Development and implementation of the Systematic Process for Improvement through Research on Learning (SPIROL)

Thus far, efforts to improve the quality of teaching and learning in higher education have not been satisfactory. Higher education has begun to apply concepts and methods developed in the quality movement to functions and processes that are similar to those in the commercial and industrial sectors. However, until recently there has not been a well-defined method for applying this knowledge to the teaching and learning process. This paper reports on the successful implementation of the Systematic Process for Improvement through Research on Learning (SPIROL). The SPIROL model is based on concepts developed by W. Edwards Deming (1993), a noted quality expert. Teachers use SPIROL to open up their own teaching and their thinking about it for examination and improvement. The model has an epistemological foundation and incorporates the PDSA Cycle (Deming, 1993), learning groups (Revans, 1980), Classroom Assessment Techniques (Angelo & Cross, 1993), and peer observations. SPIROL requires participants to carefully describe the purpose, method, and causal reasoning for a learning session; teach the lesson and collect data that can be used to test the theory for the lesson, analyze and study the data, and revise the theory if needed. This paper gives a description and explanation of the SPIROL model and its successful implementation in higher education over the past three years. Copyright © 1999 Reprographic Unit of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.