Investigation of factors affecting students' satisfaction with online course components.

摘要

Technological advances in Internet delivery have allowed university course offerings to change from synchronous to asynchronous. These changes have occurred so rapidly that Web-based (WB) courses have proliferated without significant research as to their effectiveness from a student's perspective (Ewing-Taylor, 1999). Researchers are aware that it is not sufficient to measure the effectiveness of WB learning purely through testing and grades. Indeed, Marshall (1999) pointed out that it is necessary to look at and evaluate the process of delivery and attitudes toward various delivery methods as well as course components in order to design more effective courses for Web delivery and to explore their effectiveness. Five quasi-models of descriptive characteristics (Demographic, Experiential, Motivational, Learning Styles, Instructional Design) were singled out as potentially having an impact on students' satisfaction with the online course components (email, hypertext, online threaded discussions, web links, chat, video, audio, simulations, and graphics). The purpose of this study was to investigate various factors that might affect students' satisfaction with online course components. Data were collected from 240 online undergraduate students using an online questionnaire.; The findings of this study may lead educators to rethink the process of Instructional Design (ID). They may shift or adapt the traditional ID models and theories to accommodate the new features of online courses. At the very least, a deeper understanding about the Web as a mode of delivery in distance education and its effects on distance learning should emerge. Furthermore, the findings from this research study may strengthen our understanding of how students' internal characteristics affect learning outcomes in technology-mediated online environment.