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An application of ISO 10001 and ISO 10002 customer satisfaction standards to enhance students satisfaction in engineering courses is studied. An ISO 10001-based Code Management System (CMS) is used to improve the satisfaction of students through offering promises regarding course delivery. A Feedback Handling System (FHS) based on ISO 10002 is developed to systematically respond to unsolicited comments of the students. The methodology to develop the system processes and resources based on these two standards is explained. The CMS was used by the professors in eight different courses in an engineering department of a university in western Canada. The FHS was applied by one professor in two courses in the same department. The results of the implementation are discussed. Moreover, an application of ISO 19011 in auditing the systems against ISO 10001 and 10002 is investigated. Overall, the study showed that the students are satisfied with the systems implemented on the basis of these two customer satisfaction standards and that ISO 19011 can be used to audit such systems.

This application for PhD by publication is the culmination of a series of investigations concerning the development of a conceptual model of student satisfaction with their higher education (HE) experience. The five core papers that sequentially contributed to knowledge are presented within this application, together with their supporting papers. In particular, the investigations focussed on what were the main determinants of student satisfaction utilising critical incident technique (CIT). New determinants of quality within higher education were identified as a result, namely motivation, praise/reward, social inclusion, usefulness, value for money and fellow student behaviour. The resultant research papers have made an original contribution to knowledge in the area of quality in HE. The rationale for using CIT to gather and analyse data was to investigate its effectiveness in triangulating with existing methods used in HE to measure student satisfaction. The CIT research was triggered by previous research that had developed and tested a student satisfaction questionnaire. CIT is used to gather data that is defined as ‘rich’. It is ideal when researching new areas. The questionnaire was based on the work of Sasser et al (1978) who proposed that service delivery consisted of a ‘bundle’ of goods and services, which incorporated distinct elements (the facilitating goods, the sensual service and the psychological service). The CIT survey instrument subsequently adopted, built upon the seminal work by Flanagan (1954) who developed it to assess the psychological impact (on pilots) when learning to fly. Both survey instruments were used to identify the determinants of quality in higher education from a student’s point of view and ultimately what was considered “critically critical” (Edvardsson & Nilsson-Wittel, 2004). An evaluation of teaching quality was carried out as part of this series during the mid-2000 era, and a comparison made of some of the existing measurement methods used at the time, such as student feedback questionnaires and peer review practices. A review of the potential use of mystery students in higher education was also carried out. This particular study highlighted the lack of confidence (by teaching personnel) in the existing methods for evaluating teaching quality as well as some mistrust of the concept of using mystery students in a classroom setting. A multi-method approach was chosen for this series of studies, because of the merits in using both quantitative and qualitative studies to generate data. Using such an approach provided a sequential method of analysing and presenting the data for this cross-sectional study. The initial student satisfaction questionnaire was a quantitative instrument and gathered data on importance and satisfaction ratings (using a five-point Likert scale) which were further analysed used quadrant analysis. The CIT survey was largely qualitative in nature and gathered written narratives from students about their positive and negative experiences; the resulting data used interpretive thematic analysis to identify key themes and any resulting patterns that could be coded quantitatively for input into the statistical software package SPSS. Each piece of research was underpinned by the existing literature at the time; this has inevitably progressed since then. CIT has been widely used in the service sector and additional determinants of quality within higher education have been identified within the current literature. A number of papers presented with this application have generated academic discussion in the field and these are evidenced by the number of citations for the applicant’s work. Moreover, the applicant’s additional supplementary papers also appended for background information have also been cited within the academic literature. The findings can be applied to teaching practice and within policy documents that support front-line teaching (and other) personnel in higher education.

Research conducted over multiple decades explores student attrition from higher education institutions. The majority of this research relates to traditional, on-campus student populations. However, colleges and universities are serving more nontraditional students than before by increasing distance education course offerings. Although enrollments are increasing, few studies examine retention of nontraditional learners in a distance education setting. Even fewer suggest institutional action based on student satisfaction of nontraditional, distance learners. This study examined student satisfaction and education-related priorities of Utah State University (USU) undergraduate students at regional campus locations throughout the state of Utah. Perceived programming needs were determined based on the discrepancy between student-reported satisfaction and importance rankings of education-related items. The highest discrepancies between priorities and satisfaction of undergraduate students at USU regional campus locations were: use of student activity fees, adequate availability of financial aid, tuition being a worthwhile investment, registering for classes with few conflicts, scheduling of courses to complete program, timeliness of financial aid announcements, academic advisor’s knowledge of major requirements, instruction within major, variety of course offerings, and classes being scheduled at convenient times.

The purpose of this study was to determine (a) what differences, if any, exist between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students enrolled in distance learning and traditional courses during 2004 with regard to their satisfaction with course quality and (b) the level of satisfaction of distance learning students with regard to online delivery technology and administrative services provided to them in distance learning. Data were gathered using information from 400 distance learning undergraduate students using the Distance Learning Student Response Questionnaire (DLSRQ) and 400 traditional undergraduate students using the Student Survey Form (SSF). These students were enrolled in at least one of the four courses selected from the general education competency areas of Communications, Mathematics, Humanities, and Social Sciences during 2004. It was concluded that distance learning and traditional classroom students experienced a high level of satisfaction in regard to almost all aspects of course quality. It was also determined that there was very little difference in the levels of satisfaction between the two groups. Unlike traditional classroom students, distance learning students did not express a high level of satisfaction with the timeliness of instructor feedback. They did, however, express a high level of satisfaction with online delivery technology and administrative services. Implications and recommendations addressed a mentoring program, expanded quality control and professional development initiatives. Recommendations for future research were also offered.

Personal interaction and proximity have been the cornerstones for relationship development in counselor education for decades. However, these concepts are opposed by the physical distance and lack of proximity inherent in a distance classroom environment. As the use of distance education increases in higher education, counselor educators must ensure that quality teaching and learning is maintained in the distance classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore student perceptions of counselor education courses taught at a distance using video teleconferencing (VTC); specifically, student satisfaction with course delivery and relationship development in the VTC environment was the focus of the study. Research questions included the following: 1.To what extent are counselor education students satisfied with graduate counseling classes delivered via videoconferencing? Specifically, student satisfaction with: a. the instructor characteristics, b. the technological characteristics, and c. the course management characteristics of the class? 2. What are counselor education students' perceptions of teacher/student relationship development in the VTC classroom environment? 3. What is the relationship between student satisfaction and relationship development when counselor education courses are taught via VTC? Responses from 43 Virginia Tech master's and doctoral level students who participated in VTC Counselor Education courses between 1998 and 2006 were used to explore student satisfaction and instructor/student relationship development in the VTC class environment. The Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory © (BLRI; Barrett-Lennard, 1962) and the Telecourse Evaluation Questionnaire (TEQ; Biner, 1993) were the instruments used to create an on-line questionnaire. Participants reported highly positive feelings about the instructor/student relationship (M = 4.1) and perceived that relationship to be honest, direct, sincere, and open. Student satisfaction and relationship development in the VTC class environment were found to be related to one another (r = .48) However, the technology used to deliver VTC courses was not found to be related to students' feelings about their instructor or to their ability to build a relationship with the instructor. Reliability scores in this study were comparable to published scores for these instruments. / Ph. D.

This thesis argues that established models of student satisfaction in higher education fail to take into account the contribution that students make towards their own learning and satisfaction and postulates a holistic model of student satisfaction. This thesis also highlights that student satisfaction is a slow and incremental process spread over several semesters and thus can more appropriately be understood longitudinally. Based on the conceptual framework, a theoretical model is presented and empirically explored using two datasets: a cross-sectional dataset comprised of 147 students and a longitudinal dataset comprised of 66 students. Both datasets were collected from students at Oxford Brookes University. The longitudinal data is collected for 2 years (4 semesters). A theoretical model is presented and tested for empirical support using structural equation modelling (SEM) for the cross-sectional dataset while SEM growth curve modelling is employed to analyse the longitudinal dataset. The results provide overwhelming support for the proposed theoretical model and confirm that student satisfaction is indeed a multi-faceted concept and cannot be understood solely on aspects of student learning experiences like many established models. It can more appropriately be understood using other concepts that signify the contribution of students in their own learning and satisfaction such as student engagement and student participation. The results also point out the significance of understanding student satisfaction longitudinally and give an insight into students’ growth trajectories as well as their perceptions about student satisfaction at different times during their course.

Thesis advisor: Philip Altbach / While there is a significant body of literature concerned with the experience of international student acclimatization to life and study on campuses all over the United States, very little of this research examines their self-reported satisfaction with student services. This study examines what services are important to international students and what is their experience? This is a study of international students at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Western New York and their satisfaction with programs and activities provided to welcome, serve, retain and involve international students in mutual intercultural learning with Americans. The study results reveal that services related to academics provide the most satisfaction and meet the expectations of the international students surveyed. The study further revealed that the services registering the lowest satisfaction were: (1) Student Financial Services; (2) Housing Operations; (3) Co-operative Education Placement; (4) Dining Services; and (5) Transportation Services. The findings also reveal that female international students reported the highest satisfaction and the lowest dissatisfaction / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

With an increasing reliance on satisfaction exit surveys to measure how university alumni qualify their experiences during their degree program, it is uncertain whether satisfaction is sufficiently salient, for some alumni, to generate distinguishable satisfaction scores between respondents and nonrespondents. This thesis explores whether, to what extent, and why nonresponse to student satisfaction surveys makes any difference to our understanding of student university experiences. A modified version of Michalos’ multiple discrepancies theory was utilized as the conceptual framework to ascertain which aspects of the student experience are likely to be nonignorable, and which are likely to be ignorable. In recognition of the hierarchical structure of educational organizations, the thesis explores the impact of alumnus and departmental characteristics on nonresponse error. The impact of survey protocols on nonresponse error is also explored. Nonignorable nonresponse was investigated using a multi-method approach. Quantitative analyses were based on a combined dataset gathered by the Graduate Student Exit Survey, conducted at each convocation over a period of three years. These data were compared against basic enrolment variables, departmental characteristics, and the public version of Statistic Canada’s National Graduate Survey. Analyses were conducted to ascertain whether nonresponse is nonignorable at the descriptive and analytical levels (form resistant hypothesis). Qualitative analyses were based on nine cognitive interviews from both recent and soon-to-be alumni. Results were severely weakened by external and internal validity issues, and are therefore indicative but not conclusive. The findings suggest that nonrespondents are different from respondents, satisfaction intensity is weakly related to response rate, and that the ensuing nonresponse error in the marginals can be classified, albeit not fully, as missing at random. The form resistant hypothesis remains unaffected for variations in response rates. Cognitive interviews confirmed the presence of measurement errors which further weakens the case for nonignorability. An inadvertent methodological alignment of response pool homogeneity, a misspecified conceptual model, measurement error (dilution), and a non-salient, bureaucratically-inspired, survey topic are proposed as the likely reasons for the findings of ignorability. Methodological and organizational implications of the results are also discussed.

With an increasing reliance on satisfaction exit surveys to measure how university alumni qualify their experiences during their degree program, it is uncertain whether satisfaction is sufficiently salient, for some alumni, to generate distinguishable satisfaction scores between respondents and nonrespondents. This thesis explores whether, to what extent, and why nonresponse to student satisfaction surveys makes any difference to our understanding of student university experiences. A modified version of Michalos’ multiple discrepancies theory was utilized as the conceptual framework to ascertain which aspects of the student experience are likely to be nonignorable, and which are likely to be ignorable. In recognition of the hierarchical structure of educational organizations, the thesis explores the impact of alumnus and departmental characteristics on nonresponse error. The impact of survey protocols on nonresponse error is also explored. Nonignorable nonresponse was investigated using a multi-method approach. Quantitative analyses were based on a combined dataset gathered by the Graduate Student Exit Survey, conducted at each convocation over a period of three years. These data were compared against basic enrolment variables, departmental characteristics, and the public version of Statistic Canada’s National Graduate Survey. Analyses were conducted to ascertain whether nonresponse is nonignorable at the descriptive and analytical levels (form resistant hypothesis). Qualitative analyses were based on nine cognitive interviews from both recent and soon-to-be alumni. Results were severely weakened by external and internal validity issues, and are therefore indicative but not conclusive. The findings suggest that nonrespondents are different from respondents, satisfaction intensity is weakly related to response rate, and that the ensuing nonresponse error in the marginals can be classified, albeit not fully, as missing at random. The form resistant hypothesis remains unaffected for variations in response rates. Cognitive interviews confirmed the presence of measurement errors which further weakens the case for nonignorability. An inadvertent methodological alignment of response pool homogeneity, a misspecified conceptual model, measurement error (dilution), and a non-salient, bureaucratically-inspired, survey topic are proposed as the likely reasons for the findings of ignorability. Methodological and organizational implications of the results are also discussed.