Learning About Learning Dr. John Robert Dew – University of Alabama ASQ World Conference – Session W21 – May 22, 2019

Many Quality Professionals Become Involved in Teaching. Part of rolling out a new program in your company or organization. Could be part of a corrective action plan. Could be an opportunity to teach at a Community College. Could be in support of an ASQ Section.

Learning Objectives: Guidance related to teaching: 1. Being Learner-Centered. 2. Creating Learning Experiences. 3. Assessing Learning Has Taken Place. 4. Critical Thinking about Teaching. AND: Thoughts on Finding Resources.

Feel Free to Take Notes, but You can find details in the July 2018 issue of Quality Progress. Beth:

Be Learner Centered It is not about you. Adult students want you to get to the point. Practice Covey’s “Begin With the End In Mind.” Define what the learning outcomes will be. Develop a plan and stick to it.

WHAT – WHY – HOW MODEL Start by telling participants WHAT they will learn. Provide reasons WHY it is important. Tell them HOW to do it. Engage them in an activity where they participate in doing it.

Create Experiences Teaching the use of control charts: conduct the red bead experiment and provide control charts to interpret. Teaching Auditing: have participants create an audit checklist. Teaching Root Cause Analysis: have participants work a case study with Event and Causal Factor Analysis.

Experiences Teaching Quality Improvement Methods: have participants flow chart a process and construct a cause and effect diagram. Teaching Problem Solving methods: have participants work case studies.

Experiences Teaching creative thinking: have participants do a brainwriting exercise, create a mind map, do a case study with TRIZ. Introducing Quality Management as a concept: Ask people to critique their organization using the Baldrige Criteria or a quality standard.

Experiences Teaching teambuilding: Have participants describe their work group using a sports metaphor.

Assess to Verify Learning Asking people if they understand tells you nothing. Build in TEST FOR UNDERSTANDING activities for your learning objectives. Could be done by having people report out on the activities they have participated in.

Verification Can pair people up to discuss and compare. Direct observation of someone performing a task. Examination. Ask people to compare and contrast. You may need to reteach. Be prepared.

Reflections on Teaching (PRAXIS) When you teach, you change how people think. This may lead to changes in behavior. Changes in behavior change the world. PRAXIS is reflecting on how our understanding of theory influences our practice and how our practice influences our understanding of theory.

People sometimes resist learning. Reification – mistaken belief that we cannot change things. Denial Entitlement Fear Change may disrupt the status quo. Teaching is dangerous work.

Teaching is Vital to our Profession Quality professionals become teachers for different reasons in different ways. An important way to participate in our professional community. Participate in the Education Division by writing about your experiences and participating in a Networking Group.

Resources to help you teach: 30 years ago we used to give people books. Still useful. Useful video clips online – red bead experiment. ASQ’s “Quality Topics A to Z” Articles from Quality Progress. Division Newsletters

Questions? Dr. John Robert Dew jdew@ua.edu THANKS to the ASQ EDUCATION DIVISION for sponsoring this Session. THANKS to Quality Progress Magazine for publishing “Learning About Learning” in July 2018.

Dr. Dew worked as a quality professional for 23 years with Lockheed Martin in the nuclear industry before going to the University of Alabama as Director of Continuous Quality Improvement and Planning. He also served as Senior Vice Chancellor at Troy University. Dr. Dew is an ASQ Fellow and served as a Judge in the Baldrige Program. He earned his Doctorate in Education from The University of Tennessee and is a member of the Graduate School faculty at The University of Alabama, teaching in the Consumer Quality Management graduate program in the College of Human Environmental Sciences and in the Culverhouse College of Business. jdew@ua.edu