Abstract:
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Purpose
- The paper is twofold aimed: (i) defining and validating a scale to assess the quality
of the university experienced by students and (ii) analyzing the role of the aforementioned di-
mensions and their impact on students’ satisfaction.
Methodology/Approach
- A survey of 2,557 undergraduate students that finished their degrees
in 2013 at universities located in the region of Catalonia has been analyzed using Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM). An exploratory analysis suggests the final dimensions that were
confirmed in a confirmatory analysis. The psychometric characteristics of the scale are provided
to show reliability and validity of the constructs.
An extra model (also using SEM) assesses the impact of these dimensions on overall satisfac-
tion.
Findings
- The quality is a multifactor construct composed by: (i) “syllabus”, which refers to
the quality of the learning methods and the coordination efforts through the whole study period;
(ii) “skills development”, referring to the skills that students might acquire along their studies
and (iii) “services and facilities” of the university.
Moreover, the first and third factors act as “enablers” for the second factor one. Nevertheless,
only “Syllabus” dimension affects significantly on students’ satisfaction, whereas “services and
facilities” do not have a significant role, although they are necessary in order to provide a good
service.
Research Limitation/implication
- Although the sample is large enough to draw robust re-
sults, it is limited the Catalonia. The paper provides recommendations for university managers
and public administration authorities in order to allocate the available resources.
Originality/Value of paper
- In an era of global competition, universities are trying to adapt
to these new requirements by expanding they academic offer, introducing innovative teaching
methods, providing teaching resources to lecturers, and updating the general services of the
university among others. All these services will be considered when students evaluate their
experience at the university. The paper contributes with an assessment scale for the holistic
service provided by the university within the period that the student is in the university. These findings can be applied to help define attractive academic programs and provide useful insights
on how the supporting facilities should be designed to allow students take advantage of their
learning process at universities. |