Assessing Service Quality of Wawasan Open University Business Programme

Teoh Ai Ping and Madhulika Kaushik School of Business and Administration, Wawasan Open University, Penang, Malaysia apteoh@wou.edu.my, mkaushik@wou.edu.my Abstract High level of service quality is often what customers expect and value in purchasing services from service organizations such as education institutions. It is vital to ensure that satisfactory or even superior service is delivered the first time to delight customers. Measuring and managing service quality has received increased attention of researchers and practitioners in various disciplines. Unlike conventional institutions of higher learning, the teaching and learning process in open distance learning (ODL) institutions is separated in time and/or space. Hence, the quality of education services in ODL institutions needs to be enhanced by delivering consistent and high quality students support services to succeed in the competitive environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the service quality of an ODL institution in Malaysia. The authors aim to identify, discuss and assess the relevant parameters to gauge the expectation and perception of students towards the service quality of business programme in Wawasan Open University (WOU). A primary survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to the students of WOU business programmes in the first semester. The sample consists of first batch students drawn from all four learning centers in Malaysia who have enrolled for WOU Business courses. The SERVQUAL model by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry was adapted as a basis to measure the service quality along five dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. The findings and implications of the study are discussed. Suggestions and recommendations are proposed aiming at further improving the service quality of an ODL institution.

1.0 Introduction
Education is one of the crucial transformation pillars for human capital development. The increased demand in the service quality for education sector in the country is observed since the past few years. High level of service quality particularly in the tertiary education sector, has became one of the crucial determinants to realize the countrys goal and agenda. Therefore, measuring and managing service quality has received increased attention of researchers and practitioners in education sector. In order to fulfill social agenda and broaden the tertiary education opportunities for everybody, the open distance learning (ODL) has emerged as one of the trend in the world. Unlike conventional institutions of higher learning, the teaching and learning process in ODL institutions is separated in time and/or space. Hence, the quality of teaching and learning in ODL institutions needs to be enhanced by consistent and high quality student support services. Wawasan Open University (WOU) is Malaysias first charity-backed, private, not-for-profit Open University. WOU started to take in its inaugural batch of students in January 2007 with 408 students enrolled in six Bachelor of Business degree programmes offered by the School of Business. WOU provides comprehensive student support services to all students, comprising face-to-face tutorial sessions, online learning through the learning management system platform, telephone tutoring, library resources and support at regional centers. This paper attempts to identify, examine and discuss the service quality provided by the Business programme of WOU.

2.0 Literature Review

Measuring and managing service quality has received increased attention of researchers and practitioners of various disciplines. High level of service quality is often what customers expect and value in purchasing services from service-oriented organizations such as education institutions, health care providers etc. Certain advocates of quality argued that quality can only be defined and measured by customers when the goods or services satisfy their needs, whilst others simplified quality measures as the satisfaction of customer expectations. Haksever et al. (2000) and Garvin (1988) have noted five different categories of quality definition that reflects various perspectives of the various stakeholders, i.e. transcendent view, product-based, user-based, manufacturing-based and value-based. In transcendent

view, quality is the same as innate excellence, hard to define it, and can only be recognized through regular and repeated exposure. This perspective provides little practical benefit as quality cannot be defined and conveyed. Product-based view stated that quality can be defined as a measurable variable for goods and services. This definition allows an objective assessment of quality. Nonetheless, it does not take into account the differences in tastes and preferences of individual customers. User-based view defines quality from an individual consumers perspective. The user satisfaction is the key determinant of quality, and it recognizes the different needs and wants of consumers. However, this relatively subjective approach may pose difficulty such as how to identify the attributes that are more appeal to the largest number of consumers. Manufacturing based proponents viewed quality as the conformance to engineering and production specifications. This perspective allows the level of quality be easily measured and compared. Nevertheless, the definition of quality, should not be conformed to internal specification only. The specification should also be defined in a customer oriented manner in order to meet the customer delivery standard or expectations. Value based defines the quality by incorporating value and money. This approach strikes a trade-off between price and level of performance or conformance. Berry et al. (1985) found that consumer perception of service quality was a result of comparing expectations prior to receiving the service with their actual experience of utilizing the service. This perception minus expectation has been developed and conceptualized and referred to as Gap theory. Cronin and Taylor (1992) have further suggested that the difference between customers expectations about the performance of a general class of service providers and their assessment of the actual performance of a specific firm within that class drives the perception of service quality. Customer expectations will strongly influence the customer satisfaction, and developed the Expectation hierarchy that reflected what might, could, will, should, or better not happen (Rust et al.,1994). Anderson (1995) managed to identify areas in which the health center is close to meeting patient expectations via a SERVQUAL questionnaire administered. Athiyaman (1997) found that perceived quality is an important influence on students post-enrolment communication behaviour. Chadwick (2000) found that although across the academic years, overall student expectations did not differ significantly, the emphasis of different components was found to vary according to academic year. Oldfield and Baron (2000) conducted a study to assess the service quality of a UK university business and management faculty and found that perceptions of service quality change over a period of study with acceptable elements having increased importance. In the context of distance and online education, studies have found that expectation of the students should be gathered and considered before the start of the course to enhance the course delivery towards meeting the students expectation and serve as a tool of continuous quality improvement. (Stevenson and Sander, 1998; Huang, 2007) Kashik and Yadava (2006) adapted SERVQUAL model to assess the service quality as perceived by the students of IGNOU. Chen et al. (2006) examined the factors of service quality that affected the students overall satisfaction of their online educational experience. They found that male students perceived to be more satisfied with all of the service categories compared to the females and the younger students have higher satisfactory rating.

3.0 Conceptual Framework of the Study

We are of the opinion that the service quality of an education institution could be measured by looking into the gaps between expectations and performance of services, as perceived by the students. Therefore, the SERVQUAL model by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1988) was adapted as a basis to measure the service quality in this study. The SERVQUAL model measures the expectations-perceptions gap scores along five dimensions, namely reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles. The SERVQUAL model gauges customers expectation and perception on a seven (7) points Likert Scale, with labels of strongly agree to strongly disagree along the scale. Specifically, a 22-item section that measures customer expectations, and another 22-item section that weigh the clients perception of an organization. The gap scores for each of the five dimension will be derived. In order to better measure the service quality of an ODL institution, this study customized the SERVQUAL instrument by consolidating the expectation section into 18-items / statements with a nine (9) points scale across the five dimensions of service quality. The students were asked to rate whether the service quality provided by WOU was higher, met with, or lower than their expectations on each dimension. On the other hand, to assess the relative importance that learners assign to the different

service quality dimensions, six (6) questions were formulated, in which students are required to weigh the dimensions by allocating a total of 100 points among the five dimensions of service quality. A brief description of the five dimensions, as adapted to measure the service quality of an ODL institution is as follows: The Reliability Dimension involves consistency of performance and dependability of an organization, which means that the organization performs the services right at the first time and it delivers it promises. More specifically, areas that are evaluated under this dimension include: the promises and deliveries of the university to performance certain tasks/services by a given time; the ability of the university to execute the services right at the first instance; the genuine interest of the university to assist or solve the students problem(s); the capability of the university to provide error free records and deliverables. The Responsiveness Dimension refers to the willingness, readiness as well as timeliness of an university staff to provide services. For instance: The employees of the university will always be ready and willing to provide prompt services; The employees of the university are always willing and never be too busy to assist and response to students request and challenges; The employees of the university will always clearly inform the students when the given tasks or services will be acted upon. The Assurance Dimension speaks about the competence, expertise, and courtesy of service staff as well as their ability to deliver trust and confidence to the students. This dimension relates to: The knowledge, skills and courtesy of the universitys staff which will instill confidence among the students; The quality assurance of learning inputs and materials. The Empathy Dimension relates the approachability and caring and individualized attention provided to students. This dimension is mirrored by these areas: The university will take concerted efforts to understand students needs and problems The university will extend individual attention to students Any decision made by the university will be of the best interest for students The Tangibles Dimension looks into the physical aspect of the services, for instance, the physical facilities, physical presentation of the services, the appearance of the regional office and study centers, etc. In other words, the following aspects will increase the tangible dimension of the students: The physical facilities of the university, such as new buildings, advance information and communication technology (ICT) system and equipments, comprehensive and quality learning materials, etc.; The presentable appearance of the employees and personnel of the university.

4.0 Research Methodology

The study aims to gauge the service quality of WOU Business programme by using SERVQUAL model. This SERVQUAL model was adapted to measure the services offered by an ODL institution rather those offered by business outfit. As indicated earlier, SERVQUAL measures the quality of service along five (5) dimensions, namely reliability, assurance, responsiveness, empathy and tangible. These five dimensions are defined as: No. 1. 2. Dimension Reliability Assurance Definition Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately Employees knowledge and courtesy and their ability to inspire trust and

3. 4. 5.

Responsiveness Empathy Tangibles

confidence Willingness to assist students (as clients) and provide prompt service Caring, individualized attention given to students (as clients) Appearance of physical facilities, equipments, personnel, and written materials

The study was carried out from May June of 2007. A detailed three-page questionnaire (Appendix 1) was carefully formulated to capture primary data from students who enrolled with WOU for Business programmes. A total of 408 students were enrolled with WOU in Business programme in the inaugural semester. Questionnaires were proportionately sent to the four (4) regional offices in Penang, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, and Johor. The questionnaires were administered to the Business programme students in these regional offices. The questionnaire was structured into three (3) parts, namely: (I) (II) Student profile age, gender, educational qualification, occupation, monthly income Level of satisfaction related to five service dimensions A total of 18 questions related to five dimensions (Table 1) were asked. The level of satisfaction was measured by a 9-point Likert scale, with 9 indicating the highest satisfaction level against their desired service level, and 1 indicating the lowest satisfaction level against their desired service level. To allocate a total of 100 points among six (6) features (assurance dimension was subcategorized into two of parts) dimensions of service quality to gauge the relative importance of these service dimensions, as perceived by the students. In short, the more important a dimension is, as perceived by the student, the more points should be allocated to it.
Dimension

(III)

Table 1: Questionnaire Structure Related Questions

14 59 5 68 9 10 11 12 13 14 18 1 2-3 4 5 6

Total Number of Questions 4 5 1 3 1 2 2 5 1 2 1 1 1

(i) Level of Satisfaction Reliability Assurance: - related to study materials - related to student support (F2F, Tel, WL) - related to information provided at LC Responsiveness Empathy Tangibles (ii) Relative Importance of Service Dimensions Reliability Assurance Responsiveness Empathy Tangible

5.0 Findings and Discussions

Respondents Profile A total of 122 replies were obtained which accounted for almost 30 per cent response rate. The result of the study is therefore statistically significant. Out of the 122 total respondents, 58 per cent were male and the remaining 42 per cent were female (Table 2). Of these total, slightly more than half (or 51 per cent) were in the age group of 21-30, and nearly one-third were in between 31-40 years old. Another 11.5 per

cent of the respondents were in the age category of 41-50, whilst only 2.5 per cent were in the age group of 51-60 and 61 and above respectively. Table 2: Total Respondents by Age Group and Gender Age Group Male Female Total %
21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61> Total % No. of Respondents 29 33 62 29 11 40 10 4 14 1 2 3 2 1 3 71 51 122 58.2 41.8 100.0 50.8 32.8 11.5 2.5 2.5 100.0

In terms of education background, majority of the respondents (52 per cent) have diploma, about a quarter of them obtained STPM / A-Level, one-fifth were SPM / O-Level holders, and only a handful of them (2.5 per cent) were degree holders (Table 3). Table 3: Total Respondents by Education Background Education Background Male Female Total % No. of Respondents SRP / PMR 0 0 0 0 SPM / O Level 14 11 25 20.5 STPM / A-Level 16 15 31 25.4 Diploma 39 24 63 51.6 Degree 2 1 3 2.5 Post graduate 0 0 0 0.0 Total 71 51 122 100.0 % 58.2 41.8 100.0 Furthermore, only a total of 22 respondents (18 per cent) were at managerial level whilst most of them (63 per cent) were non-managerial level working adults (Table 4). There were about one-fifth of the respondents were non-working class. Table 4: Total Respondents by Occupation Category Occupation Male Female Total % Category No. of Respondents Managerial 16 6 22 18.0 Non-Managerial 45 32 77 63.1 Non-Working class 10 13 23 18.9 Total 71 51 122 100.0 % 58.2 41.8 100 Of the total respondents, more than one-third had monthly income of RM1000-RM2000 (Table 5). About a quarter fall in the income category of RM2001-RM3000 per month. Almost 30 per cent of them earned more than RM3000 a month. About 11 per cent of the respondents received less than RM1000 per month. Table 5: Total Respondents by Income Category

Income Category < RM1000 per month RM1000-RM2000 per month RM2001-RM3000 per month >RM3000 per month Total %

Male Female Total No. of Respondents 6 7 13 19 25 44 19 11 30 27 8 35 71 51 122 58.2 41.8 100.0

% 10.7 36.1 24.6 28.7 100.0

Key Findings Overall Level of Satisfaction by Service Dimensions The level of satisfaction for all the five service dimensions, as indicated by the mean scores of 122 replies, ranged from 6.0 6.6 points (Figure 1) out of the 9-points scale. This result shows that the service quality of WOU met and slightly exceeded the desired service level of the respondents in the Business programme. The level of satisfaction for reliability service dimension was the highest, followed by responsiveness, empathy, assurance and tangibles dimensions. Figure 1: Mean Service Quality Scores by Service Dimensions
Mean Service Quality Scores by Service Dimensions
6.7 6.6 6.5 6.4 Mean Scores 6.3 6.2 6.1 6 5.9 5.8 5.7
Reliability A ssurance Responsiveness Empathy Tangibles

6.6 6.5

6.23

6.02

Dim ensions of Service Quality

Nonetheless, although the mean scores of the level of satisfaction for all the five dimensions seems encouraging, there were some specific areas of services that scored lower than the students desired level or below the average satisfaction level. These areas, as summarized in Table 6, include the telephone counseling sessions, the library facilities at the learning centers, the accessibility of the WawasanLearn Learning Management System (LMS), and the ease and convenience of handling the course materials. Table 6: Specific Issues Which Require Attention (relatively) mean score less than 6 Statement Dimension Statement No. Average Score

s The telephone counseling sessions are useful and interactive. The library facilities at the learning center are well-equipped. The Learning Management System WawasanLearn is accessible at all times. The course materials are easy and convenient to handle. Assurance Tangible Reliability Tangible

in Questionnaire 7 16 4 15

4.9 5.4 5.9 5.9

On the other hand, there were some areas where service quality has exceeded the desired expectation of the students. For instance, the courteous and prompt services of regional office staff, tutors, and course coordinator; the feedback or results of the assignments received in time; and the on-schedule face-to-face tutorial sessions. (Table 7).

Table 7: Specific Issues on which performance is good students perceptions have exceeded their desired level mean score equal or more than 7. Statement Dimensions Statement No. Average Score in Questionnaire The RO staff, tutors and course Responsiveness 10 7.1 coordinators are courteous and prompt in extending their service. The feedback/results of assignments are Reliability 2 7 received in time. The face-to-face tutorials are held as per Reliability 3 7 schedule. Level of Satisfaction of Service Quality Average Score The mean scores for each of the service quality questions were depicted by Table 8. The overall Business programme offered by the University is matched or slightly exceeded the expectation of the students. Table 8: Level of Satisfaction of Service Quality: Average Scores Statement Statement Mean No. Score 1 The course materials and textbook are received in time. 6.5 2 The feedback of assignments is received in time. 7 3 The face-to-face tutorials are held as per schedule. 7 4 The Learning Management System WawasanLearn is accessible at 5.9 all times. 5 The content of the course materials are appropriate, relevant and 6.4 easy to follow. 6 The face-to-face tutorials are effective to facilitate learning. 6.5 7 The telephone counseling sessions are useful and interactive. 4.9 8 The WawasanLearn is helpful and informative to support your 6.2 learning. 9 The level of information provided at the Regional Office (RO) / 6.1 Learning Center (LC) is sufficient to your general queries. 10 The RO staff, tutor and course coordinator are courteous and prompt 7.1 in extending their service. 11 When you interact with the University, the response is prompt/fast

12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

from the: (a) Headquarters (b) RO/LC When you interact with the University regarding a specific problem, the general willingness of the staff to help are good from the: (a) Headquarters (b) RO/LC Timing of face-to-face tutorials and telephone counseling sessions are suitable. The quality of the printed course materials is good. The course materials are easy and convenient to handle. The library facilities (books, reference materials etc.) at the learning center are well-equipped. Other physical facilities (e.g. tutorial rooms, computer labs) at the LC are in good condition. The location of the LC is convenient. The overall business programme offered by the University is:

6 6.4 6.1 6.5 6.1 6.4 5.9 5.4 6 6.3 6.4

Relative Importance of Overall Service Quality Dimensions In terms of the relative importance of the service dimensions, the utmost important area, as highlighted by the respondents, was the assurance dimension. (Figure 2). The other service dimensions in the relative importance sequence were reliability, tangibles, responsiveness, and empathy. Figure 2: Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions when respondents allocate 100 points.
Tangibles, 16 Reliability, 18

Empathy, 14

Responsiveness , 15

Assurance , 37

Level of Satisfaction versus Relative Importance of the Five Service Quality Dimensions The survey result highlighted that assurance dimension is perceived as the most important service quality area by the students, but the level of satisfaction (as indicated by the mean score) for the dimension was in a rather low ranking (Table 9). The message translated from the findings was concerted efforts need be taken to step up the service quality in the assurance dimension. Table 9: Level of Satisfaction versus Relative Importance of Five Service Quality Dimensions Dimension Ranking as per Ranking as per Level of Satisfaction Relative Importance Assurance 4 (mean score = 6.02) 1 (average points allocated = 37) Reliability 1 (mean score = 6.60) 2 (average points allocated = 18) Tangibles 5 (mean score = 6.00) 3 (average points allocated = 16) Responsiveness 2 (mean score = 6.50) 4 (average points allocated = 15)

Empathy

3 (mean score = 6.23)

5 (average points allocated = 14)

Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions by Age Group Although all respondents indicated that the service dimensions met their desired level or were higher than their expectation, there were some interesting findings from different age groups. The younger respondents (those in 21-30 years old) tended to have higher expectations towards the service level, as reflected by their mean scores which were generally lower than other age group of respondents (Table 10). On the other hand, senior respondents (51 years old and above) generally recorded higher satisfaction for each service dimension. Table 10: Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions (in mean score) by Age Group Statement Dimension Age Group No. 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61 and above Mean Score 1-4 Reliability 6.3 6.9 6.9 7.4 6.5 5-9 Assurance 5.8 6.3 6.0 6.6 6.6 10-11 Responsiveness 6.3 6.6 6.9 7.0 7.4 12-13 Empathy 6.0 6.5 6.5 6.9 6.0 14-18 Tangible 5.8 6.1 6.5 6.4 6.1 Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Age Group As majority of the respondents (nearly 83 per cent) were in the age group of 21 40, their areas of concern will be utmost importance for the university in offering their services. This group of respondents rated assurance dimension as their top concern, followed by reliability, tangible, responsiveness, and empathy dimensions. Overall, the assurance to the quality of study materials was most importance for almost all age group, except for the senior respondents (61 years old and above) (Table 11). Instead, the tangible dimension, such as the appearance of the universitys facilities, study material and other communication materials, seems to be relatively more important to the senior students. Furthermore, the responsiveness and empathy dimensions were relatively rated more crucial for senior age group (61 and above). Although senior students accounted for only a small percentage of the total, their concern should not be neglected. Table 11: Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Age Group Dimension Age Group 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61 and above Average Points Allocated Reliability 17.0 18.7 19.3 23.3 16.7 Assurance (i) related to quality of study materials 20.6 23.0 24.7 23.3 16.3 (ii) related to knowledge and ability of 17.2 15.3 14.4 15.7 14.7 institutions employees Responsiveness 15.3 14.0 15.7 12.7 17.7 Empathy 13.9 13.7 11.6 10.0 16.6 Tangible 16.0 15.3 14.3 15.0 18.0 Total (in points) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions by Gender The expectation or level of satisfaction towards the service dimensions does not appears to be significantly different between male and female respondents. However, the male respondents rated slightly higher satisfaction level for reliability dimension, whereas the female respondents were more satisfied with the responsiveness dimension (Table 12).

Table 12: Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions (in mean score) by Gender Statement Dimension Gender No. Male Female Mean Score 1-4 Reliability 6.7 6.5 5-9 Assurance 6.0 6.0 10-11 Responsiveness 6.4 6.7 12-13 Empathy 6.3 6.2 14-18 Tangible 6.0 6.1 Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Gender Gender does not really matter or influence the ranking of relative importance of service quality dimensions. Both male and female respondents ranked assurance dimension as most important, followed by reliability, tangible, responsiveness and empathy (Table 13). Dimension Table 13: Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Gender Gender Male Female Average Points Allocated 18.1 17.8 21.5 16.3 15.1 13.9 15.1 100.0 22.2 15.9 14.7 13.1 16.3 100.0

Reliability Assurance (i) related to quality of study materials (ii) related to knowledge and ability of institutions employees Responsiveness Empathy Tangible Total (in points)

Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions by Occupation Category Generally, the respondents who held managerial post seems noted higher satisfaction towards the services offered by the university compared to the other two, namely non-managerial and non-working class. However, non-managerial level respondents accounted for nearly two-third of the respondents, in which their satisfaction level towards assurance and tangible dimensions, though met their desired level, were among the lowest mean scores (Table 14). Table 14: Level of Satisfaction of Service Dimensions (in mean score) by Occupation Category Statement Dimension Occupation Category No. Managerial NonNon-working Managerial Class Mean Score 1-4 Reliability 6.8 6.5 6.7 5-9 Assurance 6.2 5.9 6.3 10-11 Responsiveness 6.9 6.4 6.6 12-13 Empathy 6.7 6.1 6.2 14-18 Tangible 6.1 5.9 6.3 Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Occupation Category All the respondents from the different occupation categories indicated the similar ranking to the relative importance of the five service quality dimensions. They gave more weight to assurance dimension, subsequently by reliability, tangible, responsiveness, and empathy dimensions.

Table 15: Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions by Occupation Category Dimension Occupation Category Managerial Non-Managerial Non-working Class Average Points Allocated Reliability 20.2 17.0 18.9 Assurance (i) related to quality of study materials 21.8 21.2 23.8 (ii) related to knowledge and ability of 15.5 16.4 15.9 institutions employees Responsiveness 13.6 15.8 13.3 Empathy 13.2 14.1 12.1 Tangible 15.7 15.5 16.0 Total (in points) 100.0 100.0 100.0

6.0 Suggestions and Recommendations

In order to meet, at least at par, if not exceed the high expectation of students, several measures need to be taken to enhance the quality of services offered to students. We recognize that telephone tutoring serves as a channel for students to communicate and create rapport with the tutor in a more personal manner. Telephone counseling sessions can be either tutor-initiated or student-initiated. It is noted that better telephone counseling support is needed to improve the service quality offered to the students. Expectations of the delivery, functions and scope of telephone tutoring need to be clearly defined and informed to all tutors and students before the start of a course. Providing appropriate and continuous training to tutors on effective telephone tutoring skills would be useful. In a student-centered ODL environment, students are encouraged to initiate telephone calls and follow up with tutors on course related matters during the pre-specified hours of the tutors availability. Students need to be aware that telephone counseling is not the only mean of support, as the university provide other ways for the students to communicate with tutor and peers, e.g. via email and discussion boards in the web-based Learning Management System platform. In addition, the university can also arrange with telephone/mobile service provider to arrive at a cost-saving call/SMS package for tutors. Even though access to electronic books and references is available to all students, it was noted that students perceived tangibility of learning resources as a concern. Physical library resources such as books and references can be enhanced while getting the students to be acquainted with electronic/soft learning resources in an ODL environment. Besides, the university may establish agreements with other institutions of higher learning for making their physical library resources/facilities accessible to WOU students. Course materials may also be published in a more handy form such as security-protected electronic softcopy materials to enhance the convenience of learners.

7.0 Limitations of the Study

Several constraints of the study are noted. The above analysis was based on the feedback of students of one semester and a single programme only. Future studies could look at other programmes and conduct comparative analysis across students groups over several semesters. The respondents of the study accounted for only about one-third of the total number of students enrolled in the Business programme. The study would be more representative of the ODL service performance of the institution if it could, in future, cover larger segments of the learners population. As the questionnaires were administered to students before the inaugural final examination, service quality elements related to examinations (e.g. logistics and timeliness of exam results) were not included in the study.

8.0 Conclusion
This study, in overall, showed that the service quality offered by WOU matched and slightly exceeded the desired service level of the students in the Business programme. Nevertheless, specific areas for

improvement have been identified and need to be addressed. The younger students, those in their 21-30 years old, tend to have higher expectation towards the service quality level, particularly at the service assurance dimension. In fact, quality services assurance was the top concerned of majority students, followed by reliability, tangible, responsiveness, and empathy dimensions. Concerted efforts and measures need to be continuously taken by the university to further improve the overall service quality as well as to address the lack in areas identified in the study. The quality of teaching in ODL institutions will have to be enhanced by consistent and high quality students support services to succeed in the competitive environment.

The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance and support provided by Wawasan Open University and Professor Cheah Kooi Guan, Dean of School of Business and Administration in carrying out this study. The authors thank all participants for their involvement and feedback.

9.0 References
Anderson, E. A. (1995). Measuring service quality at a university health clinic. International Journal of Health Care Quality assurance, 8(2), 32-37 Athiyaman, A. (1997). Linking student satisfaction and service quality perceptions: the case of university education. European Journal of Marketing, 31(7), 528-540 Berry, L.L., Zeithaml, V.A. & Parasuraman, A. (1985). Quality counts in services too. Business Horizons, May-June, 44-52 Chadwick, R. G. (2000). Quality assurance by service quality - an industrial approach to monitoring course delivery. British Dental Journal, 192, 285-288 Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.nature.com/bdj/journal/v192/n5/full/4801356a.html Chen, S., Marciani, L., Ryder, C.,Ward, R. & Allen, D. (2006). Service Quality Assessment of Online Sports Education at a Sport-specific Graduate Institute. Online Journal of Distance Learning administration, 9(2) Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer92/chen92.htm Crinin, J. J. & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: a re-examnination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56, July, 55-68. Garvin, D. (1988). Managing Quality. The Free Press. New York, 40-46 Haksever, C., Render, R. & Murdick, G. (2000). Service Management and Operations. Prentice-hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 7. Huang, R.T. (2007). Improving the Service Quality of Distance Education. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 4(5) Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://itdl.org/Journal/May_07/article02.htm Kaushik, M. & Yadava, K. (2006). Assessing service quality of IGNOU management programme. Indian Journal of Open Learning, 15(2) Oldfield, B.M. & Baron, S. (2000). Student perceptions of service quality in a UK university business and management faculty. Quality Assurance in Education, 8(2), 85-95, Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet? Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Pdf/1200080205.pdf

Parasuraman, A, Berry, L. & Zeithaml, V. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring service quality. Journal of retailing, 64(1), 12-40 Rust, R., Zahorik, A. & Keiningham, T. (1994). Return on Quality. Probus Publishing, Chicago, 7-8 Stevenson, K. and Sander, P. (1998) Improving Service Quality in Distance Education. Retrieved August 1, 2007 from http://www.eurodl.org/materials/contrib/1998/stevenson/index.html

Appendix 1: Questionnaire

ASSESSING SERVICE QUALITY OF WOU BUSINESS PROGRAMME

Respondent Profile 1. 2. 3. 4. Age Gender Degree * : _____________________________________ : < RM 1000
RM 1000 -RM 2000 RM 2001- RM 3000 > RM

_______ Female * MCE/SPM STPM/Pre-U Diploma SRP/ PMR

: Male

Educational Qualification : Present Occupation Monthly Income

3000

5.

* * Please circle your choice

1. Consider the following statements regarding various parameters of the student support service offered by WOU for its Business Programme. 2. For each of the statement below, circle the number that indicates how the programme is compares with the level you expected from it. No. 1. Items The course materials (study units, 1 course guide, assignments) and textbook are received in time. The feedback/results of assignments are 1 received in time (e.g. TMA 1 results received in Tutorial 3). The face-to-face tutorials are held as per schedule. 1 Lower than
my desired service level

Same as
my desired service level

Higher than
my desired service level

2.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

2 2 2 2 2 2 2

3 3 3 3 3 3 3

4 4 4 4 4 4 4

5 5 5 5 5 5 5

6 6 6 6 6 6 6

7 7 7 7 7 7 7

8 8 8 8 8 8 8

9 9 9 9 9 9 9

The Learning Management System 1 WawasanLearn is accessible at all times. The contents of the course materials are appropriate, relevant and easy to follow. 1

The face-to-face tutorials are effective to 1 facilitate learning. The telephone counseling sessions are 1 useful and interactive. The WawasanLearn is helpful and 1 informative to support your learning. The level of information provided at the 1 Regional Office (RO)/Learning Center is

sufficient to your general queries.

Lower than
my desired service level

Same as
my desired service level

Higher than
my desired service level

10.

The RO staff, tutor(s) and Course 1 Coordinator(s) are courteous in extending their service. When you interact with the University, the response is prompt from the: (a) Headquarters (b) Regional Office/ Learning Center

11.

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When you interact with the University regarding a specific problem, the general willingness of the staff to help are good from the: (a) Headquarters 1 (b) Regional Office/Learning Center 1 Timing of face-to-face tutorials telephone counseling sessions suitable. and 1 are

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The quality of the printed course 1 materials (in terms of paper, printing and binding) is good. The course materials are easy and 1 convenient to handle easy to carry around. The library facility (books, reference materials, etc.) at the learning center is well-equipped and sufficient. Other physical facilities (e.g. tutorial rooms, computer labs) at the learning center are in good condition. The location of the learning center is convenient. 1

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The overall business programme 1 offered by the University is: Other Comments:

Direction :
Listed below are six features pertaining to WOU business programme. We would like to know how important each of these features is to you when you evaluate the quality of WOUs business programme. Please allocate a total of 100 points among the six features according to how important each feature is to you. The more important a feature is to you, the more points you should allocate to it. Please ensure that points you allocate to the six features add up to 100. 1. The Universitys ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. (As per promised schedule) The knowledge and expertise as reflected in the quality of the course materials. The knowledge, competence and courtesy of Universitys employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence during programme delivery. The Universitys willingness to help students and to provide prompt service. The individualised attention that the University provides to its students. The appearance of the Universitys facilities, course material and other communication materials. Total

Points

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Points Points

4. 5. 6.

Points Points Points

100

Points

Thank you for your time and participation!