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Quality Standards or Are we All Crasy?
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Friday, 15.04.2011, 09:07 | Message # 1 |
 Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| People, I feel I am irritated by the question of quality requirements in private or public sectors. I feel that quality requirements reflect two main aspects of a culture in which these requirements are produced and used.
The first is: Do we need quality?
The second is: Are you ready to use quality?
My talk with Megastarosta the other day comes to my mind. She asked me about the price for private tuition for a friend of hers. I said - from 100 to 3000 roubles a lesson. So, these can be ten different options, at least. I will give a top-quality class for 100 roubles and I will do a top quality class for 3000 rubles. A 100-rouble class has its own top quality requirements, a 3000-rouble class boasts its own ones.
For example, a 100-rouble class:
A client buys 60 minutes: he/she receives printed materials, a cup of coffee, a short instruction of about 3 sentences what to do, spends 55 minutes in complete pleasure, sits at a good clean table on a comfortable chair, then gets a sheet of answerkeys, checks the results, returns the handoouts and leaves. All of these steps are performed on the highest quality level.
Now, a 200-rouble class:
The same plus the use of 1 audiofile two times.
I treasure my clients and treat them with respect, patience, and willingness to serve perfectly. Which one do you buy?
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| Teacher | Date: Friday, 15.04.2011, 15:39 | Message # 2 |
 Head teacher
Group: Admins
Messages: 375
Status: Offline
| It depends on the client him/herself. For somebody a 100-roubles class is enough. Continuing speaking about tution, I should say that every class must be of high quality. Another question is about the content of each class.
Teacher, I hope I've understood what you're talking about. The problem is that we pay money in order to get a high quality service, but very often we don't pay attention to the content of this service.
In Vino Veritas...
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| Nekavaen | Date: Monday, 18.04.2011, 00:24 | Message # 3 |
 Head teacher
Group: Users
Messages: 340
Status: Offline
| I agree that the main problem is that we speak of quality but often don’t understand that there is no general standard. The requirements to a lesson (if we speak about private tutoring) may vary according to learners’ needs. And the price will differ according to many factors: the tutor’s experience, the time he or she spends on writing plans or creating tasks and so on. The main rule is the following: both sides must discuss in detail and in advance when and where they will meet, how the needed help will be provided and received, how much everything will cost. If the learner and the teacher are satisfied with these terms and realize what they both want, their cooperation will be successful. All services can and must be provided on a high quality level. Of course, the more you pay – the more you get, it’s natural! I’ve never had a tutor but if I had to find one, I would first ask for a consultation so that the teacher could see on which level I am and tell me if the state of affairs is totally despairing or still something can be done. I think a specialist knows better which lessons I need. I would look what he or she can offer and make a final decision concerning the format of work.
It is not human to be without shame and without desire. (Ursula K. Le Guin)
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| Asya | Date: Wednesday, 20.04.2011, 07:47 | Message # 4 |
 Union committee president
Group: Moders
Messages: 298
Status: Offline
| Teacher, you sound rather convincing. But you are speaking about private tutoring. Here we decide ourselves how much our lessons have to be paid for. But what about schools and universities? The price of a lesson is stated by the government. E. g., a lesson of a beginner costs 50 roubles, of a professional (the highest qualification) - 70 roubles. Does it sound like top-quality teaching? I suppose this money is enough for: Quote (Teacher) printed materials, a cup of coffee, a short instruction of about 3 sentences what to do, spends 55 minutes in complete pleasure, sits at a good clean table on a comfortable chair, then gets a sheet of answer-keys, checks the results, returns the handouts and leaves. All of these steps are performed on the highest quality level. |
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| Former-Teacher | Date: Wednesday, 20.04.2011, 09:17 | Message # 5 |
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Dean
Group: Admins
Messages: 504
Status: Offline
| Sorry. Asya, I have failed to get your point. What is your question, really? I have explained that quality is the matter of the cultural standard. Private or public - doesn't matter much. In the public sector the client pays through taxes. But the client cannot control how this money is used to guarantee top quality or, simply, good work of a professional. At the same time, clients often do not need quality if it means cooperation, as in the case of teaching. Another thing: quality nowadays will probably never return: a good professional, e.g. a doctor, cannot provide quaility because he/she has to do several odd jobs at the same time. Instead of getting ready for another working day in the hospital (reading medical histories, professional literature, etc.), he/she gets another part-time job. As a teacher, I am knowledgeable and experienced enough ( I have invested a lot of money, time and effort into myself) to provide top quality teaching fast, but, since my job is often based on feedback, I cannot achieve the quality because a lot of students are busy doing other things and other educations. So, it means we have reached the time of changing quality standards.
But this is another topic for a new discussion somewhere on the site.
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| MissJane | Date: Saturday, 04.06.2011, 10:23 | Message # 6 |
 Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 193
Status: Offline
| Every teacher sets the quality of his/her teaching independently. So I can't understand to the end what are you talking about. Really, I can't. Quality is the most abstract notion I can think of. My tutor got 400 rubles for a lesson, others get 600, and what? Can we claim the quality is different?
Quality isn't measured in money equivalent.
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| Luck | Date: Monday, 06.06.2011, 20:27 | Message # 7 |
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Union organizer
Group: Friends
Messages: 172
Status: Offline
| But I think you would agree that usually the higher the quality is, the higher the price is. And it is absolutely normal. And tutoring price depends on many factors. It does not mean that if your tutor took 400 rubles, then he was not competent. But means of teaching can be different hence the price will be different.
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| Teacher | Date: Monday, 06.06.2011, 23:43 | Message # 8 |
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Head teacher
Group: Admins
Messages: 375
Status: Offline
| I think quality can't be measured in money. As Teacher said, Quote (Teacher) I will give a top-quality class for 100 roubles and I will do a top quality class for 3000 rubles.
This means that in any case the serrvice must be or at least is supposed to be highly qualified. And the price depends on the variety of services one offers.
In Vino Veritas...
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