Defining quality in technical colleges

Abstract

All post-secondary institutions promulgate their compliance with quality standards but offer little data to show support of such a claim. Research has been done regarding the effective implementation of quality measurements in many different industries. Industry sanctioned studies have been contracted and released displaying archaic traditions that serve to re-enforce guidelines and principles that have been carried throughout the mainstream and yet show no signs of ever being appropriate. This document explains the current state of affairs and offers recommendations for instituting quality tools as measurable devices in an effort to better the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS). The focus is on the WTCS primarily due to the tremendous overall impact that this educational system has on the well being of the citizens of Wisconsin and all those that are affected directly and indirectly from its societal contributions. This study offers a current analysis of data collected from a survey of two Wisconsin technical colleges and allows for the extrapolation to the entire WTCS. The study also investigates and evaluates a vast collection of resources and directly compares the information contained, with the current situation. Additionally it offers an opportunity for the effective use of measurable tools for improvement in addition to development and implementation of a quality initiative founded on realistic and achievable requirements necessary in today’s educative environment.