A Comparative Appraisal of Timings for Program Evaluation Survey and Related Institutional Results in Saudi Arabia: Quality Management in Higher Education

Abdullah Al Rubaish

doi:10.4236/jssm.2011.42022

Abstract

The periodic evaluation of academic programs is mandatory for quality management in higher education world-wide. This paper reports a unique setting in which each student performed two such evaluations using structured question-naires, viz.:(a) “Student Experience Survey” (SES) for their learning experience halfway through their academic pro-gram, and (b) “Program Evaluation Survey” (PES) at end of the program. A comparative appraisal of these two sets of data from students doing the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, College of Dentistry, University of Dammam, Saudi Arabia, aims to see if it is valid to generalize the observed related differentials in Saudi Arabia. The percentage of students’ participation was 100% in both SES and PES. In the students’ perceived cumulative experience, none of the total 20 items in SES was reported to be of either “high” or “acceptable” quality. By contrast, in the PES, one of the 13 items common to both questionnaires was reported to be of “high quality (“what I have learnt in this program will be valu-able for future”)”. Again, one of nine additional items in PES (“Developed knowledge & skill for my chosen career”) emerged to be of acceptable quality. In summary, irrespective of timing for PES, the results suggest the need of im-provements in relation to almost every item confirming ongoing developmental phase.

Highlights

This paper reports a unique setting in which each student performed two such evaluations using structured questionnaires, viz.: (a) “Student Experience Survey” (SES) for their learning experience halfway through their academic program, and (b) “Program Evaluation Survey” (PES) at end of the program
The “acceptable” rating was observed in 15/22 (68%) items. They were “adequate academic & career counseling; consultation & advise opportunity by instructors; inspiration to do best by instructor; thorough knowledgeable instructors; enthusiastic instructors; up-to-date and useful study materials; adequate facilities for religious observances; effective field experience programs; stimulating interest in further learning; increased ability to investigate/solve problems; improved ability to work in groups; improved communication skills; developed skills in using technology to investigate issues & communicate results; and overall satisfied with the quality of learning experiences.”
Once the students complete an academic program, PES tries to capture their experiences on specific items related to that program

Summary

Introduction

The evidence generated from students’ evaluation surveys on specific aspects of the function of Colleges and universities (e.g. course, faculty, program, support services, and the institution in general) remains valuable input in guiding the management of the quality in higher education [1,2]. This has led to the continuation of institutional studies involving such evaluations, with resultant increased the flow of literature on these topics. The requirements of different groups of users need to be studied [2,19]

Methods

Results

Conclusion