Learner satisfaction, engagement and performances in an online module: Implications for institutional e-learning policy

Abstract

There has been much debate on the issue of whether online learning was better than traditional education and vice-versa over the past decade. Over time, the concept of blended learning became quite the norm, especially within traditional universities who could no longer turn a blind eye to the educational revolution brought about by information and communication technologies. While the pace of technology integration in universities generally varies in pace, the world has recently experienced a massive uptake, albeit in an unplanned and mostly disorganized manner, of e-learning technologies due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers have emphasized on the quality of online courses from a perspective of learner achievement in terms of student satisfaction, engagement and performances. In this paper, we analyze student feedback and report the findings of a study of the relationships between student satisfaction and their engagement in an online course with their overall performances. The module was offered online to 844 university students in the first year across different disciplines, namely Engineering, Science, Humanities, Management and Agriculture. It was assessed mainly through continuous assessments and was designed using a learning-by-doing pedagogical approach. The focus was on the acquisition of new skills and competencies, and their application in authentic mini-projects throughout the module. Student feedback was coded and analyzed both from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. The association between satisfaction and engagement was significant and positively correlated. On the other hand, there was a weak but positive and significant correlation between satisfaction or engagement with their overall performances. We further observed that students were generally very satisfied with the learning design philosophy, irrespective of their performance levels. Students, however, reported issues related to lack of tutor support and experiencing technical difficulties across groups. The findings raise important implications for institutional e-learning policy making. The factors that are important relate to the object of such policies, learning design models, personalized support, distributed virtual learning through synchronous interaction, and learning analytics.

Undergraduates’ experience and satisfaction of massive open online course in Malaysia

“…Therefore, it can be suggested that the students' experience in learning through MOOC OpenLearning can play a significant role in determining their learning satisfaction. These findings comply with studies that showed the influence of aspects related to students' user experience on their learning satisfaction through MOOC [10], [11], [41], [42]. For example, a study observed that students with a lot of experience in learning through MOOCs showed the highest positive perception scores [42].…”

“…Several aspects of perceived usability, i.e. easiness, attractiveness, and accessibility, were found to have a significant positive relationship on students' satisfaction in using MOOC [10]. Another related study also observed that students' higher level of engagement through online learning have resulted in their higher levels of satisfaction [41].…”

“…For example, many studies have reported the link between students' successful experience in learning through MOOCs and their better engagement in the learning tasks [6]- [9] Despite the great changes and focuses on MOOC development and implementation, the issue remain that students' online learning experiences and satisfaction are still critically important to be addressed, especially because they are key stakeholders in effective educational delivery. Reportedly, studies have shown that one of the challenges in using online technologies for learning is related to the students' learning experiences through such approach [10]. For MOOCs, studies have shown how students are challenged due to Internet connection issues, lack of interaction and learning feedback, as well as other technical constraints [11]- [14] User experience, or sometimes termed as UX, refers to an individuals' perceptions and responses resulting from their use or anticipated use of a particular product, system or service [15].…”

From Face-to-Face to Online: Assessing the Effectiveness of the Rapid Transition of Higher Education Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak – The Student Perspective

“…One of the various models to gauge learner engagement in learning contexts relates to the frequency, consistency and persistence of engagement with online learning activities. Research has demonstrated that instructional activities that promote online presence, discussion forums, blogs, collaborative assignments, online quizzes and, in general, those that entail a level of learner involvement can foster confidence and improve academic performance [14]. From a social cognitive perspective, knowledge is developed while learners are engaged in activities, receive feedback and interact in social contexts.…”

The Impact of Learning Mode on Student Satisfaction with Teaching Quality: Evaluation of Academic Staff Teaching before and during Covid-19

“…There is little research available that analyses the quality of teachers and online teaching in the context of higher education (Martin, 2020). Few studies also address the satisfaction of students who experienced online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic (Banoor and Issack, 2020).…”