Exploring the Antecedents and Consequents of Student Experience in Higher Education Settings

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this paper is to explore the antecedents and consequents of student experience in higher education settings. Several variables such as co-creation value, social environment, physical environment and relational benefits are predicted as antecedents and consequents of student experience. Methodology: The authors proposed the conceptual framework to identify antecedents and consequents of student experience in higher education. Findings: Theoretically there is a possibility to create and the use of co creation in the higher education context to enhance student experience. The other factors should also be considered, such as physical environment (ambient, design and IT), social environment (Employee displayed emotion, and customer climate), and relational benefits. The findings suggest the necessary changes in how higher education institutions should be marketed with more focus on creating, communicating, and delivering value to enhance student experience. Value Added: The author’s perspective on antecedents and consequents of student experience is a new interesting theme in higher education marketing. The paper proposed a testable propositions regarding the antecedents and consequences of student experience.

Masters and doctorate student experiences of service delivery at public universities in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

“…Service delivery at universities According to Velasco (2012), a university is no longer just a place to obtain a qualification. Consequently, universities need new tactics in delivering educational programmes and services (Hermawan et al, 2018) to create a positive customer experience. Services involve customer participation in the service delivery process (Berndt & Boshoff, 2018), and therefore customer requirements and feedback are crucial.…”

“…Newton (2019) states that students expect to be partners in the delivery of university services. Thus, the co-creation of the higher education service requires cooperation between various university stakeholders (Hermawan et al, 2018). Using the early student support approach results in a positive student experience (Newton, 2019).…”

“…According to Dann (2008), customer experience in service delivery may be challenging to judge during the actual process as it may be influenced by factors such as customer perception, expectation, need, requirement, participation, and satisfaction at that given time. In the context of higher education, student interactions with the university services can be referred to as student experience (Hermawan et al, 2018). Customer experience emerges internally and is based on evaluating all critical components of education (inputs and outputs).…”

“…Furthermore, Hermawan et al (2018) state that student co-creation, relational benefits, universities' social and physical environment, and information technology contribute towards students' educational experience. Therefore, universities must research customer experience and expectations using evaluation forms and scorecards to discover gaps that may exist during service delivery to improve quality (Pather & Dorasamy, 2018;Van der Westhuizen, 2014).…”