Branch campuses of Western universities in the Gulf are not meeting students¡¯ expectations, according to a study that claims that the ¡°mere transplantation of Western models of education¡± in the region is not an effective strategy to create ¡°superior¡± value for students.

The paper, ¡°Sustainability of Western branch campuses in the Gulf region: students¡¯ perspectives of service quality¡±, published in the International Journal of Educational Development, surveyed more than 200 students at branch campuses in Qatar. It found that students were ¡°dissatisfied¡± with all major services at the institutions, including academic, administrative and facility services.

Shahid Nakib Bhuian, professor of marketing at Oman¡¯s Sultan Qaboos University and author of the paper, says that the importation of Western models of education at the branch campuses led to students forming a ¡°high expectation¡± about all aspects of service quality ¨C due to Western universities' reputation in providing up-to-date and effective training of students for employment ¨C but adds that this was not met.

The largest gap between students¡¯ expectations and perceptions was around reliability of service.

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This is ¡°indicative of a serious weakness of branch campuses¡¯ abilities to deliver dependable and accurate services to students¡±, Dr Bhuian?says.

The second biggest gap was related to responsiveness, with students claiming that they were disappointed with the attitudes and promptness of administrative staff at the campuses.

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A report published earlier this year found that Qatar spends more than $400 million (?304 million) annually on hosting the branch campuses of six leading US universities.

Dr Bhuian concludes that students¡¯ disappointment with these overseas outposts is ¡°problematic¡± because ¡°branch campuses cannot compete with universities abroad without creating and delivering a superior service quality¡±.

He advises that the campuses must listen to students¡¯ feedback and involve them in the development and delivery of all processes, while ¡°student-oriented¡± staff should be hired and trained to ¡°become culturally sensitive and aware about the importance of service quality¡±.

¡°The sustainability of Western branch campuses in the Gulf region is uncertain,¡± he adds.

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¡°Most branch campuses are operating at below capacity and far-off from reaching the break-even point. Already a number of campuses have shut down and a few others are reviewing for withdrawals.¡±

ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.com