Sometimes people ask me: "Do you assign books that you have written to students taking courses you teach?" The answer is no, until this past Fall semester. For the last several years the assigned reading for my graduate Lean Leadership course was The Lean Turnaround by Art Byrne and The Toyota … [Read more...] about The Yin and Yang of Management
The Back Story – Eliminating Waste in Teaching
This is the back story to the book Eliminating Waste in Teaching. For more than 15 years I have been a dedicated student of the history of management. The particular years of interest are 1890 to the early 1930s, a time known as the Progressive Era. It was during this era that a new system of … [Read more...] about The Back Story – Eliminating Waste in Teaching
Why University Teaching Rarely Improves
In higher education, the job of a professor is well-defined. It consists of three things: teaching, research, and service to the university and one's profession. Teaching involves three tasks: preparation (of the course), execution (delivering the course), and follow-up (guiding students' work, … [Read more...] about Why University Teaching Rarely Improves
The Rewards of Teaching
I have been a professor for close to 20 years now, after having spent the previous 15 years in industry where I worked in engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain management. There are many positives associated with teaching that I would like to share with you, as well as a few … [Read more...] about The Rewards of Teaching
Excellence in Teaching
Excellence in teaching? Not quite. The results of the U.K.s 2017 Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) have been released. Click here to view the results of the Gold, Silver, and Bronze university awards (official government results are here). The purpose of TEF is to "...shin[e] a spotlight on … [Read more...] about Excellence in Teaching
Feedforward to Students
Professors typically give lots of feedback to students over a semester to help them learn and improve. Professors, however, often complain about the feedback that students give concerning the professor's performance in a course. I eagerly accept student feedback because it helps me understand what … [Read more...] about Feedforward to Students
Professor Emiliani’s “Nos” for Teaching
Kaizen is practical method for improving any processes, and thus it can also be applied to the design and delivery of courses. In order for kaizen to be effective, kaizen participants must be given strict conditions under which improvements are made. These conditions take the form of "Nos" or … [Read more...] about Professor Emiliani’s “Nos” for Teaching
Handmade Visual Controls
In a previous blog post, "Final Exams, Final Mistake," I described how students in my courses make two types of visual controls to help them remember and apply what they learned. One visual control is in the form of an 8.5x11 inch sign that reflects the 10-20 most important things they learned in … [Read more...] about Handmade Visual Controls