Course Experience Evaluation using Importance-Performance Analysis

Measures of students' satisfaction are often used for the evaluation of course quality in tertiary education, aiming to improve students achievement and reduce dropout phenomena. In general, students' satisfaction rates are proportionally related to course quality and students' achievement. Satisfaction evaluation methods were traditionally used in marketing for the evaluation of services or products. The analysis of the influential factors offers practitioners the means to identify problems, as well as, the chance to prioritize the appropriate measures for improvement, based on expected performance and anticipated cost. Teaching instructors, on the other hand, can differentiate their teaching according to students' perceptions. In the present work, an adapted version of the Course Experience Questionnaire was used to measure students' satisfaction. The 36-item scale, widely used in tertiary education for course assessment, examines a variety of factors along with total satisfaction. Utilizing importance-performance analysis the strengths and the weaknesses of the course were highlighted. The methodology proposed, offers educators a tool to identify the critical factors that affect students' satisfaction, and prioritize necessary interventions for the improvement of course performance.