DEVELOPMENT OF FRAMEWORK FOR ZERO-DEFECT STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION: LEAN-THINKING APPROACH

The quality of higher education systems has recently become a focal concern of government's policy interventions worldwide. The ultimate goal of such interventions is to enhance the educational quality and promote an educational process for all enrolled students. The common discourse about the quality of high education leaves many of uncertainties about its effectiveness under the changes in demand of the labor market and the global economy. This paper addresses the challenges of transferring to lean education and proposes a conceptual framework that utilizing the "Lean-Thinking" for improving the effectiveness of the knowledge transfer process (KTP). This paper proposes three models based on nontraditional indicators for monitoring student's academic performance. These models would be helpful for higher education managements to reduce waste resulting from academic dismissing and to maintain an appropriate retention rate. The concept of these models is mainly originated from the principals of the Zero-Defect strategy applied in the manufacturing industry.