Lachlan Crawford

Total quality management in education: problems and issues for the classroom teacher

Total quality management (TQM), a management philosophy developed for industrial purposes, is now attracting increasing attention in the field of education. Different interpretations of TQM in industry, however, may result in contrasting outcomes when TQM is applied in schools. Briefly reviews how TQM operates in the industrial context and clarifies how the philosophy of TQM may be translated into the context of education. Examines one inter‐pretation of TQM which aims at improving the quality of the production system in order to produce a quality product with “zero defects”. This may lead to a teaching and learning process which focusses exclusively on achieving good examination results. This is contrasted with a second interpretation of TQM as a never‐ending cycle of improvement in the system of production. In the context of education, this may lead to continually improving the quality of instruction in order to encourage students to become critical and creative thinkers in a fast‐changing technological world.

Enhancing multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) with lesson video clips: recent developments in pre-service teaching practice in Singapore

Abstract Rapid technological development in computer video conferencing and digital video photography over the last decade makes it easier than ever for teacher educators to use the technology in facilitating reflective practice. This paper reports recent developments in the use of multipoint desktop videoconferencing (MDVC) in preservice teaching practice in Singapore. In addition to regular video conferencing, preservice teachers now have opportunities to view their own teaching video clips and receive feedback from their peers and university supervisors. The experience helped enhance professional development of preservice teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools where they taught.

The challenge of ISO 9000 certification in higher education

Addresses the question of how ISO 9000, the international standard for quality management systems, may best be applied to higher education. Begins with a concise but systematic description of the requirements of ISO 9000 for industry in terms of a simplified model of a factory. Argues that the product of higher education must be the actual learning of the students and not merely the provision of learning opportunities. Hence shows how the requirements of ISO 9000 for higher education may be interpreted in terms of a simplified model of a university. Highlights the key educational management issues raised and reviews how they are currently being addressed in practice.

Using lesson video clips via multipoint desktop video conferencing to facilitate reflective practice

Rapid technological development in computer video conferencing over the last decade makes it easier than ever for teacher educators to use the technology in facilitating reflective practice. As a computer-supported collaborative learning tool, computer video conferencing provides increasing opportunities for student teachers to share experiences across time and space. This article describes a Singapore experience in which lesson video clips were streamed via multipoint desktop video conferencing for pre-service teacher education. The experience provided opportunities for the professional development of the student teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools where they taught.

Building a learning community via videoconferencing

Rapid technological development in the last decade makes it easier than ever to use technologies as collaborative learning tools. Computer video conferencing as a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) technology provides increasing opportunities for learners to share experiences across time and space. The following describes how multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) is used in preservice teacher education programs in Singapore to enhance the professional development of preservice teachers by allowing them to share ideas, experiences and teaching resources in real time with an audience wider than the schools where they teach.

Multipoint Desktop Video Conferencing in Teacher Education: Preliminaries, problems and progress

Members of this research team are investigating the use of multipoint desktop video conferencing (MDVC) technology in Singapore to enhance the National Institute of Educations schools practicum partnership model. The project builds on the Singapore ONE ATM island-wide network and the high-speed ADSL line access provided by Singtel Magix. This infrastructure provides state-of-the-art support for the White Pine CU-SeeMe Meeting Point server and client software that enables students on teaching practice to conference with each other and their university-based supervisors. A typical conference involves four of five students at different schools and one staff member at the National Institute of Education in Singapore. These conferences provide opportunities for professional sharing between staff and students without the limits of time and space which are traditional constraints on conventional teaching practice.

Application of multipoint desktop video conferencing system (MDVC) for enhancement of trainee-supervisor discourse in teacher education

Video conferencing technology has been in use for teaching, training and communication purposes over the past several years. Recent advances in digital streaming technology, increasing bandwidth and software engineering allow the use of video conferencing in the most efficient and cost effective ways. In the teacher training environment, the use of video conferencing has the potential to improve the discourse between the trainee and supervisor and thus increase the overall effectiveness of the training process. The paper describes a research project which utilizes multipoint desktop video conferencing at the National Institute of Education in Singapore to investigate the feasibility and pedagogic values of the technology in teacher training programs. Some preliminary findings are reported.