Research

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Research

Measuring student satisfaction with vocational education and training services... and getting it right! - by John Ward

One of the objectives of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is to build the research capacity of the vocational education and training (VET) sector. To this end, NCVER sponsored seven new researchers to attend NCVER's 2007 'No Frills' conference. One of these awards went to John Ward. This paper is based on his presentation at the conference.

Registered training organisations are currently required to collect and report information about learner satisfaction as part of their compliance with the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). However, this information can also provide benefits to training providers themselves by helping them identify areas where they can improve their services and measure how well they are meeting their students' needs.

Measuring student satisfaction with VET services and getting it right! examines ways of accurately measuring student satisfaction with VET. The paper highlights the importance of using good-quality survey instruments to collect data about student satisfaction. The author notes that, currently, the quality of this information tends to vary across the VET sector. The paper discusses the challenges involved in collecting good-quality student satisfaction data and describes a range of methodological issues that relate to measuring student satisfaction. A structural equation model is used to demonstrate a possible means of designing and collecting quality survey data.

The key point in this paper, that registered training organisations need a good-quality survey tool to improve the validity of learner satisfaction surveys across the VET sector, has been borne out by recent developments in the VET sector. A national survey instrument is currently being developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research to facilitate the collection of data for learner satisfaction by registered training organisations and, from June 2008, all registered training organisations will be required to use this survey to measure and report their students' satisfaction with their training.

Key messages:

Consistent and good-quality survey tools are essential for collecting reliable data about learner satisfaction.
The majority of registered training organisations tend to measure levels of student satisfaction with their services; however, the definitions of learner satisfaction used by training organisations are not uniform and the elements of satisfaction they measure can vary.
Greater uniformity in the fundamentals of survey design would assist in comparative analysis of registered training organisation performance.
Improved learner satisfaction tools will provide information that registered training organisations can use to guide decisions aimed to improve the quality of their services.

Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER