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Use of QFD in Assessment of Course Activities for Learning Outcomes

Zbigniew Prusak Central Connecticut State University

Abstract

This paper describes the principles of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) used in the assessment of various student activities pursued during both classroom and laboratory instruction. Twenty two different types of student activities were analyzed for their contribution toward fulfillment of thirty learning outcomes. Some of the learning outcomes considered in the presented analysis were identified by Engineering Technology faculty for program assessment purposes. Additionally, there are also other outcomes that were considered by both faculty and members of the Engineering Technology Industrial Advisory Board during the development stage of the program assessment process. In two senior level courses dealing with subjects of engineering design and manufacturing processes, each type of student activity was also assessed in terms of its level according to Bloom’s taxonomy. Various assessment methods and observation are utilized in these courses to evaluate students’ performance. Design projects, concept generation, individual formal presentations, information search and forensic studies proved to be the most universal activities, developing a wide range of professional skills. After the initial analysis, for the purpose of feasibility of the assessment process, this large number of skills was reduced to a manageable number and grouped into ten learning outcomes. The ten outcomes became the subject of the formally accepted assessment process for Engineering Technology programs at CCSU.

Introduction

Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique parallels engineering procedures used for establishing and examining product and process specifications and performances 1, 2 . Developed in 1970’s in Japan and used in Kobe Shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, QFD methodology stemmed from quality improvement tables and was originally used for development of new products 3 (more details about past, present and future of QFD can be found in paper by Akao 4 ). However, QFD is also a technique that helps in capturing, organizing and systematizing present knowledge about a product or process with a view of increasing the knowledge and making necessary improvements to meet future challenges 3, 5, 6 . It is “the only comprehensive quality system aimed specifically at satisfying the customer” 7 . QFD uses voice of customer (VOC) and technical characteristics of a product or process as inputs. Using these two groups of inputs: VOC called also Wants or Needs or Whats and technical characteristics called also Hows, QFD study also aims at establishing relationships between the two groups. Strength of each relationship between each Want and each How is assessed according to degree of how a customer’s want is influenced by a technical characteristic. Each relationship is assessed for its existence on lack thereof 8, or more commonly a degree of strength of relationship is rated to have one of four levels: strong, medium, weak and negligible. To illustrate the degree of relationship in QFD matrix, most authors use symbols, some use symbols

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Prusak, Z. (2007, June), Use Of Qfd In The Assessment Of Course Activities For Learning Outcomes Paper presented at 2007 Annual Conference & Exposition, Honolulu, Hawaii. 10.18260/1-2--2647