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09-07-2024 | Original Paper

A Pilot Study Exploring Interaction and Student Satisfaction in Asynchronous Courses in Higher Education

Authors: Hongyan Yang, Enilda Romero-Hall

Published in: TechTrends | Issue 4/2024

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Abstract

Asynchronous online courses have become increasingly prevalent in higher education, offering numerous benefits, including flexibility and accessibility. However, these courses often face challenges related to the lack of direct interaction among students. This study is grounded in a Modified Theory of Interactions that seeks to comprehensively examine students’ perspectives and levels of satisfaction concerning interactions in asynchronous courses in the context of higher education. The participants in this pilot study (N = 27) comprised both undergraduate and graduate students. This investigation employs a modified cross-sectional electronic survey instrument to gather students’ a) demographics, b) satisfaction with learner-learner interaction, c) satisfaction with learner-content interaction, d) satisfaction with learner-instructor interaction, e) satisfaction with learner-technology interaction, and f) general satisfaction with this asynchronous course. The results underscore the pivotal role of learner-learner interaction and learner-content interaction in influencing general satisfaction in asynchronous courses. While also it also highlights a lack of significant correlation between learner-instructor interaction and general satisfaction as well as no significance between learner-technology interaction and general satisfaction, suggesting that while technology is a medium for facilitating learning, it is not the primary determinant of student satisfaction.

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Title: A Pilot Study Exploring Interaction and Student Satisfaction in Asynchronous Courses in Higher Education
Authors: Hongyan Yang
Enilda Romero-Hall
Publication date: 09-07-2024
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: TechTrends / Issue 4/2024
Print ISSN: 8756-3894
Electronic ISSN: 1559-7075
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-024-00986-7

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