Appendix for letter of support from Dean Gallion.)

 

2. Instructional Design Plan

Weekly reading assignments will be posted to the course homepage along with links to relevant sites. Topics covered will include:

• Overview of ISO 9000, QS 9000 and the Malcolm Baldridge Award;
• Steps in achieving ISO 9000 registration;
• Details of the 20 elements of ISO 9000 as it currently exists;
• Details of the new ISO standards taking effect in January of 1999;
• Discussion of how currently registered companies will have to change to achieve re-registration under the new standards;
• Features of quality audits;
• Additional elements found in QS 9000;
• Environmental concerns as covered in ISO14000.

The background acquired by students through their reading and Internet links will provide the basis for more active learning exercises. Each student will write a mission statement for an actual organization of his/her choice. Each student will write procedures and work instructions for an actual task in the organization. Students will share their work on the discussion list and critique the work of other students. Using the input from students and the instructor, students will improve and rewrite their documentation. Students will complete cases that give practice in other topics of the course.

Another feature of the course will be videotaped interviews with managers of area plants who are seeking initial ISO registration or seeking re-registration under the new standards. Managers will give insight to the task of preparing for registration. Others will talk about the changes their firms must make in order to meet the more rigorous new standards.

A simulation game will be used as a capstone exercise for the material. The game allows students to experience the work of a quality manager who must implement a variety of the elements of ISO 9000 within a limited time frame and a limited budget. Players of the game may choose to inspect raw materials coming into the factory or finished goods leaving the factory. They can choose to spend part of the quality budget for employee training. They can elect to put procedures in place to identify causes of defects and to prevent defects once they are detected. More options are available than can be implemented with the allocated budget for the quality department. The student must then prioritize the available options. At the end of each month of simulated play, the student is given a series of standard reports, including market share and stock price. Other reports can be purchased out of the quality budget. Students will be allowed to play the game several times and submit their best set of options as measured by stock price. They will also be asked to reflect on why that strategy netted the largest stock price. They will discuss why other strategies did not work. Each student will post his analysis on the discussion list. Students will use the list to hone their understanding of the game and the elements of ISO 9000. Students will be allowed to play the game in a second round of simulations using their increased insight.

Students will need access to the Internet. Students need a computer running Windows 95 with 16 megabytes of random access memory.

1. Evaluation of Student Learning

Students will complete three exams during the class. They will also be graded on the experiential activities assigned them. Finally, they will be evaluated on the quality of their postings to the discussion list.

2. Course Evaluation and Peer Review

During the design of the course, I will seek feedback from individuals experienced in distance delivery, homepage design, and use of discussion lists. I will also check with other instructors in the QDS area to evaluate appropriateness of topic coverage.

Each student will evaluate his/her course experience using relevant elements from the Student Instructional Report used in on-campus courses at ISU. Other questions will be tailored to evaluate the distance learning experience. A shortened version of the evaluation instrument will be used when approximately one-third of the course is completed. The "early-warning" received from this feedback will be used to make adjustments during the semester.

3. Project Schedule

December, 1998 Design of course complete for IHETS delivery in Spring 1999.

January, 1999 Pilot cases, experiential activities and simulation game with

Through May, 1999 on-site students and IHETS students.

June, 1999 Through Develop web site with weekly assignments and links to other

July, 1999 quality resources on the Internet. Complete test bank.

August, 1999 Meet with instructional design specialists and other faculty in QDS area to review web site and make necessary additions and corrections.

January, 2000 Offer the course as an entirely web-based course.

3. Budget and Narrative

The budget reflects the cost of developing the web page and the video and the purchase price of the simulation game. Three copies of the game will be purchased and passed around to course participants. Since software and hardware change so rapidly, the game or the hardware available to play it may change substantially in the next two years. Purchasing a large quantity of the game may result in a large expenditure for a soon to be obsolete product.

4. Appendix

Dr. Belva J. Cooley has been a faculty member at Indiana State University since 1987. With 28 years of teaching experience, she has developed numerous new courses for on-campus delivery. Two years ago she took and passed the examination for Certified Quality Engineer. The body of knowledge for that professional certification includes, among other topics, the material covered in the course to be developed for distance delivery. She developed and taught a course covering the same material for on-campus delivery.

Last year Dr. Cooley participated in the Course Transformation Academy offered to ISU faculty. She has experience with computer technology, routinely teaching courses in microcomputer applications and other information systems topics. She has developed web pages and used computerized discussion lists for on-campus courses.