An activity-based collaborative benchmarking model : a case study of the teaching and learning management of the electrical engineering program among Military Academies under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defense
Abstract:
To analyze important components in activity-based collaborative benchmarking (ABC-Benchmarking"); then to propose the general model of the ABC-Benchmarking of the teaching and learning management in electrical engineering program for Thai higher education institutions; then to modify the general model and apply it to a case study of military academies under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defense; and finally, to evaluate the effectiveness of the model. The major results of the study revealed that: According to the study and analysis of ABC-Benchmarking projects in higher education abroad there are 14 important components of the successful conduction of ABC-Benchmarking included: communication among members, understanding and expectation, collaboration among members, funding allocation, work center, team of assessor, criteria for assessing, data collection, data analysis, code of conduct, best practices, adopt and adapt, follow-up upon member's adaptation of the benchmarking results, and measurement and evaluation of the process. The general model of the ABC-Benchmarking of the teaching and learning management in electrical engineering program for Thai higher education institutions, as proposed by the researcher, illustrates the systematic relationship between 14 important components as mentioned above. The general model can bedivided into 2 modules. The 1st module describes the structure of the model, specifying the benchmarking methodology as collaborative benchmarking, and it is further developed to be "4 main steps of ABC-benchmarking process" as: plan, collect, analyze, adopt & adapt. The 2nd module describes content of the model, specifying the benchmarking type as Activity-Based Benchmarking, and it is further developed in details to be "key practice" and "key performance indicator" of the teaching and learning management in electrical engineering program. They are later on employed as a guideline to investigate "best practice". The quality of the process as describes in the modified ABC-benchmarking model adapted for the teaching and learning management in electrical engineering program among military academies under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defense was rated by involved participants at high level for propriety, accuracy, utility and feasibility. There are 22 cases of best practice found from conducting the modified ABC-benchmarking model. For example; in the case of curriculum development, share vision of all stakeholders (i.e. education division, policy division, and users of the graduates) should be brought into the process of futuristic research to guide the curriculum design for better integration between the military-content and academic-content.