Identification and Ranking of the Effective Factors on Improvement of the Quality of Educational Services in Higher Education (A Case Study: Management Faculty of YAZD University)

Nowadays, the emergence of new competitive discussions in many universities of Iran has engaged them in a change process. According to this view universities try to provide their clients and students with more satisfaction. This article presents an appropriate model for conceptualization and evaluation of quality services provided by state universities. To this end, a conceptual framework for the examination of the qualitative characteristics in the higher education sector has been presented in the first step using the Kano model. This framework classifies the students’ and clients needs into three levels, namely obligatory, one-dimensional and attractive. In the next step, it ranks the characteristics included in each level using the TOPSIS model, and finally it offers guidelines for the improvement of the higher education sector. The model introduced in this article has been used with the students/clients of Yazd University. The results show that the professors and students’ rapid and adequate access to computers and the internet, the introduction of graduates to the job market, and giving the students the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities are amongst the most important factors. The most important and obligatory factors included in the one-dimensional level are: the development of graduate programs including MA/MS and PHD in different fields, the adequacy of the number of faculty staff and professors, and the allocation of special and adequate time for tackling the students’ problems and difficulties by the professors. The most important factors included in the in the one- dimensional level are: the faculty’s communication with industrial and official environments and the students’ familiarization with these environments, the provision of special services for the new students, and the tidiness and appropriateness of the faculty’s rooms and classrooms. Finally, this article offers various suggestions for the improvement of the quality of services in the graduate and postgraduate levels in each aspect.