Market research specialist B2B International believes that current student dissatisfaction can be used to enhance educational experience in the future.

The current climate of student protests about minimal contact time, poor tutor feedback and shoddy lectures raises questions about the shift in students’ attitudes and behaviours related to their educational experience.

Much of this current unrest could be attributed to the requirement for students to pay higher fees.  This has prompted discussions within the sector about the positioning of the student as a “customer” or a “consumer”.  It has been argued that the term “customer” is not appropriate for the field of education as the relationship is completely different to that of the conventional commercial buyer/seller experience…yet students do purchase and experience education.

Carol-Ann Morgan is head of B2B International’s specialist education market research unit:

Such comments come from first-hand knowledge of the sector.  B2B International has more than a decade’s experience in conducting bespoke student satisfaction studies amongst Britain’s leading educational establishments, working with organisations within the education and training sector – schools and colleges for 14-19 year olds, universities and HE, and awarding bodies. B2B International has also been approved as one of a small number of preferred suppliers to conduct research for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).

Morgan continues:

In answer to demand from the HE sector and drawing on years of experience conducting student satisfaction studies, B2B International has developed its Independent Student Experience Programme (INSTEP), an independent, off-the-shelf, student e-survey package which complements the National Student Survey perfectly.  This technologically advanced programme delivers understanding of student perception, overall satisfaction levels across the institution, identification of areas of strength and weakness, priorities for improvement, and potential for ongoing tracking of changes in satisfaction.

Morgan feels that the recent student protests have vindicated the need for a simple and cost-effective product such as INSTEP, the demonstrations having served to underline the obligation of educational institutions to take student satisfaction seriously:

They say that the customer is always right.  But how exactly do you define a customer?  Recent protests by British university students about the quality of the education they’re ‘purchasing’ have caused Carol-Ann Morgan to reflect on the lessons we can all learn in a wider business context.

Who would have ever thought it? …Students protesting about not enough teaching classes? However, this is exactly what has recently been seen at a number of well known UK universities, and reported in the national press.  Thinking back to the days of my education, most students breathed a sigh of relief at the cancellation of any classes and headed for the nearest place of recreation.  The recent actions from some students raise questions about the shift in students’ attitudes and behaviours related to their educational experience.

Higher education has undergone significant changes in recent years.  Many of these changes have impacted directly on the perceptions of students themselves; not insignificantly the requirement for them to pay fees.  This has prompted discussions within the sector about the positioning of the student as a “customer” or a “consumer”.  It can, and has been argued that the term “customer” is not appropriate for the field of education as the relationship is completely different to that of the conventional commercial buyer/seller experience.  The successful attainment of an educational qualification requires mutual investment from both sides of the equation.  This said, many academics have directly observed a shift in student attitudes and behaviours in favour of the “customer” positioning; most recently in the very public protestations by students about both the quality and the quantity of the educational “product” they feel they have purchased.

Whether or not we agree that an educational qualification can ever be thought of as a “purchased” product given the nature of the necessary relationship between the parties involved, the student protestations serve to remind us of two things.  Firstly, the importance and power of the voice of the customer, consumer or service user (by whatever name we choose to use), and secondly, the perceived value for money of the product.  The students’ action was an open demonstration that their expectations are not being met as far as the delivery of the course is concerned, and that they would like to place the issue on the management radar screen.  Customers in commercial markets may simply switch to use competitor suppliers.

Reputations take time to build, and taking our eye off the mainstream product, from which these reputations have been built, can have disastrous effects.  Customers are generally unconcerned about internal operational or financial issues which can impact on the quality or delivery of a product to them; their satisfaction is rooted in expectation and direct experience.  Taking care of our customers not only enables us to respond with offers and services which meet current and future needs, it also serves to protect the reputation of the company by ensuring we have a loyal base of advocates willing to spread the word – a valuable source of free PR.

B2B International offers an innovative student satisfaction package.  Click here to read more about it.

Market research specialist B2B International has developed INSTEP – a unique programme of measurements and action-based reporting of student experiences.

The higher education sector globally is more competitive than it has ever been.  Educational establishments are under closer scrutiny than ever before, budgets are tight, job markets are enormously competitive and students are becoming increasingly discerning in the establishments and courses they choose.

Against this backdrop, the requirement for schools, colleges, universities and other educational organisations to understand the needs of their students, as well as to carry out market research and keep a close check on internal and external offerings, is self-evident. 

B2B International, with more than a decade’s experience in conducting bespoke student satisfaction studies amongst Britain’s leading educational establishments, has developed the unique INSTEP (Independent Student Experience Programme) to make student satisfaction research simpler, more accessible and more economical – yet no less effective.

It is no secret that higher education establishments are under ever-increasing pressure to raise student satisfaction levels with a view to improving their overall offerings.  Whilst the National Student Survey (NSS) undoubtedly plays its part in measuring performance and student satisfaction, it has been suggested that a more targeted improvement tool could help institutions to take significant strides in this difficult area.

INSTEP is the answer.  It is an independent off-the-shelf student survey package which complements the NSS perfectly.  Statistically developed to find the answers to an institution’s most pertinent questions, INSTEP is a technologically-advanced e-survey which doesn’t just measure actual levels of satisfaction; it also pinpoints the areas which are most likely to impact on student satisfaction, thus enabling resources to be concentrated on the most worthwhile improvements.

One of INSTEP’s strengths is that it is applicable at both operational and strategic levels.  It offers the ability to drill down into faculty, school and departmental level and it provides action-oriented results, making the measurement of student levels of satisfaction extremely useful for incorporating into the strategic plans for development.

The programme delivers understanding of student perception, overall satisfaction levels across the institution, identification of areas of strength and weakness, priorities for improvement, and potential for ongoing tracking of changes in satisfaction.

To learn more about INSTEP, click here.