Distance Education

Abstract

Current changes in the socioeconomic variables in which both public and private universities interact require them to manage their image to attract and satisfy their students. Added to this, new technologies are affecting education, increasing the supply and relevance of distance learning in the university structure. Given that, this research aimed to understand which individual factors cause significant differences in perceived university image. This study is a descriptive field research. We collected the data with a survey and analysed the results using factor analyses, t-tests, and linear regression. We found that gender, age, income, and length of interaction between the students and the organization do not influence the overall image. However, the exact sciences students presented a different perception of the researched institutions. Given the results, we concluded that perceived image can be seen as a momentary picture. The study indicates the image as a multidimensional construct. This construct is most expressively associated with intangible aspects.