EXPLORING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF THE STUDENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AT CHALIMBANA UNIVERSITY

Abstract

Many universities globally are migrating from manual to digital student information management systems in pursuit of satisfying clients who will be able to access their academic records anywhere without visiting the institution. The purpose of this study was to explore customer satisfaction with the student records management system at Chalimbana University, a public university located in Chongwe district. The study used a convergent parallel mixed method design on a sample of 65 participants comprising 3 administrators, 10 lecturers, 50 fourth-year full-time students, and 2 technical staff at Chalimbana University. These were randomly and purposively sampled. Instruments included face-to-face interviews and a 3-point Likert scale questionnaire. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel for descriptive statistics and thematic analysis for qualitative data. The findings reveal that the customers are moderately satisfied with the student records management system. However, the university neither has a policy to regulate the management of student's records nor a professional archivist to manage the records. Although the university management has made efforts to sensitize the end users about the system, more needs to be done to ensure the full participation of all the stakeholders. Other challenges impeding effective student records management systems include; a lack of adequate staff at the admissions office, inadequate storage equipment, inadequate capacity building, lack of policy to guide records management, and inability of students to fully interact with the system. The study recommends periodic staff training, restocking the unit, and developing a policy to guide student records management at the University.