Developing a scale for measuring service quality perceptions in distance education

The emphasis of quality in distance education in the last decade tended to place on operational efficiency under the concepts of quality control and quality assurance. This tendency has shifted towards a student's perspective in the wake of greater competitive pressure and heightened students' expectations. This paper reports the results of a study to identify service quality determinants based on the students' perceptions. The results of an exploratory factor analysis of 25 items and a regression analysis produce five dimensions in the following priority: (1) learning facilities, (2) quality of course materials, (3) studying atmosphere, (4) capability of tutors, and (5) center arrangement for tutorials. This study highlights the pressing need for a distance education institution to pay attention to physical facilities and course materials which represent the core of the service offering and are relatively easier to evaluate than other service elements.