If you look our scientific production or the ability of our fellows to perform endooscopic or ultrsonographic examinations without the help of a tutor, you can find objective demonstration of our progresses. If you ask whether these results are the effects of an Institution or Governement support the answer is: no heip, only personal initiatives, or strokes of genius.

improvement in the process, education and research activities could be realized but its a slowly process. 

We have realized improvement in:

1. Teaching methods -use of ICT

2. Quality Research - in terms H-index and Impact factor

3. Increase in consultancy

4. Quality of students

5. A-grade University

6. Increase in World class infrastructure

7. Increase in faculty, etc.

Yes, I have, dear Mahfuz. I cannot be a good pilot if I don't!

If you look our scientific production or the ability of our fellows to perform endooscopic or ultrsonographic examinations without the help of a tutor, you can find objective demonstration of our progresses. If you ask whether these results are the effects of an Institution or Governement support the answer is: no heip, only personal initiatives, or strokes of genius.

We have more specialized disciplines and centers now than the 5 years before. Many research and laboratory facilities were upgraded during the last few years.

Thus, is improvement Institute-dependent (e.g. education/research environment) or Individual-dependent, or does it result from individual-environment interactions?

Deming Cycle is a main tool used in continuous improvement::

·         Plan: Identify an opportunity and plan for change.

·         Do: Implement the change on a faculty or branch.

·         Check: Evaluate the plan.

·         Act: Take action and implement it on the whole organization.

Assess the Organization

An organization must evaluate its core services, goals and measures of success on a consistent basis in order to ensure employee and customer needs are being met, that decisions are made with overarching strategic goals in mind and that the organization's practices, work and culture are aligned with its mission, vision and values.

The Employee Survey can be administered to determine the state of employee satisfaction.

The Customer Survey can be used to measure customer satisfaction.

http://www.washington.edu/research/rapid/tools-and-templates

The university’s administration has said (in speeches, press conferences, magazines, and web sites) that there has been continuous improvement in the university in education & research activities or processes in the last five years. I cannot add anything to what it said.

This college has only existed for 5 years.  We needed all this time to establish our RnD, and we use research as the basis of making our college as a College of distinction (COD), with engaged learners, great teaching, a vibrant community and successful outcomes.  We are just beginning.  Allow me to share this pic.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_areas_have_you_identified_that_you_can_work_upon_so_that_your_university_or_college_is_recognized_as_a_college_of_distinction

Well, in Greece we are already in 5-6 years in recession. There are ~5000 of suicides, and under these circumstances there is no R & D at all! 

In Cuba, the economic sitution has deteriorated the R&D in the Universities in comparison with the 80s and it seem to me that this situation will not change during the coming years. The government is making all possible efforts to reduce the negative impact of the economic crisis in the universities, but these efforts are not enough.

Yes, I believe that we have had continuous improvement in the last 5 years.

Dear Mahfuz,

The University of Udine is considered virtuous by the Ministry of University because it has good indicators both for research and for teaching. In the 2014,  we have received more funds  than 2013 despite the policy of cuts implemented in all EU countries. Unfortunately Italy has always allocated a low percentage of funds for the University on GDP.

One of the most serious flawsof our University system is the inability of transfers from one university to another. Another is the presence of many young researchers precarious without the possibility of stabilization and of researchers with a habilitation to take over the functions of associate or full professor with no real chance of career progression.

There has been progress, but if the deserving researchers or associate professors fail to achieve a position suited to their abilities even we, who have since long reached the top of our career, have food for thought.

Best wishes for the continuation in 2015 of the challenging work you and the RG fellows are doing in the university.

Ting Fa Marg

Provide greater support to the information needs of the University in areas of continuous improvement, planning, and accreditation. In concert with higher education movements to centralize and formalize quality and continuous improvement efforts, the OIEA will serve as an umbrella housing and managing several crucial continuous improvement programs to support EMU’s University accreditation process. 

http://www.emich.edu/assessment/newsletters/CINewsletter1F.pdf

Some textbooks use the term continual and not continuous improvement. I believe using the term continual improvement is more accurate.

Yes, indeed. initial Deming's “Plan - Do - Check – Act” cycle is improved by Ishikawa. Thank you.

@MJ

Thanks for sharing this very important question. Time has come when one can not depend on the traditional/governmental resources for funding R&D as well as strengthening of university resources due to recession/fund-crunch etc. I have been thinking & discussing since last 5 years that  Universities and research institutes should arrange funds to continue/strengthen R&D  activities through CROWD FUNDING. I hope all past pass-out/former colleagues will come forward in addition to persons related to the domain of the project. to fund research project projects.

At this moment I am working on crowd funding for research project in drug discovery domain. 

Yes I do. Quality of research and quantity are always of concern.

Dear Kamal,

Yes,  The number of publications of colleagues and the number of staff who got academic promotion in the university are very essential in measuring improvement.

The term “continuous improvement” is derived from the essence of the Japanese term KAIZEN which is a systematic approach to the closing of gaps between customer expectations and the characteristics of process outputs. First used in the 1950’s, it has since been known by terms such as Continuous Quality Improvement and Continuous Process Improvement as well as being closely tied, and almost synonymous, with the umbrella expression called Total Quality Management (TQM).

Thanks Behrouz, for the link, and description of continuous improvement.  I place a link to our leading research university in the country (UM), and the grants for high impact research, concerned about generation of new knowledge.  I think that is some real improvement.

'The high impact research grants from the University of Malaya (UM) are to fund projects which will result in publication of manuscripts in Tier 1 ISI/Web of Science journals. As such, the emphasis will be on fundamental research which will lead to the generation of new knowledge rather than on the development of new products or patents. It is also aimed at generating more research capabilities and expertise within the university and this may result from collaboration with overseas ivy-league universities.'

I also place a link to a private university (UTAR) that has made many improvements in the past few years.  (Dear Dr Nizar, I think you can add to what is said...)

http://research.utar.edu.my/

http://hir.um.edu.my/

We have increased our research impacts and citations significantly which are reflected in the increased i10-index, h-index, external research fundings, and patents (filed/granted) etc. during the last 5 years.

Dear @Mahfuz, yes we do have continuous improvement in research and education. New curricula were introduced and approved by accreditation body of Serbia! International activity is rising thanking to EU funds, since we do not have a support fro the Government!

Continual improvement means means frequently repeated  i.e. with occasional interruptions, while continuous means unceasing going on like tap water..

But there is always a problem of money shortage, it is continuous type problem for most of the Governmental HE Institutions! I do not see the solution to this problem in the near future! Government should finally realize that Higher Education is PRODUCTION, not SPENDING!

Yes, indeed, dear Ljubomir, there is always a problem of money shortage.

What is the future of Higher Education when money shortage became a chronic problem! 

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Money_shortage_for_young_scientists_and_future_University_professors_calls_into_question_the_future_of_higher_education

Dear Profs Mahfuz, Ljubomir and friends, in an earlier post #20 Prof RAVI talked about crowdfunding of research. ('Universities and research institutes should arrange funds to continue/strengthen R&D activities through CROWD FUNDING.')  

'Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via online platforms. Crowdfunding isn't easy: it's time consuming and requires patience, perseverance, and resilience.'

What do you think of that?  Will it work in countries that are rather poor?  I attach some links, have a look, thanks.

https://www.consano.org/

http://www.globalgiving.org/crowdfundamentals/?rf=ggad_2014_crowdfundamentals&gclid=CjwKEAiA5qOlBRDAn8K5qen65joSJADRvlbq6OsT08QdPTIDcGlc6RR2iyJtCJe8XENICJUFiP2SkRoCn03w_wcB

Yes I have observed many positive and all good developments-

In Research - getting high no. of funded projects and nice international collaborations, and scientists / researchers becoming highly awared to publish in high IF journals and keeping high competitiveness

In Teaching - using modern tools and techniques of mass media communications and advances in information and technology - computer aided and internet / web based progresses 

Dear friends and colleagues,

Sometimes I have the impression that this movie I have seen before. In soviet era everything was continuously improving but suddenly it collapsed completely. Sincerely I see many parallels between the soviet system and the education system in developed countries.

Dear Kazaros,

your statements are a strong critics. But some times I have the impression, that these developpers of education systems need some education and innovation as well as self critics  and realism themselves.

Dear Hanno,

Why do you think that I am criticizing? I am just worried.

Dear Kazaros,

for me critics are positive. Critics cause some times improvements. To be clear, I agree with your statements.

Dear Hanno,

Thank you for clarification. Unfortunately education is used in political games.

Recently some Spanish periodicals strongly criticize the university education. The question is: if the defects of the system are so well known why nobody criticizes them before?

In Lebanon, a new conflict is affecting educational institutions progress. The last decade saw the foundation of many new universities with different interests in quality improvement of education, therefore, the older universities initiated a sort of consortium to oppose other institutions causing what I feel is "Paralysis" of the collaboration between minds.

Dr. Hussin Hejase has given an excellent account of what is going on in Lebanon but the statement ( the older universities initiated a sort of consortium to oppose other institutions causing what I feel is "Paralysis" of the collaboration between minds) applies to other places in the region. On the basis of racism (cities versus what are called villages), some racist persons exerted pressure to prevent establishment of private universities. They also fought against establishment of governmental universities & when they failed, they acted against any collaboration with them extending to prevention of spending sabbatical years in them. This selfish attitude is one of the ways of downing the universities in our region.

Well put Dr. Matar. Indeed such problems are increasing with time.

As part of Continuous Improvement in the Teacher Education Unit, St. Cloud State University ; Governance of faculty engaged in the work of Teacher Preparation Initiative, three major changes have been implemented in structure and governance.

Dear @Mahfuz, professional development for teachers is designed for K-12 teachers and human service professionals who can benefit from continuing education.

http://education-portal.com/program/University_of_Phoenix_Continuing_Teacher_Education.html#tab2-page1

http://www.ottawa.edu/Adult-Education/Degree-Programs/Education/Teacher-Education/Professional-Education-Program-KS

http://www.phoenix.edu/programs/continuing-education/education.html

http://www.slideshare.net/SwissUniversities/phzh-zurich-university-of-teacher-education

Actually any educational institution which seeks accreditation must get involve in an exercise of continuous improvement because the aim is to close gaps gradually.

I think most of us realized many 'Efforts' in our Universities regarding Education, Research and Processes improvement, and I think most of us are not 'Happy' with the progress/outcomes of these 'Efforts'. Continuous improvement processes should have a direct impact over the statuesque, solve problems and facilitate opportunities, things that we can't notice. 

SCOPUS based H-index of our University continuously rising --- reached more than 50.