Student as a Customer or Improving Students' Involvement in the Education Process

During the process of developing new and sophisticated methods of teaching, teachers often neglect the fundamental principle of quality management, which is to adopt a customer orientation. This study proposes a new methodology to involve students in the education improvement process. The emphasis is placed on investigating student expectations, transforming student expectations into actions and a student ́s satisfaction survey. It may be assumed, that treating students as customers or even as a collaborative partner ensures students are involved in the education improvement process. The study is based on the assumption that the requirements of other stakeholders are met and the teacher constantly monitors the latest trends in the field of lecturing and incorporates them into lectures. To verify the study hypothesis, two surveys were conducted. Students ́ expectations and students ́ satisfaction after the education process survey data were drawn from a sample of 27 of 27 (100 % sample) students of the subject Quality Audits. Our variables within the study were related to students’ satisfaction with the educational process. Building upon existing literature, the results from the research allow identification of the main strategies for students’ involvement within the educational process. The presented research is intended to be a useful reference to teachers and scholars interested in continuous improvement of educational process. This paper firstly critiques the key concepts concerning customer satisfaction in terms of continuous improvement process in higher education. Then, our methodology and research approach is presented. The next part of the study discusses the results of the two surveys carried out to follow if the curriculum improvement based on students ́ expectation awareness can improve students ́ satisfaction with the educational process. Based on the surveys ́ findings, the paper further suggests the standardized curriculum development process implemented in basic steps of the cyclic model of the PDCA on the basis of a profound analysis of students’ expectations following and fulfilment. It provides a basis for differentiating and linking of evaluation results to continuous improvement. Finally, the principal findings of the research and limitations are summarized. The proposed model of continuous curriculum improvement is applicable across a range of engineering subjects.