Use the link below to search and retrieve all open access dissertations: about proquest dissertations amp theses pqdt global combines content from a range of the world's premier universities from the ivy league to the russell group. Of the nearly 4 million graduate works included in the database, proquest offers more than 2.5 million in full text formats. Austin state university this survey research was completed at a regional university to determine students rsquo satisfaction of online courses in a principal and superintendent certification program in one educational leadership department.

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This study explored the students rsquo satisfaction of course components: instruction, communication, assessment, leadership, teamwork, professionalism, and respect/diversity. The findings on the first cohort survey with a hybrid format of course delivery, the 2005 baseline, showed a positive satisfaction with overall means between 3.79 and 4.48 on a five point likert scale with a 5 meaning strong agreement with satisfaction. The lowest area of satisfaction was the category of cohort teamwork m 3.79 and the highest area of satisfaction was the category of assessment m 4.48. The most recent group of students 2009 with a totally online delivery format completed the survey and showed an overall positive satisfaction with overall means between 3.77 and 4.30 on a five point likert scale with a 5 meaning strong agreement with satisfaction. The lowest area of satisfaction was the category of teamwork m 3.77 and the highest are of satisfaction was the category of instruction m 4.30.

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This paper explores student satisfaction of online courses for distance learning in educational leadership principal and superintendent certification programs at a regional university in east texas. Further, this paper compares the findings from an initial cohort of students 2005 who completed online courses in a hybrid format with a later cohort of students 2009 who completed online courses in a total online format. Researchers has examined several aspects of online courses such as benefits of online instruction berge, 1997 jiang, 1998 leonard amp guha, 2001 matthews, 19 richardson amp swan, 2003. However, there is a lack of research on students rsquo satisfaction with specific components of online courses in educational leadership courses. Because of this increase usage coupled with the academic emphasis in education leadership courses from completion to competency, there is a greater need for more evaluation of web based courses and programs. The preparation programs are competing in a new market with students who are very comfortable with technology and expect more from online courses fekula, 2010. benefits of online instruction several benefits for students of web based instruction have been confirmed in the literature such as: a accessible to students at locations often far from the source, b flexibility in program structure to accomplish students rsquo work schedule, and c cost effectiveness.

Other student benefits include a opportunities offered by the ldquo anytime, anywhere rdquo accessibility, b ability to work at one rsquo s own pace and c allows students to reflect on materials and their responses before responding berge, 1997 jiang, 1998 matthews, 19. However, the quality and substance of web based course content and delivery have come under attack. Some faculty members believe that building a relationship with their web based students is impossible, and that this delivery mode results in less student teacher interactions and student student interactions rovai amp barnum, 2003. Other researchers conclude that it is the course content and method of delivery that determine the quality of web based instruction clark, 1983, owston, 1997.

Much disagreement continues to exist with regards to the quality of content and delivery model used in web based instruction manocheheri amp young, 2006 picciano, 2002 rourke, anderson, garrison, amp archer, 2001 one of the major advantages of web based courses in the colleges and universities as a delivery method is the need to remain competitive. Clark and mayer 2003 state that almost 90% of all universities with more than 10,0 students offer some form of distance learning, nearly all of which use the internet. However, college and university web based professors continue to be concerned about the quality of this delivery method. best practices for online courses the research on best practices for web based courses is limited beaudoin, 2002 portugal, 2006. Research has established that there are several components that need to be considered for web based course design and delivery.

These components are course environment, learners rsquo outcomes, learners rsquo characteristics, and institutional and administrative factors tallent runnels, et. Other researchers have categorized competencies for web based instructors into different roles: administration and managerial, facilitation and pedagogy, and technical abdulla, 2004 berge, 1995 thach, amp murphy, 1995 williams, 20. Bailey 2008 studied the best practices for web based teaching and identified several components: timeliness, organization, relationships, technology, engagement, flexibility, high expectations, and communications. These best practices could also be matched to the categories identified by other researchers as technical roles, social roles, facilitative roles, and pedagogy berge, 1995. Additionally, other factors identified as indicators of quality online courses as 1 institutional context and commitment, 2 curriculum and instruction, 3 faculty support, 4 student support, and 5 evaluation and assessment western cooperative for educational telecommunications, 2005. Quality matters kane, 2004 identified the following indicators: 1 learning objectives, 2 assessment and measurement, 3 learning resources, 4 learner interaction, and 5 course technology.