Improving the Quality of Educational Services in Higher Education Institutions Using Quality Function Deployment

Abstract

The ever-increasing demand for a well-educated workforce has made it essential for higher education institutions to provide higher quality education services, placing a significant burden on them. Based on this perspective, this study aims to contribute to improving the quality of higher education services provided at the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of a state university through the use of a Quality Function Deployment (QFD) study. The success of a QFD study depends primarily on the accurate identification of customer requirements, often referred to as "the voice of the customer." Any mistakes during the identification and prioritization of customer requirements can undermine the effectiveness of the QFD study from the outset. In this study, unlike others in the literature, internal customers- specifically, academic staff-were considered instead of external customers in the process of improving higher education services. Customer requirements, identified through a scale tested for accuracy and reliability, were prioritized and weighted using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This approach aimed to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to meet the most important customer requirements, thereby improving service quality. The findings of the study revealed that the most important customer requirements were grouped under main quality dimensions: competency, content, concrete items, and reliability, respectively. The academic staff's enthusiasm and ability to conduct research, proficiency in utilizing information technologies, and contributions to developing fundamental field knowledge and improving skill levels were found to be the most important technical qualifications for meeting customer requirements. The results indicated a significant need for improvements to enhance the quality of education services at the higher education unit where the research was conducted.