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This study aims to identify critical online teaching effectiveness factors from instructors’ perspectives and experiences during COVID-19.

This study used a qualitative phenomenology approach. In addition, the research used a snowball sample to identify faculty in the engineering and engineering technology fields with experience in online teaching and learning. All interviews were conducted online by the researchers. The interview questions were based on findings in the current literature. Further, the questions were open-ended.

The analysis identified eight major themes that impact online teaching effectiveness: class recordings; course organization; collaboration; engagement; exam, assignment and quiz grades; games; valuable course content; and student timely feedback and response.

The study was not designed to be generalizable to the entire population of professors who teach online classes but to gain insights from faculty who taught online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faculty can use the factors identified for online teaching effectiveness to enhance their course design and delivery while teaching online or blended courses.

This research provides insights into factors that impact online teaching effectiveness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article intended to excavate the Lean Six Sigma (LSS) deployment challenges, Critical Success Factors (CSF), tools and techniques, and managerial implications in an Indian healthcare setting.

The article illustrates a case study established using Action Research (AR) approach. Further, the case study is based on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) phases of LSS. The performance and service quality of the Endodontics department of a dental college attached to a hospital is enhanced and sustained through the LSS strategy.

The processing time of Root Canal treatment is reduced by determining the root causes for delay and implementing sustainable solutions. The structured deployment of the LSS strategy helped the Endodontics department to reduce the processing time from an average of 116 min–84 min. Thus, the process's sigma level is enhanced from 0.06 to 4.17 and assisted in sustaining the results.

The case study's findings are based on the single AR carried out at an Endodontics department of a dental college hospital based on LSS strategies. Even though this study's results cannot be generalized, the deliverables of the case study can be used to develop the LSS roadmap for the dental colleges to enhance the service quality and safety of the patients.

The article provides step-by-step details for implementing LSS in dental college hospitals with critical analysis based on robust statistical tools and techniques. The case study provides evidence of the adoption of LSS in medical college education and provides the confidence to adopt the same through novice users. The study's findings may persuade the policymakers to add LSS in the medical education curriculum to reinforce safety and reduce errors in the healthcare system.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for utilizing Six Sigma (SS) principles and Big Data analytics at a US public university for the improvement of student success. This research utilizes findings from the Gallup index to identify performance factors of higher education. The goal is to offer a reimagined SS DMAIC methodology that incorporates Big Data principles.

The authors utilize a conceptual research design methodology based upon theory building consisting of discovery, description, explanation of the disciplines of SS and Big Data.

The authors have found that the interdisciplinary approach to SS and Big Data may be grounded in a framework that reimagines the define, measure, analyze, improve and control (DMAIC) methodology that incorporates Big Data principles. The authors offer propositions of SS DMAIC to be theory tested in subsequent study and offer the practitioner managing the performance of higher education institutions (HEIs) indicators and examples for managing the student success mission of the organization.

The study is limited to conceptual research design with regard to the SS and Big Data interdisciplinary research. For performance management, this study is limited to HEIs and non-FERPA student data. Implications of this study include a detailed framework for conducting SS Big Data projects.

Devising a more effective management approach for higher education needs to be based upon student success and performance indicators that accurately measure and support the higher education mission. A proactive approach should utilize the data rich environment being generated. The individual that is most successful in engaging and managing this effort will have the knowledge and skills that are found in both SS and Big Data.

HEIs have historically been significant contributors to the development of meritocracy in democratic societies. Due to a variety of factors, HEIs, especially publicly funded institutions, have been under stress due to a reduction of public funding, resulting in more limited access to the public in which they serve.

This paper examines Big Data and SS in interdisciplinary effort, an important contribution to SS but lacking a conceptual foundation in the literature. Higher education, as an industry, lacks penetration and adoption of continuous improvement efforts, despite being under tremendous cost pressures and ripe for disruption.

Teaching effectiveness is essential to student learning, engagement and success. This study aims to identify the perceived teaching effectiveness attributes from the student’s perspective through a pilot study.

A comprehensive literature review identified 6 demographic and 25 teaching effectiveness characteristics. The Kano model was used to gather and analyze the student’s voices. The research validated the survey instrument using Cronbach’s alpha to ensure internal consistency and Chi-square goodness of fit to test the data distribution. Differences in response patterns were analyzed using Fisher’s exact test. Furthermore, the magnitude of the effect between the teaching effectiveness attributes was determined using Cramer’s V test.

This study determined that students perceived 19 attributes as one-dimensional, 3 as indifferent, 2 as attractive and 1 as one-dimensional and attractive. The analysis found differences in response patterns concerning readings and materials, grading rubrics to set assignment expectations and group/teamwork on projects.

As a pilot study, the sample size was small. Additional research should validate the survey using a larger sample. While the study results are specific to the college surveyed, other educators can use the methodology to identify the attributes important to their students.

Categorizing attributes based on the student’s voice enables instructors to focus on attributes that will improve the learning experience.

This research provides a comprehensive methodology for identifying critical teaching effectiveness attributes from the student’s perspective.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Lean Six Sigma (LSS) may help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 within health care environments. The goals of this study were to understand the current knowledge of LSS and COVID-19 through a systematic review of the current literature, identify the gap in the current knowledge of LSS in COVID-19 mitigation within health care environments and define the principles of LSS, within organizational resilience that support a health care organization’s ability to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

A narrative literature review was conducted to identify relevant research. A total of 21 subject matter experts (SMEs) meeting the inclusion criteria were approached through a guided interview process. Content analysis was conducted to describe how LSS principles contribute to supporting health care organizations operating in the era of COVID-19.

Study results report that personal safety is the primary subject, followed by supporting dimensions of process redesign, and telemedicine. LSS topics that directly relate to COVID-19 are in four thematic areas: tools, applications, benefits and challenges. Particular areas of application, techniques, challenges and benefits are identified and discussed that could be applied proactively and reactively, to organizational and supply chain resilience to recover from COVID-19.

There were a number of limitations to the generalizability of this work. The sample size was small and purposeful, thus, external validity of the study results are not determined. The SMEs in this study have not implemented the practices noted in the results at the time of the study, and knowledge of results is limited to the study aims.

This study of LSS principles and COVID-19 has implications for practitioners and offers specific guidance for areas of health care adoption of LSS techniques and tools that benefit patient safety, challenges for the user to be mindful of and potential benefits in resilience of operations in the era of COVID-19.

The purpose of this paper is to use a practical case study approach to demonstrate the power to use lean Six Sigma (LSS) to improve service process in a higher education institution (HEI). The paper also illustrated the barriers and challenges met and lessons learnt for the LSS adoption in this HEI.

Prior to the study, extensive literature review was conducted to understand various aspects of LSS in HE industry. The authors use a single descriptive case study as methodology to explain how DMAIC was applied within a HEI environment.

In this LSS case study, the team found HEI service process contains a large human behavior component, which dramatically increases the unpredictability of the entire service delivery process and increases the complexity of the process and the ability of the improvement team to identify the root cause. This case study demonstrates the numerous challenges will occur in working with the intangible factors that are both hard to recognize, quantify and rarely tracked by organization.

During the research, the pre-award service process was studied, data were recorded and various statistical tool and techniques were used to discover and resolve the root cause. The lessons learnt of the LSS adoption in this service process in HEI and the problems encountered were all recorded in this study, which will be helpful for future research in HEI industry.

From the literature review, LSS has been widely adopted in manufacturing industry, increased adoption in service, but there has been limited academic research about the implementation in nonprofit, service sectors, particular to higher education industry. The major benefit of implementation LSS in both manufacturing and service is considerable improvement to the bottom line. However, in this HEI case study, it has opened up the direction to implement LSS to better serve your customer as ultimate mission instead of financial gains.

The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate whether a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) leadership model could be effectively utilized to resolve efficiency and effective issues like rising costs, quality of education, graduation and retention rates encountered in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the modern era.

The authors systematically reviewed the literature on key concepts of LSS and leadership in HEIs in to develop a theoretical model using an inductive theory-building approach in accordance with the exploratory nature of the study.

The results of the study proposed a conceptual LSS leadership framework, which provides a basis for testing of LSS leadership representations in HEIs. The results suggest that LSS leadership has advantages for HEI to overcome currents issues and challenges.

This research is a theoretical study based on the existing literature that identified characteristics that may be adopted in higher education. The proposed LSS leadership framework is based upon leadership, statistical thinking, continuous change and improvement. This model is based upon service and the concepts of adaptive, rather than technical work, of leaders in higher education.

The proposed LSS leadership framework brings new aspects and perspectives of leadership in HEIs. LSS leadership model has its practical meaning in providing a fundamental base for HEIs to overcome challenges, fulfill missions, and sustain improvements.

HEIs are a foundation for principles of democracy, equality and diversity. HEIs have been a path for citizens but HEIs are facing challenges that are reducing the ability of individuals to improve themselves. Leadership of HEI needs to incorporate new principles to adapt to a changing society.

LSS project leaders have achieved improved bottom line results and customer satisfaction in a wide range of industries, but LSS application in the HEIs remains to be explored. This paper proposes an effective LSS leadership model, which can help improve the quality of education, reduce non-value added costs and enhance operational efficiency of HEIs.

The purpose of this paper, builds on previous studies that explored the research patterns over 15 years, is to consider the current status of the integration of Lean and Six Sigma. More specifically, this research addresses whether Lean and Six Sigma are stronger together and explores the reasons why Lean researchers and practitioners may be less likely to integrate Six Sigma in their work.

The research utilises a survey of 25 established and respected academics and practitioners from 16 countries. The questionnaire is analysed using a direct content approach and coded in NVivo.

The findings suggest that challenges may lie in the perception and understanding of statistics as well as short-term rather than long-term focus on improvement. The findings also suggest that academics and practitioners believe that Lean Six Sigma has developed over time and will continue to develop and improve as a methodology rather than being replaced with a new methodology.

The survey has a sample size of 25, albeit all respondents are established and very experienced practitioners and academics.

For organisations that are introducing or refreshing their continuous improvement initiatives, this research identifies some of the challenges and provides the opportunity to address them to maximise the opportunities for success and sustainability.

The value of this paper is that it further addresses the debate over the integration of Lean and Six Sigma for many organisations which still employ Lean alone, but beyond this it explores how they will continue to develop and whether they are a permanent edition to the quality management landscape or a transition to something else.