Abstract:
The need for assurance of quality in higher education programs has continued to draw the
attention of stakeholders globally and in Sri Lanka. The key purpose of reviews of
educational programmes is to evaluate the overall quality of education provided by a
specific degree programme. This activity is based on the perception of students on their
learning experience and achievements. However, there is no established formal
mechanism to assess and evaluate the students’ educational and learning experience in
the Sri Lankan context. The objectives of this study were a) develop a set of applicable
indicators to evaluate programs in the Sri Lankan context, and b) to apply developed
students’ learning experience indicators to evaluate selected degree programme
performance.
Indicators were selected based on a review of literature on current international practices
of evaluation of study programs. Fourteen indicators were identified and included in to
seven categories as; i) curriculum design; ii) teaching and learning; iii) assessment
methods; iv) generic skills; v) academic guidance and counseling; vi) support and
resources, and vii) learning community. Applicability of selected indicators was validated
using responses to a structured questionnaire by 748 undergraduate students from seven
universities that offered undergraduate programs on management. Validated indicators
were subsequently used to evaluate selected six undergraduate study programmes
through a survey of a total of 249 undergraduates selected from two universities. The
findings support the use of students’ educational and learning experience based indicators
in evaluating and comparing the performance of degree programmes. The indicators
identified and the procedures can be used in identifying areas for improvement at
programme level and faculty level, or comparing performance within programmes to identify
the weaknesses and good practices.
