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... parallel ordering of assessment indicators for administrative and academic support units showed a number of indicators already in use ( Figure 6). The ones generating most interest for future use were measures that could be implemented using a centrally administered client satisfaction survey, and comparisons with peer institutions. ...
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... In a broad sense, organisational effectiveness (OE) signifies an organisation's capacity to fulfil its mission (Bratton & Gold, 2012;Kotter, 2012) or more explicitly, the degree to which an organisation meets the needs of its customers (Robbins & Judge, 2015). The appropriateness of adapting the notion of OE to HEIs (which culminates in the construct of IE) is well documented in higher education literature (Ashraf & Kadir, 2012;Astin, 1993;Balduck & Buelens, 2008;Bitzer, 2003;Gibbs, 2010;Horn, 2013;Koopmans, 2014;Pascarella, 2001;Ronco & Brown, 2000). ...
... This research privileges the primacy of student educational outcomes as a focus of IE. As Ronco and Brown (2000) contend, student learning should be at the pinnacle of effectiveness dimensions for any HEI. The key question must be, they argue, "What should our graduates know, be able to do, and value?" (Ronco & Brown, 2000:1). ...
Over the last two decades, the higher education (HE) sector has witnessed several global trends, notably increasing privatisation, internationalisation, marketisation and external quality regulation. It is currently estimated that worldwide, one in three HE students study at a private institution. These trends signify rising competition in HE provision. One way that many institutions, especially private higher education institutions respond to these changes is to stake claims (albeit largely untested) of superior performance in respect of student educational satisfaction and retention. The core aim of this paper was to interrogate how selected elements of institutional culture as well as student demographic variables influence student success as indicated by educational satisfaction (ES) and student retention (SR). The study is rooted in the context of a well-established for-profit private higher education institution based in South Africa. Data were collected through two surveys, which were implemented concurrently. The first involved the management and staff of the institution and aimed to determine the values and assumptions that underpin the institutional culture. Eighty-five usable questionnaires were received, representing a participation rate of about 57%. The second targeted student perceptions of institutional effectiveness in respect of ES and SR and attracted 807 useful questionnaires, representing a participation rate of approximately 40%. The results indicate that in general, the institutional culture type, strength, congruence and discrepancy as well as demographic variables such as the mode of educational delivery, student's age and work experience significantly influence ES and SR. More pertinently, culture type, culture strength and mode of educational delivery emerged as coherent predictors of ES and SR. The results have implications for both academic management and leadership in higher education as well as research into ways of improving institutional effectiveness.
... Some scholars (Patterson, 2014;Scott, 2014) argue that higher education entities should more appropriately be termed 'institutions' rather than 'organisations' as the earlier term better captures both the physical and abstract dimensions of a higher education establishment. The appropriateness of extending the notion of OE to HEIs (which culminates in the construct of IE) is well documented in higher education literature (Ashraf & Kadir, 2012;Astin, 1993;Balduck & Buelens, 2008;Bitzer, 2003;Gibbs, 2010;Horn, 2013;Koopmans, 2014;Ronco & Brown, 2000). ...
... Of essence in this paper is the primacy of student educational outcomes as the focus of IE. As Ronco and Brown (2000) rightly contend, student learning should be at the pinnacle of effectiveness dimensions for any HEI. The key question must be, they argue, "What should our graduates know, be able to do, and value?" (Ronco & Brown, 2000:1). ...
A clear definition of the goals which a higher education institution (HEI) should pursue and the efficacy with which set goals are achieved symbolises the utility of the institution towards the global goals of human development. This paper argues that one way of promoting such efficacy is to ensure that the values and assumptions that underpin behaviour and decision-making are aligned with the strategic educational objectives of the institution.
Following a pragmatic research paradigm, the enquiry adopted an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to interrogate student views of the effectiveness of a private higher education institution against the backdrop of the institutional culture as exhibited by its employees and management. The present paper presents a framework, which is the capstone output from a wider project aimed at exploring the linkages between institutional culture and effectiveness. The preceding outputs are reported elsewhere as indicated hereunder.
The framework encapsulates a systemic way of thinking about the inputs, processes and outputs of a HEI which aims to ground its pursuit of student educational outcomes on values shared by key stakeholders, especially the management and staff of the institution. Thus, building on the empirical findings on the linkages between institutional culture and effectiveness, some foundational principles are distilled, which in turn inform the essential components of the framework. To enhance its practical utility, the conditions for implementation and management implications of the proposed framework are also explained.
Although the study is set in the context of a South African private HEI, it can be acknowledged that there are many other institutions which share the conditions facing the participating institution and might therefore benefit from the lessons emanating therefrom.
... Some years ago, a colleague and I developed an Institutional Effectiveness inventory to identify existing assessment practices and reassure faculty that assessment was not an entirely new and unfamiliar undertaking (Ronco and NEW DIRECTIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH • DOI: 10.1002/ir Brown, 2002). Like many assessment professionals, I characterize assessment of student learning as formalizing and documenting the teaching and learning that is already occurring in classrooms and programs. ...
This chapter discusses the application of benchmarking processes within higher education institutions.
... University Engineering and Technology programs that assess student development through demonstrated knowledge ensure that student education is current, relevant, and comprehensive, to meet the needs of industry, as well as, that of educational accreditation. When students complete their education, there are a number of different ways to assess whether the students have actually learned how to articulate their knowledge, but a single methodology has not been universally agreed upon [1] . Standardized certification exams provide some independent method of assessment of student knowledge, but the results of the exams are generally not available for use in coursework. ...
Assessment methodologies that evaluate student development through demonstrated knowledge assure that student education is current, relevant, and comprehensive, thus meeting the needs of the industry, as well as, that of educational accreditation. However, if the educational assessment method is a comprehensive exam, or a portfolio, or an exit exam, there may be little difference in the demonstration of knowledge other than good examination preparation or good course work production even if a capstone course is used for the assessment purpose This paper focuses on an innovative assessment method used in a capstone course. This method entails analyzing the management of a variety of construction projects by the student teams according to 13 different criteria and making presentations of their analysis and an overall summary statement. The presentations are evaluated by judges from the industry using the special metrics created for this purpose. Student performance is also incorporated as a metric in the assessment process. The paper elaborates on how student performance is affected by the different types of construction projects used as the "cases" by means of graphically displaying the metrics used and discussing their inter-relationships.
