Student feedback on online education has become of major importance for many higher education institutions. While researchers already identified students' success factors and analyzed student satisfaction in online study programs and courses, the role of expectations in students' online educational experience has been very often neglected in previous research. Our study adds here as it captures students' expectations at the beginning of an online study program, highlighting the differences to traditional oncampus students. Our results reveal that expectations of on-line students differ from the expectations of on-campus students and must therefore not be confused. Furthermore, the assessment of student expectations is not only a way to consider and satisfy student needs in order to improve online programs or courses, but also a means to track the institutions own performance.
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