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Dissertation
Creating Academic Service Excellence in Higher Education: An Instrumental Case Study
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2025
Abstract
Outstanding academic programs thrive on the exceptional services faculty provide, but maintaining these high standards is increasingly challenging. Factors such as COVID-19 protocols, integrating technology into teaching, identifying students' specific needs, and inadequate faculty support are affecting the quality of academic services and students' ability to complete their degrees. The purpose of this qualitative instrumental case study was to examine the role of faculty in creating academic service excellence during the COVID-19 pandemic at a university in Florida. Academic service excellence refers to high-quality support and services that enhance students' overall learning experiences. The study was guided by Parasuraman et al.'s (1985, 1988) SERVQUAL model, which assesses service quality based on five constructs: responsiveness, assurance, tangibles, empathy, and reliability. Eight faculty members were selected through criterion sampling and interviewed. The findings reveal that faculty face challenges in recognizing individual student needs and require advanced skills to integrate new technological tools into their teaching methods effectively. Additionally, supportive university and departmental policies are essential for enabling faculty to provide timely, excellent academic services. The study emphasizes identifying personalized student needs as a key aspect of the faculty's role in fostering academic service excellence. It also offers universities a basis to reassess and enhance their policies to support faculty in this endeavor. Future research could explore how staff and faculty roles jointly contribute to achieving academic service excellence.
Details
- Title
- Creating Academic Service Excellence in Higher Education
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Lydia Kyei-Blankson (Committee Member)Wisdom Mensah (Committee Co-Chair)Mark Malisa (Committee Chair)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 278
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Emily Nyakoaa Kwaa
- Identifiers
- 99381469153906600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida