Student Satisfaction: Assessment with a Threefold Approach Applied to the ASB Summer University 2006

Student satisfaction has become a vital value for universities in the emerging struggle for the best students. Acknowledging this, the aim of the research presented here is to assess student satisfaction at the Aarhus School of Business (ASB) for the Summer University that was first introduced in July 2006. The European Performance Satisfaction Index (EPSI) was adapted to incorporate student satisfaction in order to reach this aim, and was used as the main approach. The necessary data was gathered from online surveys, derived from the students. Two studies complemented this model. On the one hand, structured interviews were conducted with all relevant lecturers and on the other hand, a survey was conducted in two waves with Summer University participants. In the first wave, the students' initial expectations were measured and in the second wave it was the degree of fulfilment for these expectations that were measured. Combining all three approaches in one dissertation and establishing linkages and interrelations between them, provides an extensive insight towards student satisfaction. This book mainly addresses universities and professionals from educational institutions. It is a helpful tool in setting up a summer university as well as applying statistical models to assess student satisfaction, not used hitherto.

Ella Schneider: M.Sc. in Business Performance Management from the Aarhus School of Business, Bachelor in International Business Studies from the University of Paderborn. Oliver Mühlich: M.Sc. in Business Performance Management from the Aarhus School of Business, Bachelor in business administration from the University of Trier.