The Determinants of Students' Perceived Learning Outcomes and Satisfaction in University Online Education: An Empirical Investigation

ABSTRACT In this study, structural equation modeling is applied to examine the determinants of students' satisfaction and their perceived learning outcomes in the context of university online courses. Independent variables included in the study are course structure, instructor feedback, self‐mo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Decision sciences journal of innovative education 2006-07, Vol.4 (2), p.215-235
Main Authors: Eom, Sean B., Wen, H. Joseph, Ashill, Nicholas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Asynchronous Learning
Cognitive Style
College Faculty
College Students
Correlation Analysis
Distance Education
Distance Education/Distance Learning
Distance learning
Education
Educational Technology
Electronic Learning
Feedback (Response)
Hypotheses
Hypothesis Testing
Interaction
Learning Effectiveness
Online Courses
Perceived Learning Outcomes
Perceptions
Performance evaluation
Predictor Variables
Satisfaction
Structural Equation Modeling
Structural Equation Models
Student Attitudes
Student Motivation
Student Satisfaction
Studies
Teacher Role
Teaching Methods
United States (Midwest)
User-Satisfaction
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Summary:ABSTRACT In this study, structural equation modeling is applied to examine the determinants of students' satisfaction and their perceived learning outcomes in the context of university online courses. Independent variables included in the study are course structure, instructor feedback, self‐motivation, learning style, interaction, and instructor facilitation as potential determinants of online learning. A total of 397 valid unduplicated responses from students who have completed at least one online course at a university in the Midwest were used to examine the structural model. The results indicated that all of the antecedent variables significantly affect students' satisfaction. Of the six antecedent variables hypothesized to affect the perceived learning outcomes, only instructor feedback and learning style are significant. The structural model results also reveal that user satisfaction is a significant predictor of learning outcomes. The findings suggest online education can be a superior mode of instruction if it is targeted to learners with specific learning styles (visual and read/write learning styles) and with timely, meaningful instructor feedback of various types.
ISSN:1540-4595
1540-4609
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-4609.2006.00114.x