Examining the quality of online higher education in Chile from the perspective of equity.

Abstract

This article explores the perceptions of 3164 students and 727 teachers about the quality of online higher education in Chile. The aim is to analyse the results collected through two questionnaires on the perspectives of educational quality. A statistical analysis was conducted to compare groups, and significant differences were identified. The findings indicate that students and teachers agree on online higher education quality being defined more from a perspective of transformation and less from one of selectivity. The student body rejects value for money more than the teaching staff, while the latter rejects more the quality focused on the excellence of the academic programmes. The student-teacher profile explains more significant differences between the samples than other variables such as gender or type of institution. This study contributes new meanings to the quality of online higher education by incorporating nuances of equity based on the perceptions of two little-explored profiles.