Abstract

This paper presents the extent to which faculty engaged in collaborative endeavors used engineering tools in the process of developing new courses or re-designing the existing courses, as required by the recent changes in the curriculum. The engineering concepts and principles used to improve productivity and quality in industrial settings were employed to identify the best teaching methods and techniques, in achieving the educational objectives. In consultation with learning specialists, educational inquiry that was carried out in the classroom aimed at investigating student learning, and enhancing instructional process. Collaborative reflection played an important role in shaping teaching approaches, which were investigated using Process Design Specifications (PDS) document, morphological charts, decision matrix (DM), and other engineering tools. After the initial course design, the quality of teaching methods was measured using Quality Function Deployment (QFD). This is not only a case study on how the instructors improved the quality of teaching and learning in a university setting, but it also demonstrates that this approach can be used to improve the quality of any instructional program.