Impact of students’ perceived quality of distance education on student satisfaction with special reference to undergraduate students of bachelor of management studies degree programme, The Open University of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Distance education becomes more accepted as a legitimate form of education and as colleges and universities attempt to meet the growing demand for courses and programmes for distance learners, one major concern that attracts the attention is the aspect of quality. The primary issue for distance learning institutions, like for conventional ones, is quality and the assurance that students are being provided with the best possible education or training with the highest possible standards. Purpose of this study was to analyse the construct of quality as perceived by distance learners of Bachelor of Management Studies program at the Open University of Sri Lanka and the influence of this perception on the students’ satisfaction. The study focused on identifying students perceptions of key dimensions that define the construct of quality from students’ perspective. A questionnaire was used as the key tool of data collection. Descriptive and correlational statistics were the main tools used in the study. Results of the study clearly indicated that all dimensions except perception on quality of faculty were significantly correlated with students’ satisfaction. The study conclude that institutions are required to pay attention to factors such as quality of pedagogy, learner support, technological and even infrastructure as measure of meeting students’ quality expectations.