Student Perceptions & Satisfaction

Blount, J. F. (2002). Toward a student-constructed model of student services for electronic distance education. Dissertation Abstracts International, (UMI No. 3044318). Students participating in Electronically Delivered Education perceive a need for student services via distance.  Participants further suggest that services provided to distance students must be equal and of the same quality as those traditionally delivered services.

Brindley, J. E. (2000). The effects of a social support intervention on distance learner behavior. Dissertation Abstracts International.  (UMI No. NQ57024). In a perceived social support study found no difference on learner behavior or learner satisfaction between a group of randomly assigned online students who received social support interventions and printed materials and a group that received only print materials.  Future research that includes a control group that receives no interventions is recommend.

Choy, S., McNickle, C., & Clayton, B. (2001).  Online Support for VET Clients: Expectations and Experiences. Paper presented at the Australian Vocational Education and Training Research Association Conference, March 28-30, 2001, Adelaide, Australia. Found the top ten services that online students expect are: detailed information about what is required to complete the course, detailed information about the course, security of personal information, clear statements of what they are expected to learn, helpful feedback from teachers, requirements for assessment, communication with teachers using a variety of methods, timely feedback from teachers, instructions on whom to approach for help, information about how to enroll, and technical support.

Choy, S., McNickle, C., & Clayton, B. (2002). Learner expectations and experiences: an examination of student views of support in online learning. http://www.ncver.edu.au/research/proj/nr0F02.pdf

Hara, N. & Kling, R. (1999). ). Students’ frustration distress with a web-based distance education course. First Monday, 4 (12).  http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4_12/hara/index.html Calls for more student centered research.

May, M. A. (2002) A comparative study of student satisfaction with the provision of student services in traditional and Web-based environments. Dissertation Abstracts International, (UMI No. 3064351). Compared the importance of and satisfaction with student services of students in web-based courses to that of students in campus based courses using the Junior and Technical college version of the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory and found no significant difference on the interest subscales, but did find significant demographic differences between the control and experimental groups.

Paneitz, R. H. (1997). Community college students’ perceptions of student services provided when enrolled in telecourses (distance Education, counseling, library services). Dissertation Abstracts International, (UMI No. 9735008). Found academic advising was the most essential student service for distance students, access to library/media services was second and counseling was found to be the least essential service.  The type of delivery system used to provide those services did not significantly impact the utilization by students.

Wisan, G., Nazma, S, Pacherer, C. (2001). Comparing Online and face-to-face instruction at a large virtual university: Data and issues in the measurement of quality. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Institutional Research, Long Beach, CA, June 3-6, 2001. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 456790). Compared students who took one online course and students who took four or more online courses.  Those who took one rated face-to-face courses higher, but those who took four or more online courses rated their online courses higher.