An empirical study on quality improvement in higher education institutions with reference to selected processes

Abstract

Abstract Quality improvement plays an important role in higher education. The purpose of this study was to find the impact of quality (in terms of customer expectations) related to selected administrative processes in professional higher education institutions. The literature revealed that quality management in higher education studies mainly focused on teaching, learning, student issues, and infrastructure. Very few studies mentioned quality in terms of the administrative processes; hence, the authors saw the need to study this aspect. The study involved administering a survey questionnaire to students, faculty, administrative staff, and process owners in private engineering and management institutions. Data were collected from 12 engineering institutions and 8 management institutions. The total sample size was 725 respondents. Data analysis was done using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) software. In this study, the admissions process was found to have the most impact on quality, and exam and placement processes also had a significant impact on quality. The authors recommend that private higher education institutions strive to improve and maintain good quality.