Quality assessment in higher education using the SERVQUALQ model

Economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is striving towards growth and increased employment and it has been proven by empirical studies worldwide that higher education contributes to socio-economic development of a country. Universities are important for generation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge in order to contribute to socio-economic benefits of a country. Higher education institutions are being pressured to improve value for their activities and providing quality higher education service to students should be taken seriously. In this paper we will address the emerging demand for quality in higher education. Higher education institutions should assess quality of their services and establish methods for improving quality. Activities of quality assurance should be integrated into the management process at higher education institutions. This paper is addressing the issue of service quality measurement in higher education institutions. The most frequently used model in this context is the SERVQUAL model. This model is measuring quality from the students' point of view, since students are considered to be one of the most important stakeholders for a higher education institution. The main objective of this research is to provide empirical evidence that the adapted SERVQAL model can be used in higher education and to identify the service quality gap based on its application at one institution of higher education (Faculty of Economics) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, results of the gap analysis using the SERVQUAL methodology provide relevant information in which areas improvement is necessary in order to enhance service quality.1. INTRODUCTIONIt is a proven fact that higher education plays an important role in achieving economic development. In the current economic shift towards knowledge economies, the role of higher education is even more emphasized. Higher education has three vital functions in a knowledge economy: knowledge creation, knowledge diffusion and knowledge transfer. Basically, it is expected that higher education institutions provide skilled knowledge workers with all the necessary technical, managerial, professional and other skills. Higher education should enhance research activities and strengthen ties with the real sector in order to enhance innovation and competitiveness of enterprises. Third function of higher education institutions in a knowledge economy, i.e. transmission of knowledge, takes place primarily through teaching activities. Various studies have confirmed the relevance of higher education for economic development. This relevance is even more important in transition economies, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Higher education in this country is facing serious problems, and the most important one is related to the quality of higher education itself.However, in order to explain the necessity for quality improvement in higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, three dominant reasons which put the issue of quality in higher education into the focus of this research need to be explained:1 Bologna declaration and its requirements regarding quality assurance in higher education.2 Changed legal framework and requirements made by ministries, accreditation agencies, etc.3 Increased competition among higher education institutions due to mushrooming of private higher education institutions.4 Increasing number of students leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina to study abroad.In this context, higher education institutions can only benefit from quality higher education service as a competitive advantage. According to Bologna Stocktaking reports introduced by Bologna follow-up group in 2007 1 and Bologna process national reports from 2003 until 2012 2, quality assurance, especially internal quality assurance, has been identified as one of the key problems at higher education institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In order to overcome this serious quality problem, higher education institutions need to develop and implement quality management systems and use tools for its improvement. …