EC Link: A Digital Platform for Enhancing Student Concern Management in Higher Education

Higher education institutions require efficient mechanisms for collecting and responding to stakeholder concerns to improve service quality and institutional accountability. However, many universities lack real-time and systematic feedback systems that enable timely reporting and resolution of service-related issues. This study aimed to develop and evaluate EC Link, a digital platform designed to enhance student concern management and improve the responsiveness of university support services through real-time feedback and monitoring. A Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach was employed following the Plan–Act–Observe–Reflect–Replan cycle. EC Link was developed using Google Forms, Google Sheets, and QR code technology to facilitate real-time reporting of concerns by students, teaching personnel, and non-teaching staff. A stratified random sample of 337 participants evaluated the system’s usability. Data were collected through a researcher-developed survey instrument with high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.905) and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, mean, and standard deviation. Findings indicated that EC Link was positively evaluated across all stakeholder groups. Participants rated the system as Fairly Satisfactory to Very Satisfactory in terms of accessibility, ease of navigation, interface clarity, and functionality. Teaching and non-teaching personnel reported particularly high satisfaction levels, while students demonstrated favorable but more varied responses. Areas requiring improvement included system responsiveness and acknowledgment of submitted concerns. User feedback informed several enhancements, including improved accessibility, system reliability, and automated confirmation notifications. EC Link demonstrates the potential of low-cost digital technologies to strengthen transparency, stakeholder engagement, and service responsiveness in higher education. The platform provides an effective mechanism for real-time concern management and supports continuous improvement initiatives. Future work should focus on scalability, advanced analytics, and integration with institutional information systems to further enhance service delivery.

Real-time feedback, University service delivery, Participatory Action Research (PAR), Digital reporting system, Stakeholder engagement

1. Al-Fraihat, D., Joy, M., & Sinclair, J. (2020). Evaluating E-learning systems success: An empirical study. Computers in Human Behavior, 102, 67–86. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Ali, S., Sharma, M., & Warraich, M. (2021). Real-time feedback systems and institutional accountability. Education and Information Technologies, 26(4), 4567–4583. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Bashir, H., Siddiqui, Z., & Farooq, M. (2021). A usability evaluation of mobile applications in academic settings. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 149, 102611. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Carvalho, L., & Brito, C. (2021). Participatory Action Research in Higher Education: Empowering stakeholders. Research in Education, 110(1), 24–39. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Fernández, J., & Torres, E. (2020). Action research as a strategy for institutional improvement. Journal of Educational Change, 21(3), 415–437. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Jiang, T., & Li, K. (2023). Mobile feedback apps and student engagement in campus service delivery. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 20(1), 55–72. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Nguyen, N., & Du, J. (2020). Improving online surveys using adaptive and responsive design techniques. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 2, 100024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Patel, M., & Bansal, A. (2021). Designing scalable web applications for institutional feedback systems. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 16(15), 25–33. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Pereira, R., Macedo, L., & Silva, R. (2021). The effectiveness of QR codes in engaging users: A usability study. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 37(18), 1704–1714. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Rao, D., Singh, R., & Banerjee, A. (2020). Digitally enabled service quality in higher education. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(6), 1149–1166. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Zhang, L., & Chen, Y. (2022). Investigating delays and follow-up inefficiencies in digital campus systems. Education and Information Technologies, 27(2), 2549–2565. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Zhou, F., Song, W., & Ren, J. (2022). Enhancing user feedback systems with automation: Implications for system improvement and user satisfaction. Journal of Usability Studies, 17(1), 15–28. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• LeafQuest: A Mobile-Based Augmented Reality for Plant Placement, Discovery, and Growth
• Participatory Ergonomic Intervention Approach on Musculoskeletal Disorder (MSD) in Construction Sectors: A Systematic Review
• Integrating GIS into Traffic Incident Management: A Web-Based System
• RideSmart: A Personalized Motorcycle Product Recommendation System Using TF-IDF and Descriptive Analytics for Javidson Motorshop
• Educational Technology Course Design in Pre-Service Teachers Education: A Bibliometric Review of the Research Landscape