The Role of Students’ Assignment Perceptions in Overall Course Satisfaction
Abstract
A study was conducted to determine the association between (a) course satisfaction and (b) students’ perceptions of a course assignment. Instructors can facilitate learning when they create assignments that engage students in meaningful ways (Asay & Curry, 2003; Nilson, 2003). Instructors can make significant investments in finding/creating assignments (e.g., Greene, 2008; Hamon & Way, 2001), but students might not experience assignments/activities as instructors intended (Shdaimah, 2009). Thus, it can be helpful to assess students’ perceptions of the relevance/value of such assignments (Armstrong, 2003).
Assessment followed students’ completion of an assignment in an undergraduate social science course. The assignment required students to link course concepts about interpersonal dynamics to media displays of ongoing relationships. Students anonymously completed the Course Assignment Perception Scale (Fitzpatrick & Kostina-Ritchey, 2012). This scale measured perceptions of (a) course satisfaction and (b) the assignment’s positively (informative, helpful) and negatively-valenced (overwhelming, irrelevant) characteristics. A regression indicated these characteristics accounted for approximately 20% of satisfaction variance. Given the demands to address issues of educational relevance (e.g., Smith, 2008), such assessments might be a resource in meeting the demands. This type of assessment can be used in multiple disciplines. This poster could foster colleagues’ discussion and conceptualization of assessment options.
Location
Rooms 113 & 115
Recommended Citation
Fitzpatrick, Jacki, "The Role of Students’ Assignment Perceptions in Overall Course Satisfaction" (2015). SoTL Commons Conference. 12.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/sotlcommons/SoTL/2015/12
The Role of Students’ Assignment Perceptions in Overall Course Satisfaction
Rooms 113 & 115
A study was conducted to determine the association between (a) course satisfaction and (b) students’ perceptions of a course assignment. Instructors can facilitate learning when they create assignments that engage students in meaningful ways (Asay & Curry, 2003; Nilson, 2003). Instructors can make significant investments in finding/creating assignments (e.g., Greene, 2008; Hamon & Way, 2001), but students might not experience assignments/activities as instructors intended (Shdaimah, 2009). Thus, it can be helpful to assess students’ perceptions of the relevance/value of such assignments (Armstrong, 2003).
Assessment followed students’ completion of an assignment in an undergraduate social science course. The assignment required students to link course concepts about interpersonal dynamics to media displays of ongoing relationships. Students anonymously completed the Course Assignment Perception Scale (Fitzpatrick & Kostina-Ritchey, 2012). This scale measured perceptions of (a) course satisfaction and (b) the assignment’s positively (informative, helpful) and negatively-valenced (overwhelming, irrelevant) characteristics. A regression indicated these characteristics accounted for approximately 20% of satisfaction variance. Given the demands to address issues of educational relevance (e.g., Smith, 2008), such assessments might be a resource in meeting the demands. This type of assessment can be used in multiple disciplines. This poster could foster colleagues’ discussion and conceptualization of assessment options.
