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An investigation on students' perceptions of online course quality and contributing factors for those perceptions
DISSERTATION

, Mississippi State University, United States

Mississippi State University . Awarded

Abstract

As online education has become firmly embedded as a part of the higher education landscape, considerable concerns and problems arise, particularly as it relates to the quality of this mode of instruction. Although the literature regarding online education is expanding, a more indepth and broader review of the factors that may lead to quality online education is needed. Furthermore, in order to provide effective and quality online education, studies on student's perceptions on quality issues should be conducted. Therefore the primary objective of this study is to examine students' perceptions regarding the quality of online courses and to determine the factors that impacted students' perceptions. IHEP Quality benchmarks were employed in this study as the quality standards.

A web-based survey based on teaching/learning, course structure, and student support quality benchmarks was utilized in this study. Peer interactions, feedback from instructors, course structure, and student support were used as predictor variables. A total of 176 responses were received during 2005 summer semester from a southeastern university. By using factor analysis, reliability analysis, and hierarchical multiple regressions to analyze data, results of this study revealed that peer interactions, feedback from instructors, and online course structure were the main factors that impacted students' perceptions on online course quality. Those three factors combined together explained 58% of the variance in students' perceptions. Student support was an influencing but not a statistically significant factor on students' perceptions. Findings of this study will provide valuable information that can serve both online instructors and administrators in providing more effective online education. Recommendations for practice as well as for further research were provided.

Citation

Yang, Y. An investigation on students' perceptions of online course quality and contributing factors for those perceptions. Ph.D. thesis, Mississippi State University. Retrieved March 28, 2024 from .

This record was imported from ProQuest on October 23, 2013. [Original Record]

Citation reproduced with permission of ProQuest LLC.

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Keywords