In electronic education, does total quality exist in the experiences of the customer rather than the aspirations of the supplier?

Selvaratnam, Ratna Malar * (2005) In electronic education, does total quality exist in the experiences of the customer rather than the aspirations of the supplier? Sunway Academic Journal, 2. pp. 33-43.

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Abstract

Total Quality Management (TQM) is a systems approach to management that aims to continuously increase value to customers by designing and constantly improving organizational processes and systems. However, TQM has been so slow to migrate from industry to the campus mainly because many academics still see TQM as a fad or buzzword. This paper looks at whether total quality exists in the experiences of the customer rather than the aspirations of the supplier and how far this is true in electronic education. E-education is a generic concept embracing e-learning, e-management and e-administration. It is in this holistic context that institutions should address the issues if there is to be a coherent transition from traditional practice to one that exploits the potential of e-business. It is therefore imperative that the culture of most universities and technological universities will have to be transformed if quality improvement efforts are to be successful. Following will be a discussion of the role of TQM in education, the identification of customers and suppliers in e-education, and whether culture might pose a problem to TQM in e-learning.

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