University dropout is a global problem with pernicious social and economic effects. The various university systems in developed countries illustrate the seriousness of the issue. In Spain, through the annual reports of Data and Figures of the Spanish University System published by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The situation of Spain in the developed countries as a whole, with a comparative perspective and the global dimension of the problem, is dealt with in successive reports by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The successive reports of the OECD and the EU through Eurostat deal with the situation of Spain in a comparative perspective and the global dimension of the problem.

This book illustrates the integration of both Lean and Six Sigma as a process excellence methodology which can be utilized in Higher Education environments for achieving and sustaining world class efficiency and effectiveness. It showcases various studies carried out by leading research scholars, academics and practitioners.

This book is based on the argument that detailed and developmental formative feedback is the single most useful thing teachers can do for students. It helps to clarify the expectations of higher education and assist all students to achieve their potential. This book promotes student learning through formative assessment and feedback, which: enables self-assessment and reflection in learning encourages teacher-student dialogue helps clarify what is good performance provides students with quality information to help improve their learning encourages motivation and self-confidence in students aids the teacher in shaping teaching Underpinned by the relevant theory, the practical advice and examples in this book directly address the issues of how to motivate students to engage in formative assessment effectively and shows teachers how they can provide further useful formative feedback.

Ethiopia is a land of hidden treasures, and among the greatest are its remote churches, whose richly decorated interiors amaze and astound with their vibrant colours and extraordinary illustration. Yet steeped in ancient legend, and often situated in remote locations, a true appreciation and understanding of these unique churches and their spectacular murals has been restricted to a select few. Now, in Hidden Treasures of Ethiopia, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides a unique guide to the churches, their architecture and decoration. Ranging from the rock-hewn churches of the Tigray region to the spectacular timber-built cave church of Yemrehane Krestos, Maria-Jose Friedlander provides detailed descriptions of the wonderful murals and of the stories behind them. Many of the wall paintings contain inscriptions in Ge'ez - the ancient language of Ethiopia - and full translations of these scripts are given. Detailed plans show the exact location of the paintings within the churches and the superb colour photographs by Bob Friedlander show the many aspects of the churches and their decoration in rich detail.

Lean Six Sigma is one of the operational excellence methodologies that has been widely adopted in manufacturing, service and healthcare sectors. There are few articles discussing Lean Six Sigma in the Higher Education context. This book is a collection of articles carefully edited by three academics and practitioners who are based in the Higher Education sector. The book contains state-of-the-art literature review articles, empirical studies, emerging trends on Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education and case study related papers. Lean Six Sigma for Higher Education caters to students, researchers and academics who are interested in understanding the rudimentary concepts of Lean Six Sigma. It also covers the challenges and barriers in implementation and sustenance of this powerful operational and service excellence methodology.

Since its original publication in 1970, this landmark book byWilliam Perry has remained the cornerstone of much of the studentdevelopment research that followed. Using research conducted withHarvard undergraduates over a fifteen-year period, Perry derived anAnduring framework for characterizing student development--a schemeso accurate that it still informs and advances investigations intostudent development across gAnders and cultures. Drawing from firsthand accounts, Perry traces a path from students'adolescence into adulthood. His nine-stage model describes thesteps that move students from a simplistic, categorical view ofknowledge to a more complex, contextual view of the world and ofthemselves. Throughout this journey of cognitive development, Perryreveals that the most significant changes occur in forms in whichpeople perceive their world rather than in the particulars of theirattitudes and concerns. He shows ultimately that the nature ofintellectual development is such that we should pay as muchattention to the processes we use as to the content. In a new introduction to this classic work, Lee Knefelkamp--a closecolleague of Perry's and a leading expert on college studentdevelopment--evaluates the book's place in the literature of highereducation. Knefelkamp explains how the Perry scheme has shapedcurrent thinking about student development and discusses the mostsignificant research that has since evolved from Perry'sgroundbreaking effort. Forms of Ethical and Intellectual Development in the College Yearsis a work that every current and future student servicesprofessional must have in their library.

The Breakthrough Program for Increasing Quality, Shortening Cycle Times, and Creating Shareholder Value In Every Area of Your Organization Time and quality are the two most important metrics in improving any company's production and profit performance. Lean Six Sigma explains how to impact your company's performance in each, by combining the strength of today's two most important initiativesLean Production and Six Sigmainto one integrated program. The first book to provide a step-by-step roadmap for profiting from the best elements of Lean and Six Sigma, this breakthrough volume will show you how to: Achieve major cost and lead time reductions this year Compress order-to-delivery cycle times Battle process variation and waste throughout your organization Separately, Lean Production and Six Sigma have changed the face of the manufacturing business. Together, they become an unprecedented tool for improving product and process quality, production efficiency, and across-the-board profitability. Lean Six Sigma introduces you to today's most dynamic program for streamlining the performance of both your production department and your back office, and providing you with the cost reduction and quality improvements you need to stay one step ahead of your competitors. "Lean Six Sigma shows how Lean and Six Sigma methods complement and reinforce each other. If also provides a detailed roadmap of implementation so you can start seeing significant returns in less than a year."--From the Preface Businesses fundamentally exist to provide returns to their stakeholders. Lean Six Sigma outlines a program for combining the synergies of these two initiatives to provide your organization with greater speed, less process variation, and more bottom-line impact than ever before. A hands-on guidebook for integrating the production efficiencies of the Lean Enterprise with the cost and quality tools of Six Sigma, this breakthrough book features detailed insights on: The Lean Six Sigma Value PropositionHow combining Lean and Six Sigma provides unmatched potential for improving shareholder value The Lean Six Sigma Implementation ProcessHow to prepare your organization for a seamless incorporation of Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques Leveraging Lean Six SigmaStrategies for extending Lean Six Sigma's reach within and beyond your corporate walls "Variation is evil."--Jack Welch Six Sigma was the zero-variation quality lynchpin around which Jack Welch transformed GE into one of the world's most efficientand valuablecorporations. Lean Production helped Toyota cut waste, slash costs, and substantially improve resource utilization and cycle times. Yet, as both would admit, there was still room for improvement. Lean Six Sigma takes you to the next level of improvement, one that for the first time unites product and process excellence with the goal of enhancing shareholder value creation. Providing insights into the application of Lean Six Sigma to both the manufacturing processes and the less-data-rich service and transactional processes, it promises to revolutionize the performance efficiencies in virtually every area of your organizationas it positively and dramatically impacts your shareholder value.