International Survey Project on Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in Higher Education

Listening to Student Voices｜Enabling Cross-National Comparison｜Enhancing Higher Education Quality

 

The International Survey Project on Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in Higher Education (ISPLOS), initiated by the Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association (TWAEA), explores university students’ learning experiences, learning outcomes, and satisfaction with institutional services and support across different higher education systems.

Conducted continuously since its launch in 2018, the project was initially undertaken by TWAEA in collaboration with the Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) and Thailand’s Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA), covering Taiwan, Japan, and Thailand. As the international partnership expanded, the Center for Education Accreditation, Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (CEA VNU-HCM) and the Mongolian National Council for Education Accreditation (MNCEA) subsequently joined the project, extending the survey to Vietnam and Mongolia.

Through the joint participation of quality assurance agencies, higher education institutions, and students, the project continues to build cross-national and longitudinal evidence that supports a better understanding of student learning, comparative perspectives on higher education, and continuous quality enhancement.

About ISPLOS

The quality of higher education is reflected not only in institutional systems, resources, and teaching arrangements, but also in students’ actual learning experiences. Placing student perspectives at its center, ISPLOS gathers feedback on campus facilities, administrative services, curriculum and teaching, learning outcomes, student guidance and support, and the overall learning environment.

Unlike surveys limited to a single country or institution, ISPLOS uses a shared survey framework and an international collaboration mechanism to examine student experiences across different educational systems and sociocultural contexts. Its findings provide participating institutions with evidence for institutional research, the review of teaching and student support, and the development of quality enhancement strategies.

Project Objectives

The project aims to:

• Understand university students’ learning experiences, learning outcomes, and satisfaction across different countries and regions;
• Develop student learning data that support cross-national and longitudinal comparison;
• Advance institutional research and evidence-informed decision-making in higher education;
• Assist institutions in reviewing their curricula, teaching, learning resources, administrative services, and student support;
• Promote research cooperation, experience sharing, and professional dialogue among participating countries and quality assurance agencies;
• Use survey evidence to enhance student learning experiences and the quality of higher education.

Collaboration and Implementation

The project is jointly implemented by participating quality assurance agencies, which invite higher education institutions in their respective countries to take part in the survey in accordance with local education systems and academic calendars. The questionnaire is administered in multiple languages to facilitate student understanding while maintaining consistency for comparative analysis.

The partner agencies contribute to questionnaire review, contextual adaptation, and local implementation. Following data collection, the results are consolidated and analyzed to identify broad patterns and differences across countries, regions, and student groups.

Participating Countries and Partner Agencies

The survey currently encompasses Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Mongolia. Its partner agencies are:

• Taiwan Assessment and Evaluation Association (TWAEA)
• Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA)
• Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment (ONESQA), Thailand
• Center for Education Accreditation, Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City (CEA VNU-HCM)
• Mongolian National Council for Education Accreditation (MNCEA)

The project continues to engage with quality assurance agencies in other countries, progressively expanding its international survey and professional cooperation network.

Use of Survey Findings

Participating higher education institutions can use the survey findings to better understand student perspectives on curriculum and teaching, learning resources, the campus environment, and institutional support. The results can inform institutional research, internal quality assurance, and evidence-based improvement.

Continued participation also enables institutions to observe changes in student experiences over time and evaluate the effects of improvement initiatives. Cross-national analysis provides a broader comparative perspective through which higher education institutions and quality assurance agencies can learn from one another and jointly explore effective approaches to improving student learning and higher education quality.