DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE QUALITY SCALE IN ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to develop a valid and reliable service quality tool in the context of online higher education in Pakistan. For this purpose, an extensive literature review has been done followed by an expert opinion to develop the initial scale of service quality. Data has been collected from 480 students enrolled in universities offering online degree programs. Further, Confirmatory Factor Analysis has been done by using AMOS for scale refinement through empirical tests. Nine dimensions of service quality were identified from literature in the context of online higher education in Pakistan. The research concludes that the service quality scale with nine dimensions and fifty-five items is a valid scale for this study. The study highlighted the areas which need improvement to increase the overall effectiveness of the online higher education model. This paper developed a tool to measure service quality in the online higher education sector.