A website evaluation tool: Case of The University of Eastern Africa, Baraton

Abstract

A website plays a pivotal role in diverse application domains and more especially in education. In this regard the degree of quality of service delivered and user satisfaction in the usage of such websites is of major concern for many institutions of higher learning in Kenya. This study therefore, focused on assessing the quality of service of the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton website application.The aim was to develop a software tool that would automatically solicit feedback from the website users on the quality of the website. A review of Literature shows that existing quality evaluation models are not largely used due to their poor structured characteristics and non domain specificity.The objectives of the study were: To determine the level of satisfaction of the users by the services offered by the UEAB website application based on the research parameters; To determine the users‟ assessment and opinions on the current website; To determine how the users‟ prioritize the attributes of a good website; To determine the limitations of the base model in assessment of institutional websites; To make recommendations for improving service delivery and user satisfaction of the UEAB website; To develop a software tool that can be used to evaluate the quality of the UEAB website application.The study adopted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTUAT) which was integrated with a web application model (WAM). The study adopted a quantitative case study research design where systematic and simple random sampling techniques were used to determine the study sample from a population of 2218 website users. In determining the sample size, the researcher adopted Slovin‟s formula. The sample size comprised of 401 participants of whom 240 were students, 80 faculty (teaching staff) and 80 staff (non teaching staff). Questionnaires were used as the data collection tools. Data was collected from the main users of the website who were expected to give sufficient and accurate information and these included the students, teaching staff and non teaching staff at the main campus. The data was then coded, classified and summarized with the use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results from the case study indicated that the base model used to assess the website was effective even though the comprehensive framework used to design the assessment tool would give broader results from users‟ perspectives. As a result of the findings, a Website Assessment Tool (WAT) was developed using the iterative design. The prototype developed was tested using actual data and the output matched the expected output even though improvements have to be done over time. The researcher recommends frequent assessment of the website since it is not a one time task; hence, using the automated tool presented in this study will make frequent assessments possible and easier. This will help web designers and webmasters create quality website with improved electronic services and improve the image of the organization on the internet. In conclusion, the assessment of the UEAB website showed that the website offers good quality services in terms of functionality, usability and content. Efficiency and security were of moderate quality while reliability and availability scored lowest.