Professor M. M. Shahidul Hassan, PhD :
Studies on economic growth in developed countries indicate that the returns on bachelor’s degrees are much greater than on school and college-level qualifications. Although Bangladesh has not yet achieved the status of a developed country and is expected to achieve this status in 2041, graduates have begun to contribute to the country’s economic development. In this context, society requires graduates to acquire problem-solving capability, critical thinking ability, and entrepreneurial capability. The increase in the number of universities in Bangladesh has created an opportunity for many youths to receive higher education as well as the chance to contribute to economic development. While the number of students entering university each year is increasing, the number of dropouts and dismissals is also increasing, and employers are often complaining about the lack of high-level skills of graduates.
A key reason behind this is the dissatisfaction of students in university education and services, and the overall low quality of education. Universities must pay attention to these issues. We should discuss on how to satisfy the needs of students, improve the quality of higher education, and increase the level of student satisfaction at universities.
The most critical factors related to student satisfaction are those associated with the quality of teaching and learning. The question is how we can define quality education. The primary elements related to quality education are curriculum, learning resources, learning and teaching process, assessments and feedback, guidance and support, student progression and achievement, and quality enhancement and assurance. Curriculum design requires continuity with modern trends in the knowledge fields (such as natural sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, ethics, etc.), the needs of the labor market, and the social experiences (attending a conference or seminar, interacting with people in a business setting, etc.). Curriculum developed in this way creates ambition in the education of students.
A student’s perceptions of the value of their university experience, is becoming more important than ever, as universities have been seeking to attract an increasing volume of students from different walks of life. Education has now become far more accessible over the past centuries. This has resulted in universities requiring to evaluate how they can meet the needs and expectations of their students better, finding ways to differentiate their value proposition and create a great educational experience for all students. Students bring to universities the expectation that universities can provide through inspiring and motivating teaching and understand their different learning styles.
The seven learning styles identified are visual, aural, kinesthetic, verbal, social, solitary, and logical and each student has her/his own preferential style of learning. Favoring a particular mode of learning might create frustration for the other students. Course teacher needs to find a teaching style (or a combination of styles) after soliciting input from students on their preferred mode of teaching. The course teacher needs be a true mentor and well-wisher of her/his students. Researchers have identified teacher’s self-efficacy as a key variable accounting for quality education. Teacher’s self-efficacy refers to a teacher’s belief in his/her ability to successfully cope with tasks, obligations and challenges related to his/her professional role (e.g., didactical tasks, managing discipline problems in the class, etc.). Research has shown that teachers with high self-efficacy motivate students to work harder to achieve greater satisfaction and achievement that can positively affect student performance, student satisfaction, and willingness to continue with universities. A teacher’s self-efficacy can be created as a result of improved teacher mental health and job satisfaction. Universities need to focus on this.
A university’s infrastructure is also important. Universities need to transform their campuses to create a learning environment that facilitate collaborative and standalone learning for students. Many students prefer to study in group but others not. Universities should have libraries having adequate books, free WiFi, easily accessible food courts and refreshments. There are other issues that universities need to consider seriously such as (i) convenient, efficient, easy, and reliable payment processing, (ii) financial support and scholarships, (ii) lack of counseling support, (iii) lack of monitoring student progression and achievement, and (iv) lack of student engagement that come into play in creating dissatisfaction among students. Student retention is not a one-time thing, it is about keeping the students engaged throughout their entire course through to graduation.
Interactions between parents and university admins about their children performance towards education and other activities in the university help improve student retention rates exponentials. These interactions with parents send them a signal concerning how well the university administration is taking care of their students and can be considered as an excellent way to improve student satisfaction. The students’ opinions and feedback are both reliable sources of evidence to be an effective and efficient program in a University. Most of the world class universities have a scheme of obtaining student’s satisfaction surveys even after the completion of the program. In this digital age with people who rely more and more on peer reviews and endorsements, alumni can help raise awareness of a university amongst the audience – something that matters.
From a financial perspective, retaining students is more efficient than recruiting new students. Universities, therefore, should create an academic environment to make their students satisfied and stop them to migrate to another university. By designing appropriate curricula and improving the quality of education, universities can produce graduates who can perform better in their assigned job. It is time universities take a look at these issues and bring in into discussions.
(M. M. Shahidul Hassan is Vice Chancellor, East West University. Email: [email protected])
