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The Determinants of Web-based Instructional Systems’ Outcome and Satisfaction: A Causal Model
Abstract
The landscape of distance education is changing. This change is being driven by the growing acceptance and popularity of online course offerings at universities, and in some extreme cases, complete online programs are being offered. U.S. News and World Report recently reported that “70 percent of American universities have put at least one course online, and by 2005 that may grow to 90 percent” (Shea & Boser, 2001, p. 44). Further, the growth of ‘distance learning’ programs gives students a wider choice of schools without regard to location. The trend towards more online offerings may not, and will not, remain only unique to the United States, but is being exhibited internationally. The primary objective of this study will be to determine what are the primary factors (independent variables) that influence learning outcomes and user satisfaction of online courses (dependent variables). The study aims at determining the level of correlation of those relationships, thus allowing us to make recommendations to online instructors about which factors, if focused on, will yield the greatest results in terms of user satisfaction and perceived learning outcomes. Therefore, this research helps educators manage the critical factors, by maximizing factors with the greatest positive relationship to learning outcomes and user satisfaction. This will help to increase the learning outcome while simultaneously increasing user satisfaction. Ideally, this will allow online instructors, faculty members, department chairs, and computer service departments in learning and teaching institutions, to design, implement, and facilitate online courses in a style that enhances these positive factors. Furthermore, class surveys and instructor survey assessments could be created around the identified factors where applicable. Thus, creating an assessment tool more closely aligned with the factors that must be positively managed in order to most efficiently implement effective online classes that enhance user satisfaction while delivering quality learning outcomes. Such feedback would be most beneficial to instructors seeking to improve the overall satisfaction and learning outcomes for their online students’ semester over semester.
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