Heidegger and Althusser on Quality Management Systems in Open and Distance Learning

The quality management system (QMS), as an intricate of interacting elements, is a ­fundamental­property­of­higher­education­and­is­fluid­and­very­complex­in­nature.­With­ this­ in­mind,­ this­ chapter­ explores­ the­ symbiotic­ relationship­ between­ the­ notions­ of­ QMS­and­open­and­distance­learning­(ODL).­Our­thesis­is­that­the­notion­of­QMS­is­not­ value-free.­Yet,­it­is­a­fundamental­pillar­of­higher­education­institutions­and­commercial­ organizations.­Among­other­ things,­ it­ shall­be­argued­ that­ (1)­ constructs­of­Being and Becoming are the hidden epistemological and ontological dimensions of QMS and (2) QMS is­a­carrier­of­ideology.­And­to­borrow­from­Michel­Foucault,­it­shall­be­postulated­that­ QMS­perpetuates­docile­bodies.­As­such,­this­work­shall­draw­on­the­works­of­Martin­ Heidegger­and­Louis­Althusser.


Introduction
Quality management system (QMS) is a fundamental property of higher education, more specificallytheOpenandDistanceLearning(ODL)modeofdelivery.Thischapterispremised ontheassumptionthataccomplishingqualityinODLisnotjustaboutfulfillingstandards andcriteriarequiredbyanexternalqualityagency,butthatitisaboutgrowingODLpractitionersandstudents'interestandobligationtoteachingandlearning.Thechapterisphilo-sophicalinthatitexploresthesymbioticrelationshipbetweenthenotionsofQMSandODL. Notwithstanding its exploratory nature, the chapter contributes to the on-going debate on knowledgeandqualityinhighereducation.Hence,theauthorsattempttodefendtheview that the notion of QMS is not value-free and that it is a fundamental pillar of higher education institutionsandcommercialorganizations.Itisworthmentioningthatbothasasocialand powerrelationsconstruct,QMSplaysamajorroleinODLandhassparkedamplediscourses inandoutsideacademia.Apartfromtheshiftingdefinitionsandcontestedunderstandings of QMS, the central thesis of this chapter is that QMS is a carrier of ideology and that it perpetuatesdocilebodies;thelatterwillbeanalyzedingreaterdetailbelow.Despitethefactthat muchhasbeenwrittenaboutQMS,oneofthemostnoticeablegapsinmanycontemporary textsonthedominantQMS(intermsofideas,values,norms,beliefs,andbehaviors)isafailure toseeitasan(a)ideology,(b)ontologicaland(c)ontologicalandepistemologicalproblem.
Withtheseconsiderationsinmind,onemaysupposethatteachingandlearningarethenuclei of an educational institution. In recent years, higher education institutions have begun to follow William Edwards Deming's management philosophy. Although Deming originally applied his philosophy and principles to Japanese businesses after World War II, it could be argued that the philosophy and principles are applicable for the twenty-first century changingeducationalparadigmsofcollegesanduniversitiesandcanbeappliedtocollege anduniversityclassroominstruction.Deming'smanagementphilosophyisfoundationalto TQManditssuccessor,QMS.MostscholarsseeDemingas"theFatheroftheThirdWaveof the Industrial Revolution". His theories are premised on the assumption that "most productdefectsresultedfrommanagementshortcomingsratherthancarelessworkers,andthat inspectionafterthefactwasinferiortodesigningprocessesthatwouldproducebetterquality" [9].Mostimportantly,hisemphasisisonmeetingandexceedingcustomerexpectations.
ForHeidegger [1],"…Daseinitself-andthismeansalsoBeing-in-the-world-getsitsontologicalunderstandingofitselfinthefirstinstancefromthoseentitieswhichinitselfisnot but which it encounters 'within' its world, and from the Being which they possess". He theorized, "being therationalanimal,manmustbecapableofthinkingifhereallywants to". Still, he argues, "it may be that man wants to think, but cannot" [1]. Heidegger [1] declaresthat: "What is meant by "Being-in"? Our proximal reaction is to round out this expression to "Being-in" 'in the world", and we are inclined to understand this Being-in as '
"invites us to understand purposiveness as inherently temporal and temporality as shaped by purposiveness; to view the futural dimension as having a special significance, one that can be cashed out in terms of a radical indeterminacy that transcends mere predictive or anticipatory models of futurity; and, finally, to take temporality as being structured by and structuring the self-concern that defines Dasein".

Conclusion
This chapter has argued that QMS is a set of intricate and interacting elements that are fundamental to higher education. It is the authors' view that while QMS plays a vital role in improvingtheperformanceofhighereducationitcanalsoserveasamanagementtoolbythe government,fundingbodies,andhighereducationinstitutions,toengenderacontrolled,and anunquestioningenvironment.Thispaperattemptedtoshow,usingFoucault'sperspective, thatasaformofcontrol,QMScanberegardedasatoolgearedtowardsthecreationofdocile bodies,thatis,liketheprisonsystem,QMSrequiresunquestioningcompliance,whichcanbe attributedtodocility.ThebuildingplatformofthisstudydrewontheworkofHeideggerto arguethatODLpractitionersarealwaysinthestateofBeing and Becoming.Thatis,theyare in a temporal mode of being. This work showed that ODL practitioners are 'thrown' into theworldandthattheirBeing-in-the-worldalignswithHeidegger'slensof'thrownness'.In this regard, Heidegger's notion of Being and Becoming projects hidden ontical and ontological dimensionsofQMS.
DrawingonAlthusser'sIdeology and Ideological State Apparatuses the authors suggested that QMScanberegardedasacarrierofideologyinthatitfunctionstoconstitutetheindividualsassubjects,andofinterpellatingODLpractitioners.ItwasnotedthattheriseofQMSin higher education is the product of market ideologies of the 1980s and the managerialism thataccompaniedit.However,theauthorssuggestedthatHeidegger'smodeloftemporalitycanberegardedasanalternativeviewofhowthetemporalitymakesmeaningfulexperience possible. This paper called for a re-imagination of QMS using both Heidegger and Foucault,giventhatQMS'attributesarecomplex,inextricableentanglement.Finally,itwas argued that the model of temporality has the potential to guide and inform the interpretation ofODLpractitioners'experienceoftheworld,drawingonwhatHeideggercallsexistential temporality.