ERIC Number: EJ1446211
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2769-4879
EISSN: EISSN-2769-4887
Available Date: N/A
The Effects of Course Modality on Student Satisfaction and Academic Outcomes at a Liberal Arts College during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Suhua Dong
Journal of Postsecondary Student Success, v3 n3 p110-134 2024
Using student self-reports on a survey and objective records of academic achievement, I examined the effects of course modality on student satisfaction and academic outcomes at a selective liberal arts college in spring 2021. I compared three groups of undergraduates (N = 729) based on their predominant course modality: Online-Class Group, Residential Blended Learning Group, and Residential In-Person-Class Group. After controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, class level, and socioeconomic status, course modality demonstrated significant main effects on all three satisfaction variables and sense of connection a student felt to the institution. The Online-Class Group reported the lowest satisfaction with level of academic challenge, quality of teaching, and overall quality of academic experiences; it also reported the weakest sense of connection. The Residential Blended Learning Group differed from the Residential In-Person-Class Group on one variable: satisfaction with quality of teaching, on which the former reported lower satisfaction. Course modality did not affect a student's grade point average; although it interacted with gender in its effect on the number of course units a student passed, no subgroup difference by course modality and gender was significant. This study indicates that online classes and blended learning, especially the latter, have potential at liberal arts colleges. [Note: Last page of the PDF is blank, as provided by the publisher.]
Descriptors: Online Courses, Blended Learning, In Person Learning, Student Satisfaction, Outcomes of Education, Academic Achievement, Liberal Arts, COVID-19, Pandemics, Undergraduate Students, Difficulty Level, Teacher Effectiveness, Educational Quality, Student College Relationship, Gender Differences, Student Experience, Racial Differences, Age Differences, First Generation College Students, Individual Differences, Socioeconomic Status
Center for Postsecondary Success at Florida State University. 1114 W Call Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306. Web site: https://journals.flvc.org/jpss/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A