Will Online MOOCs Improve the Efficiency of Chinese Higher Education Institutions? An Empirical Study Based on DEA

Abstract

In recent years, the increasingly fierce competition among higher education institutions (HEIs), the finite resources, and the enormous influence of the COVID-19 epidemic on higher education have made it especially important to evaluate the performance of Chinese higher education institutions. This paper utilizes the DEA-BCC and Malmquist index to analyze the efficiency and productivity of 34 Chinese “985 Project” universities in the period 2017–2021. The indicator system includes three inputs and five outputs, contained in Model 1 and Model 2 for comparative analysis. The results demonstrate that the COVID-19 epidemic has had a considerable negative impact on Chinese higher education, and has induced the reduction of technical efficiency and productivity. Setting up online MOOCs is conducive to enhancing the efficiency and productivity of HEIs; in addition, the efficiency mentioned varies noticeably among different university levels, and there is no significant difference in different university types and geographical locations.

Driving Educational Excellence: A Data Envelopment Analysis Study for Decision-Making Enhancement

“…A novel input indicator for evaluating the efficacy of global institutions is introduced by Bornmann et al (2023), making a contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding standardized evaluation metrics. Likewise, Liu et al (2023) examine the productivity and efficiency of Chinese higher education institutions (HEIs) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the need to modify evaluation methodologies in response to shifting conditions. The studies conducted by Zuluaga-Ortiz et al (2023) and Delahoz-Dominguez et al (2023) respectively examine the significance of quality assurance mechanisms in improving institutional performance by focusing on quality management tools and compliance evaluation in Colombian higher education.…”