Developing a decomposed alumni satisfaction model for higher education institutions

Abstract

The mission of higher education is both to transfer knowledge to students and to emphasise the students' total development. Higher education institutions can accomplish this mission by collecting information on student satisfaction, because understanding the students' perspectives can provide valuable information to management for allocating resources to better design education programmes. Although some attempts to quantify student satisfaction have been made through student questionnaires, these tend to be quite crude and ad hoc. As there is competitive pressure to provide quality education, this study aims to explore the determinants of alumni satisfaction in higher education. Although there is no alumni satisfaction model, the use of the customer satisfaction index (CSI) is unanimously acknowledged. The CSI provides a common set of measures to interpret customer satisfaction. Although CSI models can measure customer satisfaction, they lack the ability to diagnose areas for improvement. To address this issue, in this study we suggested a decomposed alumni satisfaction model. Decomposed models provide greater explanatory strength than pure models. Based on the results, we built several strategic management maps to help the department of a higher education institution identify areas for continuous improvement. The results showed that course design needs the most attention. Based on this result, the department took several measures to improve the quality of course design. The second survey showed that the improvement was significant, with the score for course design having the greatest improvement.

Stimulating Teaching and Learning Innovations to Enhance Higher Education Quality

“…Some recent studies highlighted the need to implement more systematic approach to higher education service quality relating T&L studies with studies of quality management (Douque, 2014; Dužević et al, 2016; Manatos et al, 2017). To provide better service for students, HEIs must understand students' temporary and future needs to attract, encourage and maintain stronger relationships with students (Hsu et al, 2016). To find out if student-centred learning is recognised in Croatian higher education system, second research question is: How is student-centred learning promoted and implemented at Croatian HEIs?…”

“…The dynamic changes in higher education context call for the shift from quality assurance to quality enhancement. Rapid expansion of universities and intense competition, combined with a falling birth-rate are forcing universities to focus on continuous improvement using total quality management (TQM) principles (Hsu, Wang, Cheng & Chen, 2016). To enhance quality and competitiveness, higher education institutions (HEIs) should focus on their students.…”

“…There are many parallels between quality thinking and recent developments in higher education teaching methodology (Longstrand, Cronemyr & Poksinska, 2015). However, there are many different conceptions and approaches to analysing quality from student-centred viewpoint (Hsu et al, 2016;Langstrand, Cronemyr & Poksinska, 2015; Pérez Rave & Muñoz Giraldo, 2016). Student satisfaction surveys are often used, but these tend to be crude and ad hoc (Hsu et al, 2016).…”

“…However, there are many different conceptions and approaches to analysing quality from student-centred viewpoint (Hsu et al, 2016;Langstrand, Cronemyr & Poksinska, 2015; Pérez Rave & Muñoz Giraldo, 2016). Student satisfaction surveys are often used, but these tend to be crude and ad hoc (Hsu et al, 2016). This study aims to implement deeper approach to define how innovative practices at the managerial level could be used for achieving better student results and increase their satisfaction.…”

Map My Career: Career Planning Tool to Improve Student Satisfaction

“…According to Elliot and Healy [4], student satisfaction is enhanced when actual academic performance meets or exceeds student expectations. So, universities need to understand the students' expectations in order to motivate them to achieve their goals [5]. As the student's prime motivation to study is to pursue a particular career [6], improving student satisfaction throughout the course by understanding the main aim of their chosen study and addressing it accordingly is the key.…”