Introduction

Laikipia University was established under the Laikipia University Charter of 19 th March, 2013.
The University has 5 Campuses (Main Campus, Nyahururu Campus, Naivasha Campus, Maralal
Campus and Nairobi Campus). It has a population of approximately 5,200 students and 590
employees. Students are important stakeholders at Laikipia University, and the fact that the
survival of the university overly depends on the students makes the process of attracting and
retaining students more important to institutions. Student satisfaction assessment is vital in
determining service quality at higher learning institutions. To remain competitive with other
private higher education providers, it is important that Laikipia University continuously acquire,
maintain, build stronger relationships and assess the level of students satisfaction.
Customer satisfaction surveys is a feedback mechanism to determine the delivery of education.
They are a means of self-examination that enables the university to measure their students
satisfaction on a wide range of college experiences. Consequently, institutional strengths as well
as areas in need of improvement are identified. More and more organizations emphasize on
service quality due to its strategic role in enhancing competitiveness especially in the context of
attracting new customers and enhancing relationship with existing customers. As a result the
survey aims at assessing customer perception in regard to services offered by the University.

Specific Objectives of the Customer Satisfaction Survey:

a) To determine the customers accessing public services offered by Laikipia University.
b) To determine the effectiveness of the services offered by Laikipia University.
c) To determine how efficient are the services offered by Laikipia University.
d) To determine the quality of the services offered by Laikipia University.
e) To identify the constraints of service delivery in the University.
f) To measure the baseline levels of improvement required for the services in the
University

IMPORTANCE OF THE SURVEY

The study will serve as a baseline for improvement actions using stakeholders feedback, by
providing:
An overview of student satisfaction levels with the different aspects of their experience;
Internal and external (benchmarking) comparisons to inform staff of how students perceive
their academic and non-academic experiences at Laikipia University;
A basis for improvement; and
Evidence for demonstrated quality promotion and quality improvement activities when an audit
is done.

Customer Satisfaction
In the world of cutthroat competition, institutions of higher learning need some competitive
advantage to sustain. Customer satisfaction is an important tool to maintain a competitive
advantage. An institution should give a special attention to its service quality which can help it
differentiate itself from other institutions, and results to long term competitive advantage. There
is need to care about student satisfaction because of its potential impact on student motivation,
retention and recruitment efforts.
Concept of Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is the degree to which a customer perceives that an individual, firm or
organization has effectively provided a product or service that meets the customers needs in the
context in which the customer is aware of and / or using the product or service. When a
consumer/customer is contented with either the product or services it is termed as satisfaction. It
can also be viewed as a persons feelings of either pleasure or disappointment resulting from
comparing a products perceived outcome with their individual expectations (Kotler & Keller,
2009, p. 789).Thus, the consumer level of satisfaction is determined by his/her cumulative
experience at the point of contact with the supplier (Sureshchander et al., 2002, p. 364).
Customer satisfaction has also been defined as the extent to which a products perceived
performance matches a buyers expectations (Kotler et al., 2002, p. 8). According to Schiffman
& Karun (2004) customer satisfaction is the individuals perception of the performance of the
products or services in relation to his or her expectations. In a nutshell, customer satisfaction
could be the pleasure obtained from consuming an offer. In todays competitive environment
delivering high quality service is the key for a sustainable competitive advantage . In our case, customer

satisfaction is driven by evaluating the quality of coursework and other factors related to the

university. Students are treated as customers within the university and in that case, the university
serve the students on a better priority to fulfill their expectations and needs.
Why conduct Customer Satisfaction Survey in Laikipia?
Customer satisfaction is the key element of business strategy in a highly competitive
environment where businesses are competing for more customers. As a result, satisfying
customers is the best strategy to enhance competitive advantage. Specifically, the satisfaction of
students reflects the perceived quality differences of offered services and informs the university
the sectors in which to improve so as to continue satisfying their students. Conducting customer
satisfaction survey is effective in that it assesses the quality of teaching (academic and
pedagogic), quality of supervision and feedback from academic staff, composition, content and
relevant curriculum, balance between different forms of organized teaching activities and selftuition, quality of support facilities, quality of physical infrastructure and the social climate.
These assessments provide information on students perceptions of a range of services and
experiences. In a nutshell, it provides management with a descriptive overview of student
opinion, designed to encourage action for improvement and, which can be reported as part of
appropriate accountability procedures.
Furthermore, customer satisfaction mainly serves two purposes: for internal use to guide
improvement and for information for stakeholders and potential students. Consequently, it is
possible to establish the content of what students learn, what abilities they develop, how well
they are prepared as lifelong learners and what the learning support infrastructure is like.
Moreover, it provides the basis for comparisons between programmes of study and for
longitudinal benchmarking over time. In addition, it allows the institution to identify areas where
resources can be redirected from areas of low importance to areas of high importance

Laikipia University will use customer satisfaction survey in order to establish a baseline for the
university. Those areas that students rate as important but were not satisfied with are priority
areas for management intervention while those areas rated as important and students are satisfied
with should serve as examples of good practice in the institution.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This section focuses on the research methodology. It includes research methods used, target
population, sample design and procedure. The research instrument, data collection procedures,
reliability test and statistical treatments of data will also be explained in detail.
Research Methods
The objective of this survey is to assess customer perception in regard to services offered by
Laikipia University and the overall customer satisfaction. Descriptive research will be used to
describe the characteristics of the population. Quantitative survey will be used to find the
relationship between the access to public services by customers, effectiveness of the services
offered, quality of the services offered, constraints of service delivery and baseline levels of
improvement required with customer satisfaction. Quantitative surveys are designed to fit a
questionnaire schedule.
Target Population
The survey aims at evaluating the overall student satisfaction towards the service quality of
Laikipia University. So, the target population is the graduate students attending Main Campus,
Nyahururu Campus, Naivasha Campus, Maralal Campus and Nairobi Campus). It has a
population of approximately 5,200 students.

Sampling Methods
The chief motive for examining a sample rather than a population is cost. Statistical inference
permits us to draw conclusions about a population parameter based on a sample that is quite
small in comparison to the size of the population (Keller, 2009, p.159).As the study is about
measuring the customer satisfaction in Laikipia campuses, it should relate to all the campuses,
but due to the time and resource constraints only one campus will be taken into sample survey. A
non-probability convenience sample will be chosen for the survey in this research. Convenience
sampling is a type of non-probability sampling, which involves the sample being drawn from
that part of the population which is close at hand. That is, a sample population selected because it
is readily available and convenient.
Survey Instrument
In this survey, a questionnaire will be used to gather information from the respondents. There
will be two sections categorized in the questionnaire. Section A is the main part of the research.
It includes all the questions. All indicators are measured on a 5-point Likert-scale, with 1
indicates the strongly disagree, 5 indicates the strongly agree. Likert scale is most preferable
since it is simple to construct and likely to produce a high reliable scale. Section B contains
questions to collect the respondents personal information.

Data Collection Procedure

Both primary and secondary data will be collected to analyze customer perception in regards to
services offered by the university.

Primary data
Primary data are new data specifically collected in a current research project- the researcher is
the primary user (Veal, 2006, p.99). In this survey, primary data will be collected through
questionnaire so as to achieve the specific objectives. The study will collect data from Laikipia
Eldoret campus.

Secondary data
Secondary data are existing data that can be used in the current project (Veal, 2006).In this report
secondary data i.e. website like www.wikipedia.org will be used to collect the background
information of the campuses. Moreover, this study also uses the external secondary data such as
books, journals, online database via internet, past research and the like.

Piloting of the questionnaire

In order to ascertain that the questions would be clear and understandable to the larger student
community, the questionnaire will be administered to a group of second-year and third-year
students to test comprehension, clarity and appropriateness. Attention will be given to the
recommendations put forward by the pilot group and relevant adjustments will be made to the
questionnaire.

Output

Activity

Resources
/
Personnel

No
of
day
s

Unit
Cost

Total
Cost

Timeli
ne

Person
responsi
ble

Literature
obtained

Inception
Report
developed

Literature
review

An
inception
report
containing
the
methodol
ogy
Data
collection

4,00
0

4,000

500

3,000

150

900

1,00
0

1,000

Driver

110
1,00
0

4,00
0

48,000

3,00
0

3,000

6 Skilled
personnel
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
(reports,
policies,
publication
s)
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

Desk
review

30

1,00
0
1,00
0
500
4,00
0
2,00
0

Air time
Internet
bundles
Stationery
6
personnel
Hire of 2
Laptops
Hire of
conference
room
Refreshme
nts for 6
persons
6 Note
books
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

6
1
1

Hire of Hall
Refreshme
nts( Tea/Wa
ter) 6
personnel

Driver

6,000

6,000
500

18,000
120,00
0

3,300
1,000

110
4,00
0

6,600

500
1,00
0

6,000

8,000

2,000

3 Voice
Recoders
Printing of
Questionar
es
Field
Notebooks
Pens,
pencils,
Rubbers,
Sharpeners
Document
Wallet
60 lts of
Fuel per
day

Field Work
Data
entry and
analysis

5,00
0

15,000

10

15,000

150

900

15

100

600

15

200

1,200

15

99,000

110
1,00
0
4,00
0
4,00
0

2,00
0

60,000

500

15,000

15

100

9,000

800
10,0
00

4,800

2,000

2Drivers
6 Skilled
Personnel
Hire of Hall
for FGDs
Confrence
cost
including
mealsfor
10 persons
per FGD
Transport
Refund
Airtime for
6 skilled
personnel
6 Flask
Disks 2GB
2 Digital
Camera
20
rewritable
CDS

15

Hire of Hall
Refreshme
nts for 6
persons
6 Note
books
Pens,
pencils,

100
4,00
0

500

12,000

150
100

900
600

15

30,000
360,00
0
12,000

20,000

16,000

Rubbers,
Sharpeners
6 Skilled
Personnel
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

Writing up
draft
report
Revision
of draft
report

4,00
0

48,000

2,00
0

8,000

110
1,00
0
4,00
0
4,00
0

2,00
0

Driver

Hire of Hall
6 Skilled
Personnel
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

Driver
Refreshme
nts for 6
persons
6 Note
books
Pens,
pencils,
Rubbers,
Sharpeners
Hire of Hall
6 Skilled
Personnel
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

Driver

13,200
4,000
12,000
72,000

6,000
9,900

110
1,00
0

500

9,000

150

900

100

600

4,00
0
4,00
0

1,00
0

110
1,00
0

3,000

8,000
48,000

1,000
6,600
2,000

Refreshme
nts for 6
persons

Confrence
cost for the
60 project
partners

hire of hall
6 Skilled
Personnel
30 lts fuel
Hire of LCD
projector

Driver

Hire of Hall
6 Skilled
Personnel
Printing
and
Photocopyi
ng
30 lts of
Fuel per
day

Writing up
the final
report

Driver
Refreshme
nts (Tea
and Water)
for 6
persons

Back
stoping

2 Personnel
Fuel
Driver

Present
the draft
report in a
validation
workshop
involving
all the
project
partners.

1
1
1

500

6,000

2,00
0
4,00
0
4,00
0
110
4,00
0
1,00
0

120,00
0

4,00
0
4,00
0

1,00
0

4,000
24,000
3,300
4,000
1,000
8,000
48,000

110
1,00
0

6,600

6,000

20

500
1,50
0

20

500

10,000
1,456,4
00

2,000

60,000

WORK PLAN
REPORTS

WEEK 1

WEEK 2-4

WEEK 4-6

WEEK 7

INCEPTION REPORT
X
Objectives and goals of the
assignment
Inventory of information and
data collected
Proposed plan for carrying
out the assignment
PROGRESS REPORT
Elaborating the agreed upon
recommendation of the
inception report and
addressing the concrete
terms of objectives and the
outlined activities of the
TOR (s)
INTERIM REPORT
Draft recommendation
FINAL REPORT
Final Recommendations as
per the TORs

LAIKIPIA UNIVERSITY STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear Student,

Believing that students should have quality service delivery in all aspects of learning, Laikipia
University has developed the following questionnaire. It is designed to give you the student a
chance to have you opinions heard. The results of this survey will provide student input into
improving the quality of your education and student experience at Laikipia University. Thank
you for your time.
Section A
These Sections are related to certain aspects of the service that you experience in your
University. Please mark the appropriate response to indicate your own personal feeling by
circling based on the following scale
1= strongly disagree

2=disagree

3=neutral

4= agree

5= strongly agree

PROGRAMME RELATED QUESTIONS

The programme in which I am enrolled:
1 2
Is meeting the expectation I had prior to my enrolment
Has up-to-date subject content
Closely links theory and practice
Has useful and relevant learning materials and
equipment
Has well equipped lecture halls
Clearly states assessment requirements in all subjects
Applies and provides relevant and fair assessments
Provides timely and constructive feedback on learning
after assessment
Has lecture halls with numbers which allows me to
fully participate in all my subjects
Has lecture halls which comfortably accommodate the
students in each of my subjects
The programme in which I am enrolled
1
2
promotes the development of:
An ability to think critically
A capacity for creativity and innovation
Up-to-date knowledge and skills needed by
industry and commerce
Ethical values like honesty and integrity
Respect for culturally diverse people
Interpersonal communication skills
Competence in using appropriate modern
technology
The ability to work as a member of a team
An ability to handle the unexpected effectively
A capacity to manage change effectively

OUTCOMES
OF YOUR
STUDY

ADMINISTRATION
The following are accessible and available when
I need them:
Easy to obtain information and administration
procedures
Easy to follow admission procedures
Clear and accurate information about enrolment
procedure
Quick and convenient enrolling and re-enrolling
Evenly spaced exams over the examination period
Easily resolved exam timetable clashes
Current and accurate information on the fee
structure and my financial liability
Accurate information about programmes and
subjects
Effectively and efficiently resolved administrative
matters
Student representatives who give effective voice to
my views at Faculty, Senate and Council meeting

ACCESS
The following are accessible and available
when I need them:
Library

Computers
Sport facilities
Cafeterias
Child Care
Transport
Security services
Book loan services
Information Desk services
Reserve collection for my field of study
Provision of materials listed in study guides
Provision of study space and desks
Photocopiers or a photocopy service

STUDY ASSISTANCE
English Language skills support on my
campus
Career Counselling
Tutorial support by lecturers and peers
Student employment centre
Appropriate computer hardware in computer
centres
Computer software appropriate to my study field
Support in computer centres

STUDENT SERVICES
The following are accessible and available
when I need them:
Counselling Service

Medical Service/Clinic
AIDS Centre
Special needs for students with disability
Accommodation
Bursaries
Study loans
Dean: Student Affairs

GENERAL STUDENT FACILITIES

The following are accessible when I need

them:
Visitor Information Centre
Transport
Bookshop
Internet Caf
Security after hours
Sport department facilities

Section B
The following personal information is necessary for validation of the questionnaire. All
responses will be kept confidential. Your cooperation in providing this information will be
greatly appreciated.
1) Please tell me which gender you are: Male [ ]
2) Age bracket in years

Female [ ]

Below 20
20 25
26 30
Above 30

[
[
[
[

]
]
]
]

3) Who sponsors your tuition fee?

Parents/Others

[ ]

Self

[ ]

Employer

[ ]

4) Please tell me how many terms have you been studying? _________

Thank you! Have a nice day