Factors Influencing Student Satisfaction with Online Courses.Abstract Higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. institutions are turning in increasing numbers to online technology to deliver distance education courses. Because widespread use of online technology for course delivery is so new, research on its effectiveness is limited. The purpose of this study was to learn what personal characteristics or factors influence student satisfaction with online courses. The researchers found that expected grade and access were the factors that most strongly influenced student satisfaction with their online educational experience. Factors Influencing Student Satisfaction with Online Courses As a result of the rapid advances in computer technology, distance education has moved from a nontraditional Adj. 1. nontraditional - not conforming to or in accord with tradition; "nontraditional designs"; "nontraditional practices" untraditional traditional - consisting of or derived from tradition; "traditional history"; "traditional morality" , peripheral delivery system to the mainstream of higher education instructional delivery. Recent National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES NCES National Center for Education Statistics NCES Net-Centric Enterprise Services (US DoD) NCES Network Centric Enterprise Services NCES Net Condition Event Systems ) reports demonstrate the rapid growth in the use of distance education in higher education institutions. During the 1997-98 academic year about one-third of all U.S. two-year and four-year higher education institutions offered distance education courses, including 78 percent of public four-year institutions and 62 percent of public two-year institutions. Approximately ap·prox·i·mate adj. 1. Almost exact or correct: the approximate time of the accident. 2. 1,660,000 students enrolled in 54,470 different distance education courses in the 1997-98 academic year. Comparing these figures to the 1994-95 NCES survey indicates that the distance education enrollments and number of course offerings have approximately doubled since fall 1995 (Lewis, Snow, Farris For people named Farris, see . Farris is the name of a 20 km long fresh water moraine-dammed lake near the Norwegian coastal town Larvik. The lake would have been a salt water fjord had it not been dammed by an end moraine left by the latest ice age. , & Levin lev·in n. Archaic Lightning. [Middle English levene, levin; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.] , 1999). To deliver distance education courses, higher education institutions are turning in increasing numbers to online technology. While the 1994-95 NCES survey of distance education in higher education institutions indicated that 22 percent of the institutions surveyed were offering online or computer-based courses, the 1997-98 NCES survey showed that 58 percent of these institutions were engaged in online instruction (Lewis, Snow, Farris, & Levin, 1999). The comparison of 58 percent to the percentage of the two other most popular forms of distance education, two-way interactive teleclasses (54 percent) and pre-recorded telecourses (47 percent), indicates that not only is online education the most rapidly growing sector of distance education, it has also become the most prevalent prevalent widespread occurrence. (Institute for Higher Education Policy, 2000). Because widespread use of online technology for course delivery is so new, research on its effectiveness is limited. Despite this lack of empirical em·pir·i·cal adj. 1. Relying on or derived from observation or experiment. 2. Verifiable or provable by means of observation or experiment. 3. investigation, numerous authors have predicted that online instruction will eclipse traditional classroom education in the near future. Among those authors are Boettcher and Conrad (1999) who, noting the constraints CONSTRAINTS - A language for solving constraints using value inference. ["CONSTRAINTS: A Language for Expressing Almost-Hierarchical Descriptions", G.J. Sussman et al, Artif Intell 14(1):1-39 (Aug 1980)]. of the "current classroom paradigm Pronounced "pah-ruh-dime." A model, example or pattern. See paradigm shift. ," praise online instruction for providing "an entirely new context for teaching and learning" (pp. 15-16) and predict a future where face-to-face (jargon, chat) face-to-face - (F2F, IRL) Used to describe personal interaction in real life as opposed to via some digital or electronic communications medium. instruction is an anomaly Abnormality or deviation. Pronounced "uh-nom-uh-lee," it is a favorite word among computer people when complex systems produce output that is inexplicable. See software conflict and anomaly detection. . However, critical issues need to be explored, including the experience of the key players--students and faculty--before online instruction becomes the norm. The purpose of this study was to gain insights into the experience of students involved in online instruction. Student satisfaction and personal characteristics that might influence their satisfaction with online courses were the focus of this investigation. Other authors (Biner, Dean, & Mellinger, 1994) investigating distance education have noted that research has "neglected the study of distance learner satisfaction" (p.60). However, they state that distance learner satisfaction is an important aspect in evaluating the effectiveness of distance education courses in that satisfaction relates to student performance by affecting retention, motivation, commitment, and learning. Methodology of the Study Scope, Subjects, & Instrument This study took place during the spring semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s of 1999 as part of a statewide program review conducted by the Florida Florida, state, United States Florida (flôr`ĭdə, flŏr`–), state in the extreme SE United States. A long, low peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean (E) and the Gulf of Mexico (W), Florida is bordered by Georgia and State Board of Community Colleges. The goal of the program review was to provide a description of the educational experience of students and faculty enrolled in distance education courses in the Florida public community college system. As part of the study information was gathered about various dimensions of student satisfaction with the online learning experience. Part of the public community college philosophy is that community colleges should adapt to the needs of a changing society. In keeping with this mission, community colleges have employed distance education as an instructional method that merges Merges may refer to:
This page or section lists people with the surname Lemke. , 1996). Online courses allow community colleges to extend their reach to a wider service area and to provide programs that will reach students at remote sites. Florida's public community colleges have paralleled the national distance education trends. They have increasingly made use of technological advances to extend their course offerings to previously untapped populations. Eighteen Florida public community colleges participated in the study. Data for this part of the program review was collected via an online survey questionnaire questionnaire, n a series of questions used to gather information. questionnaire, n a form usually filled out by patients that provides data concerning their dental and general health. . Student responses were anonymous Nameless. See anonymous post and anonymous Web surfing. and available only to the researchers. Five hundred fifty-five students taking 113 different online courses responded to a thirty-four question survey designed for this project. The questionnaire included items regarding course administration, course instruction, access, delivery format, and participant demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. . Results Responses to demographic questions indicated that 67 percent of the students who responded to the survey were female, 33 percent were male. For the remaining statistics on Age and Ethnicity ethnicity Vox populi Racial status–ie, African American, Asian, Caucasian, Hispanic see Table 1.
ONLINE
(N = 555)
Gender
Female 67%
Male 33%
Age
20 yrs. or less 19%
21-29 yrs. 34%
30-39 yrs. 25%
40 or older 22%
Ethnicity
Native American 1%
Asian American 2%
African American 6%
Latino 5%
White 82%
Satisfaction w/Distance edu experience
Satisfied w/educational experience
Very Satisfied 57%
Satisfied 27%
Somewhat Satisfied 10%
Not Satisfied 6%
Compared to traditional class
Better 35%
Equivalent 50%
Worse 11%
Ineffective 4%
Recommend to others
Yes 86%
No 14%
Enroll in another course of this type 90%
Yes
No 10%
Students were asked about their reasons for enrolling in an online distance education course. Forty-seven percent of the respondents In the context of marketing research, a representative sample drawn from a larger population of people from whom information is collected and used to develop or confirm marketing strategy. stated that they would not have been able to take the course they were in if it had not been offered through distance technology and 87 percent of the students gave convenience in accommodating work, family, or other competing demands as a reason for taking the course online. Sixty-two percent were taking the online course to satisfy a degree or certificate requirement. In this survey students were also asked about a variety of aspects of the online course--course administration, course instruction, and delivery format. The large majority of students who responded to the survey were satisfied with all of these areas of the online learning experience, indicating high levels of satisfaction in all areas. Eighty-four percent indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the online course they were taking. Eighty-six percent of the students said that they would recommend this online course to other students and 90 percent stated that they would take another online course. Although 62 percent of the respondents answered that the workload The term workload can refer to a number of different yet related entities. An amount of labor While a precise definition of a workload is elusive, a commonly accepted definition is the hypothetical relationship between a group or individual human operator and task demands. in the online course had been demanding, half of the student respondents found the online course to be equivalent to the traditional classroom and 35 percent said it was better. Further analysis of the responses indicate that certain factors are significant in influencing these results. Correlation coefficients Correlation Coefficient A measure that determines the degree to which two variable's movements are associated. The correlation coefficient is calculated as: between course satisfaction and selected demographic variables are summarized in Table 2.
Access Gender Age Grade
(Q2) (Q30) (Q31) (Q32)
Overall Satisfaction -- .179(**) .472(**)
.192(**) .051
Satisfaction w/Course -- .266(**)
Administration .107(*) .056 .035
Satisfaction w/Course -- .094(*) .366(**)
Instruction .096(*) .042
Comparison to -- .385(**)
Traditional
Course .131(**) .077 .021
(*) p<.05 (**) p<.01 Three student characteristics were shown to influence student satisfaction with the online course experience. An unsurprising, but strong, positive correlation Noun 1. positive correlation - a correlation in which large values of one variable are associated with large values of the other and small with small; the correlation coefficient is between 0 and +1 direct correlation (r = .427) was found between expected grade and overall course satisfaction, i.e. students who expected a B or better for the class were more satisfied with the course than those who did not. In addition, access (r = -.192) and age (r = .179) both had significantly high correlation with overall course satisfaction. These results imply that students who could not have taken the class if it had not been offered online were more satisfied than the other students, and older students were more satisfied than younger students. Access (r = -.107) and expected grade (r = .266) were also significantly correlated cor·re·late v. cor·re·lat·ed, cor·re·lat·ing, cor·re·lates v.tr. 1. To put or bring into causal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relation. 2. with satisfaction with course administration. Access (r = -.096), gender (r = -.094), and expected grade (-.366) were statistically significant influences on student satisfaction with course instruction. The implication implication In logic, a relation that holds between two propositions when they are linked as antecedent and consequent of a true conditional proposition. Logicians distinguish two main types of implication, material and strict. is that female students were more likely to be satisfied with course instruction than were male students. Access (r = -.131) and expected grade (r = .385) were also statistically significant influences when students were asked to compare the online and traditional course experiences. Discussion Much discussion has been made about trying to determine which students will best be served by online courses and other educational technologies. Educators This is a list of educators. See also: Education, List of education topics.
General
It is clear that in this sample those students who expected good grades were more satisfied with the online course experience than those who did not perceive per·ceive v. 1. To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing. 2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend. themselves as performing well in the course. This study was a part of a program review in which students who were taking courses via several types of distance education delivery methods were asked similar questions regarding their course experiences. Data from other distance education courses (i.e. interactive teleclasses) also indicated that students who perceived per·ceive tr.v. per·ceived, per·ceiv·ing, per·ceives 1. To become aware of directly through any of the senses, especially sight or hearing. 2. To achieve understanding of; apprehend. themselves as performing better academically were more satisfied with the distance education environment. However tests indicated that online students were even more satisfied than interactive teleclass students (see Table 3). It is no surprise that students who perceived themselves to be doing well in a course would be more satisfied with that course than those who did not perceive that they were successful in the course.
t df p
Overall Satisfaction -8.238 1475 .000
Satisfaction w/Course Administration -7.663 1492 .000
Satisfaction w/Course Instruction -5.450 1455 .000
Comparison to Traditional Course -6.019 1497 .000
It is also no surprise that students who stated that they could not take the course if it had not been offered via distance education would be more satisfied with the course. For these students, access to courses otherwise unavailable was a strong positive influence on their satisfaction. The influence of both variables, access and expected grade, was evident not only in the student overall course evaluation A course evaluation is a paper or electronic questionnaire, which requires a written or selected response answer to a series of questions in order to evaluate the instruction of a given course. but also in their evaluation of course administration, course instruction, and comparison to the traditional classroom experience. Performing well in a course that would be unavailable if it were not online appeared to generate a great deal of satisfaction with all aspects of the course experience. Of more interest was the finding that gender and age can also influence student satisfaction with dimensions of an online course. The data from this study indicated that female students were more satisfied than male students with online course instruction and that older students enjoyed more overall satisfaction than younger students. Much of the discussion on the effectiveness and appropriateness of distance education, specifically online courses, has included a concern that older students accustomed to the rhythms and interactions in a traditional classroom would not find online courses a delivery method suitable to their needs. However, our findings bring that assumption into question. College administrators perceive online courses as an opportunity to provide access and service to an untapped, underserved student market. Given that 47 percent of the respondents to this survey indicated that they would not have been able to take the course if it had not been available via distance education, it appears that access to educational opportunities is being increased via online courses. The results also indicated that students appreciate the convenience of distance education courses and are satisfied with this type of learning experience. The emergence of online instruction is altering the teaching and learning contexts of higher education. As more and more higher education institutions increasingly employ online courses, it is important that they begin to understand the online student experience. Research such as this study can build toward that understanding. Factors that influence student satisfaction with online courses can help institutions design quality online experiences that will enhance the teaching/learning process. References Biner, P.M., Dean, R.S., & Mellinger, A.E. (1994). Factors underlying distance learner satisfaction with televised college-level courses. The American Journal of Distance Education American Journal of Distance Education (AJDE) is an academic journal of research and scholarship in the field of distance education in Americas, with particular emphasis on the uses of Internet (e-learning, distributed learning, asynchronous learning and blended learning). , 8(1), 60-71. Boettcher, J.V., & Conrad, R. (1999). Faculty guide for moving teaching and learning to the web. Mission Viejo Mission Vi·e·jo A community of southern California southeast of Irvine. It is mainly residential. Population: 96,300. , CA: League for Innovation in the Community College. Institute for Higher Education Policy. (2000) Quality on the line: Benchmarks for success in Internet-based distance education. Washington Washington, town, England Washington, town (1991 pop. 48,856), Sunderland metropolitan district, NE England. Washington was designated one of the new towns in 1964 to alleviate overpopulation in the Tyneside-Wearside area. , DC: Author. Lever-Duffy, J., & Lemke, R.A. (1996). Learning without limits: Model distance education programs in community colleges. Mission Viejo, CA: League for Innovation in the Community College. Lewis, L., Snow, K., Farris, E., & Levin, D. (1999). Distance education at postsecondary education institutions: 1997-98. (NCES Publication No. 2000-013). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as part of the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES), collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States; conducts studies . Beverly Beverly, city (1990 pop. 38,195), Essex co., NE Mass., on Massachusetts Bay; inc. as a city 1894. Its chief manufactures are electronic and scientific equipment, consumer goods, and chemicals. L. Bower is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education Administration. Her professional experiences and research interests include distance education, community college mission and philosophy, and student life. <bower@coe.fsu.edu> While the major research interests of Akihito Akihito (äkē`hētō), 1933–, emperor of Japan (1989–). As crown prince, he traveled widely, visiting Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and many countries of Asia and South America. Kamata, Assistant Professor of Educational Research, are psychometric psy·cho·met·rics n. (used with a sing. verb) The branch of psychology that deals with the design, administration, and interpretation of quantitative tests for the measurement of psychological variables such as intelligence, aptitude, and and statistical theories, he has applied his statistical skills in a variety of areas including studies on mental health problems and drug use among U.S. mothers and the relationship between school expenditures and student achievement. <kamata@coe.fsu.edu> |
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