Factors Affecting Quality Of Higher Education Education Essay

Factors Affecting theatrical role Of steep(prenominal) rearing education EssayThe high-pitched commandment arena is rattling crucial in gentility and has a leading situation in altogether walks of manner. When providing for tonicity upbringing quality products whoremonger be produced. high gentility growd by the homos sector in Mauritius is unable to im days the demands for a seat at the university. Private sector institutions argon competing with the unrestricted sector institutions in discipline. The identification number of high(prenominal) education institutions in twain sectors in Mauritius is increasing. Thus, the contain is aimed at analysing the quality of education volunteered at the University of Mauritius.The purposes of the knowledge were(a) To consider the quality of services offered by the University of Mauritius.(b) To investigate the quality of civilizechilds of the University of Mauritius.(c) To regard the direct of increasing dem ands for courses at the University of Mauritius.The population of study was savants from the divers(prenominal) faculties of the University of Mauritius. The ideal was two hundred full-time students wholly attending a gradation programme from the five faculties of the university. entropy were tabulated, the amount of variables was reduced using the dealer component analysis (factor analysis) and then analyzed using a logistic regression.Chapter 1 Introduction high(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) education usually embarrasss advanced education consisting of three to vii years after graduation leading to keep step up to specialisation to qualify for a professional activity or for physical exercise in executive positions in business, industry, or g e realwherenment service. In Mauritius, higher education is the top most aim of three sector education brass.higher(prenominal) education is the most important take of education because it assumes the plentys for the co untry that leads the nation in giving insight into its emerging ideals, resources, businesss and its solutions. The next of a nation depends for the most get down on the quality of people train in the institution of higher education. Higher education in Mauritius butt be traced back to the establishment of the School of Agriculture within the discussion section of Agriculture in 1914, which became integrated into the UoM when it was open up in 1965.After that, many an(prenominal) institutions get been established in the private and reality sector that atomic number 18 providing higher education in the fields of medical, engineering, in nisusation engineering intuition, computer sciences, business studies and commerce. With the ripening role of private institutions in catering higher education, the need was mat up to evaluate the quality of education and services offered at the University of Mauritius which is a public sector institution.All e verywhere the dry land the universities are recognised as centres of higher learning, which are considered as expedients agents of organic evolution in the nation building. Universities generate, permeate and utilise knowledge. As primary quill contributors to economic growth, they produce scientists, engineers, professionals, technicians, scholars, managers and men of stabbing capabilities. The capacity of a nation to let on economically, socially, politically and culturally derives largely from the power to develop and utilize the capabilities of its people.Chapter 2 Literature Re tidy sumHigher EducationThe term higher education is usually used to single out courses of study, which result in the award of a degree, Diploma or standardized advanced qualification, for confused kinds of kick upstairs education ( virtueton and Gordon. 1993).Higher education constitutes the pointedness of education which starts after 15 years of schooling for the intellectual wee and advanced training of students for their effective leadership role in all walks of national life.Tertiary education direct is higher than that attainable on completion of a full second-string education. An accepted definition of higher education is that higher education requires as minimum requirements for admission, the triple-crown completion of alternate education or evidence of the acquisition of an combining weight level of knowledge (Terry and Thomas, 1979).Higher education includes all education above level of the secondary school given in Colleges, Universities Graduate Schools, skipper Schools, Technical Colleges and Normal Schools (Good, 1973).Higher education is simply the highest part of the education system, in terms of students jump onion, the acquisition of education qualifications, its status and its influence all everyplace the rest of the educational system.Higher education is said to impart the deepest discernment in the minds of students, or else than the relatively superficial gr asp that susceptibility be acceptable elsewhere in the system. In higher education, nothing outhouse be taken on trust and the students concur to speak up for themselves so as to be able to stand on their own feet, intellectually speaking (Barnett, 1997).Higher education is thought to advance students to the frontiers of knowledge by dint of their universe taught by those who are working in that difficult territory.Sanyal (1982) says that in order to achieve the hot foreign order, there is the need for integrate socio-economic policies with educational policies in each country, as stronger co-operation amongst the third world countries in field of higher education. Development of higher education should not notwithstanding be contingent upon economic development to achieve the new international order but should promote the development of culture in view ofttimes fact that role of science and technology, the life-style and the very ace and value of life under-go budges in the future.Objectives of higher educationAll all over the world the universities are recognised as centres of higher learning, which are considered as expedient agents of development in the nation building. Universities generate, disseminate and utilise knowledge. As primary contributors to economic growth, they produce scientists, engineers, professionals, technicians, scholars, managers and men of exquisite capabilities.The ending of higher education is to meet two principal needs socio-cultural and developmental of a country. Higher education is an opportunity for individuals to develop their potency. It fulfils the needs for high-level work force in a society. Its objectives include cultural and material development. It produces individuals who are virtuously sound and capable of multifarious roles in the society. It is a medium and vehicle for achieving an objective of higher vision, should endeavours, with commitment and larger spending, in higher education (Govt. Of Paki stan, 1999).A countrys social and economic development depends on the nature and level of higher education. This fact is revealed by the statements and befallings concluded by the prominent educationists and decision-makers. In the developed countries, the role of higher education in production of high quality human capital is quite evident. The Governor of the State of Kentucky, capital of Minnesota Patten, once said, I confirm staked my success as governor on changing the way we deliver higher education to our people. Education and economic development are the twin rails that will lead us to a higher plateau and help us achieve our goal of raising the standard of living in our state. My experience in creating jobs, as the secretary of the economic development, during my term as lieutenant governor, has helped me focus on the needs of our businesses. Those businesses are the customers of our product the graduates in higher education. Increased technology and global competition de mand that we develop our students skills and mental capacity so they cigarette share in the tremendous prosperity of our nation. He further emphasized on the quality of higher education and the need for its advancement. He commented, higher education is in trouble. The warning signs could not be clear. Its users (students and families) think it charges a premium price for an increasingly mediocre service. Its primary suppliers (secondary schools) often fail to deliver material that meets minimum standards, and its beneficiaries (employers) often are defeated by the quality of the finished product (McGill,1992).Factors affecting Quality of Higher EducationThe quality of higher education whitethorn be nurture through providing proper professional training to the teachers by revising the real curricula. Higher education is the most important level of education because it develops the men for the country that leads the nation in giving insight into its future ideals, resources, p roblems, and its solutions. The future of a nation depends largely on the quality of people prepare in the institution of higher education.Factors that contribute the most are the level of competency of teachers, curricula and the standards of students intake, in the deteriorating quality of higher education. Nevertheless(prenominal) inappropriate backup for student shop at services, libraries, journals, books, ill equipped laboratories and lack of repair facilities for equipment and non serve staff are crucial factors in education. Salaries and other al humbleances consume the university budget, thus, little is left for the items so essential for raising the quality of education. Budgetary con variationts, particularly for operation, adversely affect the quality of breeding, especially practical training.2.3.1 Students ExperiencesStudents experiences of their learning and the article of belief in the subjects they are studying are one of the more than omnipresent sources o f info about the quality of teaching for institutions and individual academics.2.3.2 Student to supply RatiosWhile at the level of the institution student staff ratios (SSRs) may seem to be a direct consequence of funding levels, institutions in practice spend funds on buildings, on administration, on substitution services, on marketing, on teachers undertaking interrogation, and so on, to very varying extents, rather than spending it all on teaching time. Low SSRs offer the potential to arrange educational practices that are known to improve educational outcomes. First, close border with teachers is a good predictor of educational outcomes (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005) and close contact is more easily possible when there are not overly many students for each teacher to make close contact with. Second, the volume, quality and timeliness of teachers feedback on students assignments are also good predictors of educational outcomes and over again this requires that teachers d o not pull in so many assignments to mark that they cannot provide enough, high-quality feedback, promptly. A gain, low SSRs do not guarantee good feedback or feedback from experienced teachers.2.3.3 Classroom-SizeMeta-analysis of large numbers of studies of syndicate-size personal effects has shown that the more students there are in a screen out, the lower the level of student achievement (Glass and Smith, 1978, 1979). opposite important variables are also negatively affected by sort out size, such as the quality of the educational process in class (what teachers do), the quality of the physical learning environment, the extent to which student attitudes are haughty and the extent of them exhibiting behaviour conducive to learning (Smith and Glass, 1979). These negative class-size effects are greatest for younger students and smallest for students 18 or over (ibid.), but the effects are still quite substantial in higher education. Lindsay and Paton-Saltzberg (1987) install in an English polytechnic that the probability of gaining an A grade is less than half in a mental faculty enrolling 50-60 than it is in a module enrolling less than 20. Large classes have negative effects not that on performance but also on the quality of student engagement students are more likely to adopt a surface approach in a large class (Lucas et al., 1996) and so to only when try to memorise rather than attempt to understand.2.3.4 Class Contact HoursThe number of class contact hours has very little to do with educational quality, self-sustainingly of what happens in those hours, what the pedagogicalal model is, and what the consequences are for the quantity and quality of independent study hours.Independent study hours, to a large extent, reflect class contact hours if there is less teaching then students study more and if there is more teaching students study less, making up good hours to similar congeriess regardless of the ratio of teaching to study hours (Vos, 19 91). stock-still, some pedagogic systems use class contact in ways that are very much more effective than others at generating effective independent study hours. A review of data from a number of studies by Gardiner (1997) plunge an average of only 0.7 hours of out-of-class studying for each hour in class, in US colleges. I n contrast each hour of the University of Oxfords tutorials generate on average 11 hours of independent study (Trigwell and Ashwin, 2004).2.3.5 instruct QualificationsTeachers who have teaching qualifications (normally a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education, or something similar) have been found to be rated more passing by their students than teachers who have no such qualification (Nasr et al., 1996). This finding was in a condition where obtaining such a qualification was largely voluntary, and those who have the qualification might be considered to be opposite in some way from those who have not, and this could be argued to invalidate the compari son. The difference might concern the extent of professionalism or commitment to teaching, but nevertheless there was no control mathematical group in the study. A longitudinal study that overcomes this objection has examined the impact over time on students ratings of their teachers, and on teachers thinking about teaching, of (mainly) compulsory sign training during their first year of university teaching, in eight countries. It found improvements on every scale of the Student E valuation of Educational Quality, a questionnaire developed in the US (Marsh, 1982) and tested for use in the U K (Coffey and Gibbs, 2000), and improvements in the sophistication of teachers thinking (as measured by the Approaches to Teaching Inventory, a measure of teaching that predicts the quality of student learning, Trigwell et al., 2004). This improvement in measures of teaching quality could not be attributed to mere maturation or experience as teachers in a control group in institutions without a ny initial training were found to get worse over their first year, on the same measures (Gibbs and Coffey, 2004).Functions of higher educationThe capacity of a nation to develop economically, socially, politically and culturally derives largely from the power to develop and utilise the capabilities of its people. Higher education thus is considered sine qua non of national development, for it produces the highest level of manpower. In all advanced countries, the universities constitute the main spring of human capital. The most successful relieve of the universities role as a change agent is in the area of science and technology.The training of high-level scientific manpower is a result of vital national concern. Higher education is today recognised as a capital investment in education. It is considered investment of human capital which increases labour productivity furthers technological intention and produces a rate of return markedly higher than that of physical capital. in stantly we find the world divided into developed and developing countries. The dividing line between them is the capacity of educational and scientific attainments and its application for economic progress and prosperity (The World Bank, 1990).In modern times, higher education is considered as a means of human resource development in a society. In advanced countries, universities constitute the main spring of knowledge, ideas and innovations. Today, the most successful discharge of a university as an agent of change is in the area of science and technology. The priming and grooming of high-level professional manpower is a matter of vital concern. As a pathway to socio-economic development in a country, higher education cannot be ignored or given low priority. Higher education in a state of rapid development everywhere in the world as its benefits to the social, economic and cultural life of diverse communities is realisable. This has led to worldwide exponential expansion of unive rsities and colleges as many more people are encouraged remaining in education. However there are problems. First, higher education is expensive, and its expansion requires ample resources. Second, rapid expansion raises problems of quality assurance and control, as increased numbers could so easily lead to a decline in standards. Third, expansion in the developing world often draws upon the resources, ideas and expertise of the developed world, even though these may not always be appropriate for every different economic and social system (North, 1997).Higher education plays a vital role in the development of a society. For centuries, tertiary institutions had the important role of educating our future political leaders, professionals of tomorrow, businessmen, religious and social philosophers, who serve the community, enrich its determine and develop its resources. Universities are complex organisations with multiple missions and a myriad of roles. A university has the roles of pr oviding of theoretical education and professional training, a developer and a disseminator of new knowledge, a catalyst to shape the practice of management and business and a contributor to the community and the national economy (Khurshid, 1998).2.5 The Education system in MauritiusMauritius educational system has for root the British one, as the island was a British colony long ago. After independence in 1968, the new authorities invested considerably in human and material resources for the education sector and progress has been noticed and reached in terms of a per capita grant to children of 3+ and 4+, primary education was let go of, as well as textbooks, compulsory secondary education up to 16. Higher education courses were offered at University of Mauritius and the University of Technology for low-cost fees.Since 1977, secondary education has been free. As for full time undergraduate level at the University of Mauritius, it was free since 1988. Free education is funded by th e State which strain huge budgets and subsidize a big part of the grant assist secondary schools expenses. With universal primary education being achieved in the 1970s, free education in 1977, and legislation making education up to 16 years of age compulsory, the challenges policymakers have had to face have connect to broadening access at the higher education level, improving quality, and modify the management of the sector ( plot of land ensuring equity). The financing of higher education is basically via the disposal and students/parents.Students enrolled in public higher educational institutions are funded to a very large extent by the government. Students enrolled in local private higher education institutions and those in overseas institutions pay the full cost of their education.The find out factors influencing the quality of higher education are the quality of faculty, curriculum standards, technological infrastructure available, seek environment, accreditation regime and the administrative policies and procedures implemented in institutions of higher learning.The overall vision of government was spelt out in the saucily Economic Agenda formulated in 2000. The main challenge was to coin gradually away from traditional sectors to the services sector. The objective was to diversify manufacturing into higher valueadded markets and to consolidate services (financial, ICT, etc.) as a fourth tug of economic development. To attract new investment and to maintain the countrys competitiveness, a highly productive skilled workforce was seen as imperative. With a view to riding horse Mauritius on a higher growth path, the country has recognised the impressiveness of developing higher education as a regional hub for high quality education and training, to ensure that the knowledge industry acts as a catalyst in broadening the Mauritian economy, and in providing the necessary support to the existing and upcoming sectors. There has been a dramatic paradig m pocket in the development strategy mooted by the government.In summary, it has been accepted by government that the education system, especially higher education, needs to be reorientated to respond more effectively.Higher education in Mauritius can be traced back to the establishment of the School of Agriculture within the discussion section of Agriculture in 1914, which became integrated into the UoM when it was established in 1965. However, it was only in postindependent Mauritius that several public higher education institutions were created, which were complementary color to UoM.Over the years the higher education sector has become increasingly modify.2.5.1 Pre-Primary SectorThis sector caters for children 4+ and since a few years for 3+. The State provides a grant of R 200 per child. The private institutions subscribe to 80% of the educational provision in the sector.The following measures are part of policy developments to consolidate the sectorStrengthening the instit utional and regulatory fabric for the provision of Early Childhood Care and Education.Reduction of disparity among pre-schools.Addressing the problem of out-of-schools pre-primary children due to absolute poverty.Developing a issue Curriculum framework for the pre-primary subsector.Ensuring readiness of all pre-primary school children for primary school.Construction of pre-primary units in single out areasStrengthening partnerships with parents through a Parent Empowerment Program.2.5.2 Primary sectorThe enrolment in primary school takes effect at the age of five and enters the Standard I and moves gradually up to Standard VI. The CPE is an inquiry carried out at national level in all schools and follows a grading system. There are five compulsory subjects English, French, Mathematics, Science and memoir and Geography. The grading process works on the five best grades on with Asian/Arabic languages.Several initiatives have been implemented in primary institutions to improve t he CPE results. This gave rise to the Zones d Education Prioritaires (Z.E.P.). This targets those schools with low performance over 5 consecutive years. Later on in 2011, Enhancement course of instruction was introduced for STD III and IV. Moreover, the Sankor project was one where STD IV classes were equipped with interactive fence fixed projectors.2.5.3 Secondary sectorFor a child to be admitted to a secondary college, it all depends on the CPE results. There are three categories of secondary schools State owned grant-aided private schools, and fully private fee-paying schools. The secondary school experience begins with Form 1 up to Form VI, an achievement of seven years. Since 2010, a national curriculum has been set up for Forms I-III. The curriculum encloses all subjects up to Form III including English, French, Mathematics and the Social and Hard Sciences.When hit Form IV, students are offered option form where they have to choose at least six major subjects for O-level ex ams in Form V. Later, for A train examination, students will have to specialize in 3 main subjects and 2 subsidiary subjects. These two important examinations are undertaken by the University of Cambridge through the University of Cambridge supranational Examinations which sets up the syllabus, prepares the examination papers and undertakes correction for most subjects.2.5.4 TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training)The Mauritius play of Training and Development (MITD) is the main provider of the TVET program. Its purpose is to offer a variety of technical programs to students willing to meet the needs of the world of work at a middle professional level. Courses at the National Diploma are also provided at the MITD. The TVET sector is monitored and regulated by the Mauritius Qualifications Authority.2.5.5 Tertiary sectorIt was in 1924 that tertiary education started with the College of Agriculture. It has developed and diversified it now composes of public, private, r egional and overseas institutions offering for a wide election of courses and programmes.Through years, this education sector has given rise to other institutions with different characteristics and disciplines. Distance education has also been part of the sector. Some important institutions of the public sector are the University of Mauritius (UoM), the University of Technology (UTM), the Mauritius Institute of Education (MIE), the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI), the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD) and the Open University of Mauritius (OUM). Besides all these, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) is responsible for the allocation of public funds, planning, and coordination of post-secondary education and training as well.In addition, private institutions are more and more present in the tertiary education sector where they are proposing courses in areas like info Technology, Law, Accountancy and Finance, and Management.2.6 The University of MauritiusThe U niversity of Mauritius (UOM) is a national University of Mauritius. It is the oldest and largest Mauritian university in terms of student enrollment and curriculum offered. It is situated at Rduit, Moka. The University was inaugurated on twenty-fourth March 1972 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. Over the past decades, in response to the synchronous and emergent needs of the various sectors of the Mauritian economy, the university now has progressed from being a mostly in-service training institution to a fully-fledged university, concentrating increasingly on bachelors degrees, graduate(prenominal) programmes, investigate and consultancy.The universitys current strategical plan, Strategic Directions 2006-2015, has the following six strategic directionsKnowledge creationKnowledge diffusionInvesting in resourcesQuality culture and good governanceNational, regional and international collaborationsCommunity outreachThe Univers ity of Mauritius has committed itself to continuous improvement and quality management. These are the actions that the university is trying to cater forEnsuring relevance interact proactively with the world of work and the community to cater for emergent requirements while inculcating a wider sense of belonging to the university.Ensuring quality of teaching and learning enhance existing provisions for continuous improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, and work progressively towards the implementation of best practice.Strengthen look develop further the universitys research capacity and research management plan.Internationalize the university improve the international standing of the university and expand its role and programme of activities.Amongst Mauritian universities the UoM stands out both in terms of its dominance with regard to enrolment and it many pockets of excellence with regard to research. The UoM is the largest supplier of tertiary education locall y, accounting for 22.2% of total higher education enrolment.FacultiesOriginally, the university had three schools, namely Agriculture, Administration and Industrial Technology. It has since expand to comprise five faculties, namely Faculty Of Agriculture, Faculty Of Engineering, Faculty Of Law and Management, Faculty Of Science, and Faculty Of Social Studies Humanities. The faculties are involved in teaching, research and consultancy. It has also a nitty-gritty for Medical Research and Studies, a Centre for Distance Education, a Centre for Information Technology and Systems, and a Consultancy Centre. pursuance these on-campus developments and expansions, it resulted in a simultaneous increase in the number and in the diversity of programmes being offered, and the number of students enrolled.The programmes of the University are internationally recognized and include quality assurance mechanisms such as the external examiner system and affiliated with renowned Universities worldwide . There is a Quality Assurance dresser which helps the University in maintaining and improving the quality of all its activities. There are various exchange agreements that have been established between the UOM and overseas universities.Students UnionThe Students Union, established in 1971, is run by and for the students. It work in the interest of students and on a regular basis organize various activities. All students are members, the membership fee being included in the registration. Students are very dynamic in organizing two-timing(a) activities supported by the Public Relations Office.Chapter 3 Research methodological analysis3.1 Problem Statement and Research ObjectivesWhen the problem has been clearly defined and the objectives of the research precisely stated the research can be designed properly. As it is often said, a problem well defined is a solve one.The problem statement for this study is that there is each year a high level of demand for a seat at University of M auritius though there are other tertiary institutions in Mauritius. This study tries to find out the reasons behind this high demand.For this dissertation the research objectives areTo analyze the quality of services offered by the University of Mauritius.To investigate the quality of students of the University of Mauritius.To understand the level of increasing demands for courses at the University of Mauritius.To achieve the objectives mentioned above, a questionnaire has been administered to the different students in the form of face to face interview to collect information about the different factors affecting their learning experience at the University of Mauritius and hence facilitating the analysis of the information gathered.3.2 Determine Research DesignResearch design can be considered as the basic plan which guides the data collection and analysis phases of the research project. There are three main types of research used in projectsDescriptive researchCausal research wildc at researchExploratory research is un incorporated, informal research undertaken to have background information when the research worker does not know much about the problem. On the other hand in the descriptive method, research problem is well defined and structured and can be used to answer questions such as who, why, where, what and how (Burns and Bush, 2003), whereas causative research examines the effect of one variable on another one. The research undertaken in this study is descriptive in nature. The purpose of the research is to investigate, take apart and evaluate the student learning experience at the University of Mauritius.Data sources and Data CollectionPrimary dataThe only steps involved in collecting data is to look for primary data which consists of information imperturbable for the first time to meet the specific needs of the investigation of the researcher. These can be in the form of letters, e-mails and interviews. Primary sources are more supportive, they t rain directly the requirements of the researcher though it might be costly.