How To Evaluate The Quality Of Higher Education At The Qom Pardis University Of Tehran

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1 International Journal of Basic Sciences & Applied Research. Vol., 3 (SP), , 2014 Available online at ISSN An Evaluation of the Quality of the Higher Education Courses in the Management Faculty of the Qom Pardis University of Tehran based on the Kano Model Afsaneh Fadakar 1, Seyfollah Fazlollahi Khomshi 2 * 1 Department of Education, Saveh branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran 2 Department of Education, Qom branch, Islamic Azad University, Qom, Iran * Corresponding Author fazlollahigh@qom-iau.ac.ir Abstract The aim of this study is an evaluation of the MA and doctoral programs of the Qom Pardis University of Tehran based on the Kano model. The research method is descriptive and survey and the statistical population consist of 520 students of the MA and PhD programs in the management faculty who were studying in the second term of the year. Of these, 226 were selected by the estimate of the Morgan and Kerjesi sample statistical size randomly. To collect the data, the Kano standard questionnaire with 20 questions was used with the fivedegree Likert type with favorable and unfavorable spectrum. The questionnaire had 0.73 reliability based on Cronbach s alpha. The data were analyzed using the Lon test and to compare the mean of the two independent groups within the SPSS. The quality of higher education according to the opinions elicited from the MA and PhD students is satisfactory. Based on the model the opinions differ among these students concerning the favorability and undesirability of the higher education. Based on the same model, there is no significant difference between the male and female respondents of the MA and doctoral program of various majors concerning the quality of the higher education programs. Keywords: Quality, Kano model, The faculty of management, Evaluation. Introduction Today the educational institutions have realized the importance of customer-orientedness and have focused on the quality to be more efficient in their realms. The evidence so fat demonstrate that the education system in response to the quantity prevalence must adjust for the question of quality as well and this can only be implemented by the favorable status of the system in its educational qualities. In this case, an evaluation of the quality is of the basic steps taken in the implementation of the plans focusing on quality improvement (Mir Fakhrodinni 2009). The educational policies and system in Iran has also been influenced by this sensible change and therefore education is regarded as a product given to the students. Accordingly, steps must be progressed in the adaptation to these changes and of these we can label the evaluation of the quality of the educational services with the aim of satisfying the customer needs (Yamini Douzi 2008). In this regard, it has been attempted to express the needs of the customers using various models in the turning of the product features. The Kano model results whose outcomes can be very effective in this procedure have been used for the same reason which is the realization of the student expectations leading ultimately to the promotion of the universities. Today, the speed of technology and sciences has influenced the lives of the 20 th century men so much that new demands have arisen in the social, political and economic lives 9Arefi, 2010, p. 145). The necessity of upgrading and coping with these new circumstances had made it a huge priority to be adjusted momentarily with the changes in the large peripheries while the traditional methods of teaching can no longer provide adaptations for these changes. This has created awareness among the nations to be alert in creativity in the educational systems. The basic requirement and prerequisite for this performance is the correct examination of their qualities and credit in public judgment (frastkhah, 2008, cited by Arefi). Now, the situation implies that the universities are facing the challenges of globalization and must therefore try to gain the trust of the investors (the state, the faculty members, students, etc.) through the required mechanism. Since the investigation is of the methods of this evaluation, they should provide the conditions for their consecutive measurement (Bazargan 2007). In this respect, while all the parties involved have a right in the education system, it can be said that the students are the major participants and are thus considered to be the main investors (Zoaro et al, 2007, p. 46). About fifty years ago, attention to the quality was switched with the pioneering work of Edward Demming. He was 294

2 of the opinion that quality can be measured quantitively with precision and these measurements were for the obliteration of the deviations in each unit of production. In the same line, it has been attempted to measure the four dimensions of the major course quality, the course quality, the female and male status and the facilities with focus on the questions: is the quality of the higher education course suitable based on the Kano model from the perspective of the students of the Qom Pardis University of Tehran? Is the quality of the higher education course different based on the Kano model from the perspective of the students of the MA and PhD programs in the Qom Pardis University of Tehran? Is the quality of the higher education course different from the viewpoint of male and female students? These questions are going to be addressed in this research study. The review of literature Since the question of evaluation in the educational system has become prominent, a number of methods and outlook have been adopted on the one hand from the formal policy pursued by official channels as their duties an informal way on the other for the people who are involved in the domain. Also, within the same line, the mechanistic and humanistic methods have also emerged. The first is focused on the agencies and expert teams for the guarantee of the quality and the latter is focused on the student viewpoints (Zavar, 2007).in sum, we can refer to the position taken by Phillip Go in the new international encyclopedia defining the word quality coming from the root qualitat and the Greek word poiotes with tat and tas as derivatives of the Latin root Qui as who and which one. The below concepts and definitions have been cited by the researchers in the educational sciences ((the higher degree quality, the degree of adaptation to the standards, intrinsic completion integrity, superiority in kind, refinement and integrity in relation to the standards, the special features, desired features and the practiced method)). The meaning of quality differs for various individuals and as stated by Dias it is as beauty and goodness an abstract phrase prone to varying judgments. From the definitions laid out in the education quality is the definition of the international education network. This network in the 1993 conference gave two definitions of the higher education: 1- as adaptation to the prefigured measures, and 2-as adaptation to the expectations and goals of the parties involved. The first feature focuses on the output of the educational system while the second definition is focused on the outcomes of such a system. With respect to the mentioned definitions, the quality in the educational system given the human resources trained and the knowledge produced and the expert services, a group of definitions can be provided: one is focused on the judgment in the input factors and the outcomes of the graduates and other outputs. Therefore, the evaluation of the educational system in an open medium is defined as essential (Ramazani, 2004). Using the factors that were mentioned so far concerning the quality of the educational activities and the existing indices in the intrinsic evaluation forms and the qualification of the professors also, ultimately, 4 dimensions, 5 scales and 33 indexes are identified for the educational quality evaluation. In the diagram below 33 dimensions are presented. 295

3 1-The latest international experiences 2-The update and adaptation of the course to the latest scientific discoveries 3-The matched courses to student abilities 4-The matched contents to the real students needs 5-The observance of continuity in courses 1-The student access to the research skills 2-Getting skilled at conceptual skills 3-Getting skilled at analytic skills 4-Efficiency in scientific skills 5-Acquiring IT skills by the students Knowledge The student acquisition skills The way of presenting the content The course content The course structure 1-Clear explanation of course texts 2-Encouraging the student to think 3-The match between the methodology and the nature of the courses 4-Teacher student interaction 1-The professor s dominance on various teaching skills 2-The scientific dominance of the teachers over the subject 3-Interest in the subject 3-Ability to transfer the course concepts 5-Practical experience 1-Teacher interacting with the student 2-The ability to manage the classes- 3-Assimilating the criticisms 4-The teacher commitment to being present in the class 5-Proper social moral and behavior by the teachers 1-The adequacy of the annual budget for the educational environment 2-The adequacy of the class environment (light- ventilation- seats) 3-Accessibility without educational borders (library, sites, etc.) 4-The presence of encouragement and financial aids for the improvement of the educational activities 1-Starting educational workshops and practical classes adapted to the courses 2-The clarity of the criteria of student work assessment 3-The vertical and horizontal order of the course units during the curriculum 4-The clarity of educational rules 5-The adequacy of the used resources Merit The behavior mode The features of the professors The quality of the educational activities The facilities of the courses Figure 1. The dimensions, scales, and the quality parameters of the educational activities (Arefi et al, 2010). The question of quality in an organization is a measurement of the degree to which the customers are satisfied with the services and the belief underlying this definition is that the satisfaction also comes from the process of providing the services other than the perceptions (Padidar, 2010). Identifying the customers of the educational system: (students as customers). If we accept that the main goal of the educational system is the improvement of the society, then there is a necessity of the higher education system in responding to the demands of the users and applicants. Students enjoy more interaction closely with the educational system. Therefore, for any university it is very important to go to the next stage with the realization of the student expectations.the kano model: in previous times, the satisfaction of the customers were measured based on one dimension only meaning that the more the quality of the product was confirmed by the customer, the more the perceived quality was and vice versa. But the fact that this might be inconsistent was not taken into consideration. Professor Noriyaki Kano and his colleagues in 1984 designed a model named the Kano s customer satisfaction. This model is able to separate up to three needs of a product that might affect the customer satisfaction through various ways. As a matter of fact, the Kano s model categorizes the needs and features of any product into three classes (1-necessary needs, 2- appealing needs, 3-uni-dimensional needs) and each class presents a specific kind of customer needs (Zanjirchi, 2010). 296

4 The dimensions of the comprehensive quality management 1-these dimensions view are politeness, speed, respect, comfort, cleanliness and friendly attitude towards the customers in the educational system. These features go back to the comfort, speed, and the intimacy and other factors with which a customer receives the services. 2-the dimensions of the quality management from the viewpoint: establishment of the psychotic interaction, availability, the maintenance of the relationships, the quality, unanimity and honesty. 3-The quality management perspective from the viewpoint: he believes that people are the implementers of the policies as taxpayers and expect high-quality services. They also expect the government and the supervisory systems to be responsible for the failures and misconceptions in this regard. 4-these dimensions as stated: these two scholars know the accuracy of the services, intimacy and cooperation and the sustainability of the services and responsiveness as the dimensions of the general quality of the services. 5-the dimensions of the comprehensive quality from the viewpoint: in 1991 he understood that the customers think the quality must be exactly what they expect and he concluded the following parameters: the sensible, credit and reliability, sensitivity, able staffs, humbleness, confidence and trust, security, accessibility, customer perception, communications. 6-These dimensions as predicted: in psycho-measurements and the investigation of the common features of quality in the public section five features common to all governmental sectors were introduced (sensibility, reliability, responsiveness, trust, intimacy) (Alvani & Riahi, 2001). The history of research Jabari (2013) in a research with the title an investigation of the quality of the educational facilities and space from the perspective of the students in learning and teaching demonstrated that the MA students perceive these features as suitable and favorable. Etghia (2012) did a study with the title an investigation of the higher education quality in physical education and sports sciences in the public universities from the perspective of the faculty members and betrayed that there is a significant difference of 99% among the three groups in relations to the environment, the quality of educational plans, the equipment, research and exciting features. Khatibi (2010) in a research on the the quality of education the faculty of physical education of the University of Tehran examined the student perspectives showing that in 5 dimensions such as the educational services quality (warrant, responsiveness, intimacy, trust, sensibility) there is a significant and negative relationship. Turkey as following: in Turkey, assessment is done just for the students. This has been indicated as an example of the results from these professors and the doctoral program. The theses done in the universities in Turkey cannot reflect outcomes on an international scale. Even the MA and doctoral dissertations are the under supervision of those who had educated in the US and thus international quality cannot be created. The reasons for the comprehensiveness of the programs in emitting substantial results is that even if in theory the advertisements are seen, in practice, they are viewed often like the philosophy of life in the academy out of the scientific scales and friendly uses and relations. The guarantee of the educational quality has become central in this issue so that through the high quality nursing services the options can be reached. This need is more pronounced as there is an ever-increasing need for the presence of well-deserved and efficient nurses in the community. In order to increase the satisfaction among the customers and the guarantee of the standard services, with the help of the active organizations in the area of services and quality control, a list of the prerequisites must be obtained. The industrial quality models might emphasize the processes and services supporting the universities but the educational models of quality must be matching the educational products standards. Methodology The study is practical and applied in purpose and is descriptive survey in data collection method. The statistical population consists of all the students at the Pardis Qom University of Tehran MA and doctoral programs who were 520 in this study. About 226 individuals using the Moran and Kerejcw population sample were selected as sample size in a random manner. The data collection instrument was the standard questionnaire of the Kano s model with 20 questions with varying degrees of desirability. Each equation has five Likert items (1-I like this feature, 2-This feature must be, 3-It makes no difference, 4-Ican put up with it, 5-I d prefer it not exist). The method of assigning scores was based on the Kano s model questionnaire in the form of the response matrix after the distribution of the questionnaire. The results of the Kano estimation table are used to change the customers views into the usable information in the matrix. In this table 2 parts of the question are transformed into an answer. In this table M expresses the necessary needs, O expresses the one-dimensional features, and A expresses the appealing features. In this method based on frequency at the end of the matrix results a new row is added and the responses are selected. The reliability here equals 73% and for the analysis of the data the Levin and in SPSS are used. 297

5 Results Question 1: Is the quality of the educational courses appropriate for the higher education in the MA and PhD at the management faculty of the Qom Pardis University of Tehran? Table 1. The difference in the measurement between the quality of education for the MA and PhD courses. Levin test The test of the independent samples F Sig. t df Sig. Mean difference SD confidence 95 interval least most The assumption of variance equality Variance inequality Given the significance level of the test Sig. (2-tailed) which is 0.22 and also the Levin test result whose significance level is 0.034, the disparity for the variance is accepted and the H1 is accepted. Therefore, the quality of the educational courses is appropriate for the higher education in the MA and PhD at the management faculty of the Qom Pardis University of Tehran. However, the opinions within these two groups differ and we might conclude that the table is affirmed. Also given the standard deviation which is 81% the difference of the two groups is from 0.65% to 3.88 and the difference for the mean of these two groups is about Therefore, this hypothesis is confirmed. Question 2: are the facilities of the higher education in the MA and PhD different from the viewpoint of the students based on the Kano s model? Table 2. The difference in facilities for the higher education for the MA and PhD courses. Levin test The independent sample test F Sig. t df Sig. Mean differences SD Confidence interval 95 Least Most Variance equality Variance disparity Given the significance level of the test Sig. (2-tailed) which is and also the Levin test result whose significance level is 0.023, the disparity for the variance is accepted and the H1 is accepted. Then, the students differ on the opinions in this regard. Also given the standard deviation which is 0.09 the difference of the two groups is from 0.18% to 0.16 and the difference for the mean of these two groups is about 0.2. Therefore, this hypothesis is confirmed. Question 3: are the courses assigned of the higher education in the MA and PhD different from the viewpoint of the male and female students based on the Kano s model? Table 3. The difference in the quality of the courses for the higher education for the MA and PhD courses (male and female). The independent sample test Levin test F Sig. t df Sig. Mean difference SD confidence interval 95 lowest highest Variance equality Variance inequality Given the significance level of the test Sig. (2-tailed) which is 0.86 and also the significance level which is 0.65, the equality for the variance is accepted and the H0 indicating an inconsistency in opinions among the male and female students is accepted. Question 4: is the quality of the courses assigned of the higher education in the MA and PhD different from the viewpoint of the students in different fields based on the Kano s model? 298

6 Table 4. The quality of the courses for the higher education for the MA and PhD courses as reflected by the students of different fields. ANOVA table Total root squares df Total mean F Sig. Difference between groups Difference within groups Total To ascertain the difference between the various fields of MA and PhD in their perception of the quality, we should use the one way variance in the SPSS Software and as the significance in the table above is less than 0.05 we conclude that the H1 is correct and there is a significant difference between the MA and PhD courses. Using the same variance we ascertain that between the public management, commercial and MBA and financial management there is a significant difference. Also we derive the fact from the above table that there is no difference among the PhD programs regarding the opinions on the issue of quality and the researcher s hypothesis cannot be accepted and H0 can be confirmed. Question 5: is the quality of the higher education course in the MA and PhD different for the desirable and undesirable condition based on the Kano s model? Table 5. The difference in the quality of the courses for the higher education for the MA and PhD courses in desirable and undesirable conditions. Independent samples test Levin-test F Sig. T df Sig. Mean difference SD confidence interval 95 lowest highest Variance equality Variance inequality Given the significance level of this test, we can observe that the MA and PhD courses are different in quality, and at the standard error level of 0.81 the difference between the group varies from 0.65 to 3.88 then it can be concluded that the H1 is correct and this means that the students act differently in responding the options reflecting the desirable and undesirable conditions. Given the in the SPSS we observed that the students have responded almost unanimously with their own understanding and the responses depict a high reliability for the questionnaire and the Kano model in gaining the opinion polls. For instance, when we received very close significance and standard error when we considered the results for the male and female students and the MA and PhD students. Discussion and Conclusion The categorization of the educational needs of the students creates the opportunity for the planners in the area of the university quality to direct the facilities toward the needy categories and move more rapidly to satisfy the needs and the priorities of the main customers in the universities. In this research study, using the well-known and powerful technique of Kano we classified the needs of the university customers based on a sample of 226 individuals. Five questions were formulated in this way and it was known that the quality of the courses offered for the higher education at the Qom Pardis University of Tehran is satisfactory. The results corroborate those of the studies done by Jabari (2013), Etghiah (2013). Also, based on the model the quality for the courses provided in the MA and PhD programs varies for the male and female students in the desirable and undesirable condition. Holding virtual classes and starting courses in English are considered the students appealing demands. It goes without saying that care should be taken to make certain that these demands are adhered to as there will be great dissatisfaction if they are not considered. In this study, students are the ultimate customers of the universities while the others such as the families, the industry and society are also included. New studies with the expansion of the people and groups involved must be done and compared with this research study. References Alvani SM, Riahi B, An evaluation of the quality of the services in the public center. First eds. The press of the research and industry of Iran, pp Arefi M, Vazandi Kh, Shouhudi M, An investigation of the physical education quality in Kurdistan university based on the Kano model. The journal of educational sciences. new thoughts in education, pp: Bazarghan A, The culture of quality and its role in the university improved functions. The quarterly journal of Iran engineering. 13 th year, 50:

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