Explaining Student Interaction and Satisfaction: An Empirical Investigation of Delivery Mode Influence

Abstract

How interpersonal interactions within a course affect student satisfaction differently between face-to-face and online modes is an important research question to answer with confidence. Using students from a marketing course delivered face-to-face and online concurrently, our first study demonstrates that student-to-professor and student-to-student interactions have different effects on course satisfaction based on delivery mode. The second study provides evidence for the cause of this effect, demonstrating that course delivery mode adjusts students' interpersonal evaluations of other students, but not of the professor. These findings have important implications for course instructors and administrators.