Customer Satisfaction Survey of St. Mary’s University Distance Students: SERVQUAL Model Analysis

Abstract

Higher education is facing pressure to improve value in its activities. As private universities are striving to maintain the quality of education, the evaluation of customers’ perceptions is essential to provide motivation for and to give feedback on the effectiveness of educational plans and implementation for them. The purpose of this study is to find out the students’ perceptions as well as the level of satisfaction with the open and distance education at St. Mary University in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This research began with the basic SERVQUAL survey instrument based on what students deem to be of high importance. A survey conducted over 373 students from different CODL centers located in different parts of the country and collected data by using a questionnaire that includes 22 items about the various aspects of higher education. Gap scores were calculated for different dimensions of service quality and found empathy registered the largest gap score of -1.017 and followed by a gap score of -0.995 for tangibles and the lowest gap (-0.64) scored for the assurance dimension. The findings of the study are expected to guide the management of St. Mary University to ensure the quality of distance education service.