A Student-centred Approach to Improving Course Quality Using Quality Function Deployment

Abstract

This paper presents the development and an application of a quality function deployment (QFD)-based methodology that will lead to increased student satisfaction with their educational experience in a redesigned course. The key elements of the approach are to obtain and categorize attributes that would constitute a good course, and an effective instructor from the students' point of view. Mapping these attributes to established pedagogies found in the literature, coupled with continuous assessment and refinement ensures that there is no mismatch between student and faculty expectations. The approach was successfully implemented in a first-year engineering design course that had previously undergone a major revision in content and delivery, which resulted in student dissatisfaction and very poor student evaluations at semester's end. Maintaining the new content, the QFD-based approach helped significantly increase student satisfaction with the course.