Assessment of University Study Programs from a Customers' Satisfaction Point of View
Maria Cristiana Martini · 2005
Assessing a university study program consists in comparing its results with its purposes and its ultimate aim. However, the definition of the aim of a cultural and formative service such as the university is, looks far from simple, since the expected products are mainly culture and job competences, in one word human capital. The assessment of university programs, then, will change according to which we consider as the main target of academic formation, that is, transmitting knowledge and culture, or supplying a tool to enter the job market more easily. Both of these approaches have their Achilles ’ heel, since the university as a place for mere knowledge transmission becomes estranged from the real needs of a society, while the ideal of the university as the breeding ground where high level labour forces are formed risks to give a too pragmatic and utilitarian point of view. This contribution attempts to apply an alternative measure of evaluation of university programs, based on the customers ’ satisfaction. This approach lies in a fidelity measure, that rests on the idea that a study program is successful if its graduates would be willing to confirm their choice, could they go back to their enrolment. The data are drawn from a survey conducted at the university of Padua, which involves a sample of 2818 students who graduated between autumn