Dimensions of Perceived Service Quality in Higher Education Virtual Learning Environments

María Jesús Martínez Argüelles, Miguel Blanco Callejo, José M. Castán Farrero

Abstract


Virtual learning environments (VLEs) make intensive use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to underpin the delivery of basic higher education institution functions (teaching, administrative procedures, materials distribution, etc.), and are a characteristic feature of today’s educational context. The spread of e-learning and of competence in this field has given rise to growing concerns about the quality of this service. It is therefore vital to develop systems, models and scales that allow institutions to obtain valid, reliable and consistent measurements of the quality of educational services provided by means of VLEs. That is the basic aim of the work described in this article. Taking the literature on perceived service quality (PSQ) as its point of reference, and also a holistic approach to educational services, it presents a scale model that allows PSQ in such environments to be measured. The scale is formed by 24 items grouped into four dimensions: core business (teaching), facilitative or administrative services, support services and user interface.


Keywords


virtual learning environments; perceived service quality; quality dimensions; students; e-learning; management; universities



DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7238/rusc.v10i1.1411

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RUSC. Universities and Knowledge Society Journal is an e-journal edited by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Barcelona).

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