Abstract
Students’ Perceived Service Quality (SPSQ) and Students’ Satisfaction (SSAT) in Open Distance Learning (ODL) are renowned features in Higher Education (HE) field in the present-day. The vast number of research studies have addressed diverse types of variables on different grounds. The ODL students are from various family backgrounds such as cultural, social, technological skill levels, and most importantly defer from basic educational entry qualifications. This must cognize how the HE institutions are able to offer their diversified services together with quality enhanced features to enjoy a competitive edge from the student’s satisfaction point of view. The number of students completing the course, or graduates passing out are diminishing when compared with the increase in number of registered student’s year on year. Most of the universities and HE institutions have faced student persistence and attrition problems and rush to find solutions with the concepts of service quality and satisfaction. The purpose of this study is mainly based on finding out the significant factors affecting the SPSQ and SSAT. This study will address the modified SERVQUAL constructs in relation to the SPSQ and SSAT. The independent variables were Assurance, Empathy, Responsiveness, Reliability, and Website Content and the dependent variables were the Students’ Perceived Service Quality and Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL. Data was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire from 760 undergraduate students of the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) covering six main regional centers island wide. The OUSL is the unique university operating under the ODL system in Sri Lanka. The analysis was based on descriptive and inferential statistics. The significant relationships are revealed between the SPSQ and Reliability, Responsiveness and Website Content. The other significant relationships are SSAT with Reliability and Website Content and the relationship between SPSQ and SSAT. The R2 for the SPSQ is 0.244 (24%) and SSAT is 0.549 (55%). The same research could be recommended as a future research with more service quality variables, and in regional centers as a longitudinal data collection method to understand more about service quality and satisfaction which influence student retention and completion.
Highlights
Service Quality and Student Satisfaction in Open Distance Learning (ODL) are becoming more important day by day with the increasing demand of higher education sector
The evaluation quality of the Partial least square’ (PLS)-Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) measurement and structural models focuses on the predictive capabilities of the models
The Reliability and Responsiveness is significant with the Students Perceived Service Quality
Summary
Service Quality and Student Satisfaction in Open Distance Learning (ODL) are becoming more important day by day with the increasing demand of higher education sector. Distance Education (DE) has formed as a supplement method of teaching and learning process over the world. The distance education is defined as a mode of teaching and learning characterized by separation of teacher and learner in time and/or place for most part of the educational transaction, mediated by technology for delivery of learning content with possibility of face-to-face interaction for learner-teacher and learner-learner interaction, provision of two-way didactic communication, and acceptance of industrial process for division of labour, and economies of scale (Open and Distance Learning – Key Terms & Definitions Commonwealth of Learning CC BY SA, June 2015). “It should be understood that students in ODL operate in contextually different academic and social environments than those in conventional settings”
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