A Performance Management System to Improve Student Success in Italian Public Universities: Conditions and Critical Factors of an IT System

Didactic performance plays a central role in the survival and success of
public universities especially because of the present and future effects on the public
financing system of Italian universities. It also contributes to the goal of quality
assurance in higher education, which is pursued by a new frame that is set by the
state. The aim of this paper is to design a performance management system to
improve student success. It also aims to highlight the conditions and features that an
IT system should have in order to effectively serve its purpose. The level of analysis
is the degree course of a department of an Italian public university, which is
responsible for the organization, planning and results of didactics. Three specific
moments during the student’s career are considered: precollege and entrance phase,
degree course duration and final phase and postcollege outcomes.