Quality Education at the Undergraduate Level: Perspectives of Undergraduates

Abstract

The study investigated quality education at the undergraduate level from the perspectives of undergraduate students. The study examined whether the teachers make the goals and standards clear to the learners at the beginning of the courses, use proper assessment and teaching methods, the programs make the students independent learners, improve their generic skills, and make the learners independent. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from the undergraduate students at two public sector universities through a 36-item Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) validated by Wilson et al. (1997) with 6 dimensions, results showed that majority of the students agreed that teachers made the goals and standards clear, the program developed generic skills, teachers used proper teaching and assessment methods, and the workload was appropriate. However, a significant number of participants either disagreed or were uncertain about the dimensions. It indicates that there is further scope for improvement in all the dimensions. The study recommends that teachers further focus on sharing the course objectives and standards expected from graduates in their course. There is a need for better communication between teachers and students. Universities may review the courses to determine whether they offer an appropriate workload at the undergraduate level. The universities may arrange regular professional development programs with a focus on methods of teaching and assessment. Teachers may include presentations, case studies, problems, and critical analysis to improve the generic skills of learners.