Who or what contributes to student satisfaction in differentblended learning modalities?

Abstract

Different blended learning (BL) modalities and the interaction effect between human and technological factors on student satisfaction need adequately researched to shed more light on successful BL implementation. The objective of the present article is three-fold: (1) to present a model to predict student satisfaction with BL programs, (2) to examine the interaction effect between the instructor expertise and the learning management system (LMS) on student satisfaction in different BL modes, and (3) to investigate if different modes of BL will exert an influence on students’ perceived achievement goals and satisfaction, their evaluation of the instructors, and the LMS quality. Results show that the instructor expertise, students’ perceived task value and achievement goals are the most influential factors, followed by the LMS quality, instructor support, and students’ general self-efficacy. Contradictory to previous studies, the LMS quality only has an indirect effect on student satisfaction, via perceived achievement goals. In different BL conditions, the LMS quality has significantly different effect on student satisfaction, when interacting with the instructor expertise. The two modalities of BL programs also yield differences in students’ perceived achievement goals and their demand for the LMS's functionality and design, hence crucial implications for pedagogical practices and institutional policy addressed.