| Educational institutions are increasingly offering Web-based distance learning program to its students. As a result, a great deal of effort in the area of Web-based learning environment has been devoted to program development. However, systematic examinations of factors enhancing student's learning and satisfaction have been anecdotal in nature. Several researchers have stressed the need for research to investigate the relationships of student learning to key elements that affect student learning and satisfaction in these programs.; This study shows the importance of interaction to student learning and satisfaction within Web-based distance learning programs. The population of this study was students enrolled in multiple academic disciplines at a private university in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area. This quantitative study investigated the impact of Internet-mediated interaction dynamics within these programs on student learning and satisfaction, where students and faculty were physically separated from each other in the academic program and Web communication tools were utilized to link them together.; A set of courses were selected from these programs that were offered during Spring semester, 2003. A Web-based password-protected research instrument was designed to assess students' characteristics, their perceptions of learning and satisfaction, student-to-student interactions and student-to-instructor interactions in Web-based courses. Most of the items on the survey were adapted from the established literature in the field of online learning. Demographic information such as age, gender, Internet experience, and prior online experience were also collected to identify the potential control variables that might affect research results.; Both correlation and regression analyses were employed to analyze the relationship between interaction variables and student learning and satisfaction. Student-instructor interaction and student-student interaction were found to be significant contributors of student learning and satisfaction. However, none of the control variables had any significant relationship with student learning and satisfaction. A one-way ANOVA was conducted to see whether student learning differed based on the discipline and technology within these programs. No statistically significant differences were found in student learning based on discipline and technology. Implications of research findings, limitations of research, and recommendations for future research are discussed. |
