Running Head Textbook Ordering 1 Man 4584 Assignment 1 Mary

Running Head Textbook Ordering 1man 4584 Assignment 1mary Smithst

This assignment will define the current process used to order textbooks for courses at St. Petersburg College. This definition will include a description of stakeholders or process owners, as well as the boundaries this process must follow. Then a SIPOC diagram will be provided on the current process to identify “all relevant elements of a process improvement project before work begins” (iSix Sigma, n.d.).

Further key measures or indicators of this process will also be provided on current performance. As well as lessons learned while doing this assignment. Ownership and Roles There are five key stakeholders or process owners associated with textbook ordering for St. Petersburg College courses:

• Students: The student’s role is to be able to read the textbook to support learning their lessons in the course. Ideally the textbook should be at a level the student can understand and can afford, along with being readily available for the timely start of class.

• Organizations: Students fundamentally earn college degrees to support growing careers in organizations students will work (if working for others) or start (if self-employed as entrepreneurs or small business owners). Ideally the lessons students learn should support the program needs for the College of Business (St. Petersburg College, n.d.c.). Additionally, an advanced college degree should help students prepare for success in practicing the course content in these organizations so they may be more productive and competitive in today’s dynamic and global market (Wise Geek, n.d.).

• Faculty: The faculty’s role is to help the students learn the subject content associated with the course. This typically requires identifying and requiring a textbook associated with that subject for the lessons. Other action items need to be prepared for the lessons that use the textbook specified in their syllabus and assure students are learning the objectives for the course.

• Bookstore: All textbook requirements for courses are to be adopted by the semester prior the course offering. The campus bookstore is the policy standard to be used for each course. While students always have the option to purchase, rent, borrow, online, etc. textbooks outside the campus bookstore, it is up to the students to plan the necessary time and needs accordingly.

• Publishers: Their role is to work with authors that are subject matter experts in the field associated in order to prepare and publish a textbook to meet academic needs. The following stakeholder map in Figure 1 illustrates how these relationships are further inter-related and needed to support college course development and offering needs.

Process Boundaries

This process definition will start at the point in which faculty need to evaluate textbook options from different publishers in order to develop the lessons for a new course to meet curriculum needs. It will end with student and organization feedback on the course after the initial course design is developed and beta tested from its first offering. Other process interfaces or rules that are boundaries (Andersen, 2007) to understand and enable this process include:

  • The course must meet the curriculum and instruction (C&I) requirements defined and approved by the State of Florida for the degrees in which the course is taught.
  • The textbook must have a book adoption form done the semester prior to the first new course offering so the bookstore can acquire and stock for students (especially on financial aid). This must follow board rules P3/PC 912 and P5/P5 071 (St. Petersburg College, n.d.a.).
  • Academic requirements and rigor recommend that lessons in an 8-week module plan 12-15 hours of coursework each week to enable students to master at least 70% of the learning objectives for the course (St. Petersburg College, n.d.b.).
  • The course lessons must be reviewed and approved by a faculty peer group that includes organizational feedback (i.e., from the college advisory board).
  • The book must fit the level of students in an upper division college course.
  • Affordability considerations regarding options and stocking decisions are encouraged.
  • Further materials from the publisher to support lesson actions are encouraged.
  • Faculty has the academic freedom to design the lessons to achieve the learning objectives.
  • The course must be designed to support blended and online delivery of credited courses.

Process Map

The process in which textbooks are evaluated, ordered, and reviewed for new courses is visually mapped in Figure 2. This process map illustrates the current state or as-is methods used for this process (Andersen, 2007). This process, up until the point of a new course being taught once, needs to be completed before the start of the semester prior to a new course starting (to support bookstore adoption needs). Any analysis or recommendations for improvements on this process will be conducted in other interdependent processes outside this assignment.

Suppliers, inputs, outputs, customers, and process metrics are summarized as follows:

  • Suppliers include: Curriculum & Instruction (C&I), academic advisors, faculty peers, publishers, and the bookstore.
  • Inputs include: Learning objectives, course design, student needs, publisher materials, and budget constraints.
  • Outputs include: Adopted textbook, course syllabus, and inventory orders.
  • Customers include: Students, faculty, bookstore, and the college administration.
  • Key process measures include: Time to evaluate and select textbooks, accuracy of fit to course objectives, availability of textbooks within 24 hours, and student satisfaction scores.

The diagram and detailed steps are depicted in the SIPOC diagram (Figure 2). The process involves evaluating textbook options (1-3 months), fitting the textbook to curriculum needs (

Lessons Learned

Even a seemingly simple process like textbook ordering involves numerous inputs and outputs coordinated among multiple stakeholders. Understanding the transformation needs and feedback from stakeholders uncovers opportunities for process improvements. Conducting stakeholder interviews and reviewing practices at other institutions have provided valuable insights. Challenges in communication due to diverse schedules have highlighted the importance of ongoing collaboration and structured review processes. Continuous process refinement is essential to meet evolving course and student needs while maintaining compliance with academic and institutional policies.

References

  • Amazon. (n.d.). Process Improvement. In Books. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com
  • Andersen, B. (2007). Business Process Improvement Toolbox (2nd ed.). ASQ Quality Press.
  • FacultyOnline. (n.d.). Textbook Selection Best Practices. Retrieved from https://www.facultyonline.com
  • iSix Sigma. (n.d.). SIPOC Diagram. In Tools and Templates. Retrieved from https://www.isixsigma.com
  • St. Petersburg College. (n.d.a.). BOT Rules and Procedures. Retrieved from https://www.spcollege.edu
  • St. Petersburg College. (n.d.b.). Credit Programs and Course Objectives. Retrieved from https://www.spcollege.edu
  • St. Petersburg College. (n.d.c.). The College of Technology and Management. Retrieved from https://www.spcollege.edu
  • Wise Geek. (n.d.). What is a Bachelor of Applied Science? Retrieved from https://www.wisegeek.com

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