Factors Affecting Interactive Television Course Satisfaction

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to create a model of student satisfaction in interactive television (ITV) courses. To do so, we analyzed both in-the-moment student satisfaction ratings and end-of-course evaluation ratings in ITV and traditional face-to-face courses across multiple disciplines within the social sciences. The analyses were conducted in three parts. First, we established that end-of-course evaluation ratings were significantly lower in ITV courses. Second, we collected and classified in-the-moment student satisfaction ratings as well as open-ended data to determine what factors students see as affecting their satisfaction. Third, we used the factors from the second experiment with a new sample of students to create a predictive model of student satisfaction in ITV courses. Based on these three experiments, we conclude that students differentiate the technology, instructors, course material, and technology assistants when independently assessing their satisfaction of the course, but the technology and the instructor are the predictive factors in student satisfaction. Our findings suggest that institutions could improve their outreach through ITV courses by focusing on more than technological improvements. We also encourage institutions to take these results into consideration when assessing performance for ITV course instructors. These results have implications related to a range of topics including distance learning, assessment, outreach student and instructor retention, and course design.