Abstract

The advances in technology in the recent decade have led to the introduction of a new term called Industry 4.0, which has led to the emergence of the term lead to Quality 4.0. Quality 4.0 is the digitalization of traditional quality approaches and focuses on digital tools used to improve an organization's ability to meet customer requirements with high quality. The application of Quality 4.0 practices in higher education institutions (HEIs) has the potential of driving innovation through technological advances in various aspects. This study aims to develop a framework to assess the maturity level of HEIs towards transformation to Quality 4.0 while considering the impact of such transformation on the process, people, and technology dimensions defined in the Quality 4.0 model proposed by the LNS Research. 95 practices were categorized into 11 Quality 4.0 axes to form a survey that determines the current level of HEIs transformation efforts and finds their strengths and weaknesses. As a result, the investigated HEIs will be located at one of the five maturity levels defined by the Quality 4.0 Maturity Scale (Q4.4-MS). The proposed framework has been validated by determining the maturity level of Quality 4.0 implementation within Saudi HEIs. The Friedman test was performed to statistically ensure the framework's ability to differentiate between the maturity levels of adopting Quality 4.0 observed in the study sample. The result showed that all 26 Saudi HEIs obtained scores ranging from the second to the fifth levels of the Q4.0-MS. This finding indicates that some HEIs have a basic understanding of digital while others are at the most advanced level of Quality 4.0 adoption. The performed analysis confirmed the applicability of the developed framework for assessing the level of adoption of Quality 4.0 axes implementation at any population of HEIs.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Elshennawy, Ahmad

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Industrial Engineering and Management Systems

Degree Program

Industrial Engineering

Identifier

CFE0009143; DP0026739

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026739

Language

English

Release Date

August 2025

Length of Campus-only Access

3 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

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