Student satisfaction with the course was measured by an attitude questionnaire. This satisfaction instrument consisted of 19 items measuring students’ self-reported level of satisfaction with the online course. Specifically, the attitudes instrument measured students’ self-reported level of satisfaction with the course materials, instructor, and the online technologies. For each item, students were asked to indicate their attitude from “Strongly Disagree,” “Disagree,” “Neutral,” “Agree,” to “Strongly Agree.”

In the pilot study conducted with thirty-two students during Spring 2001, reliability analysis (Cronbach’s coefficient alpha) indicated that the reliability was .93 for these 19 items in this instrument. Sample items included statements such as “The support materials used in this course were helpful,” “My instructor is accessible,” “I enjoy learning from this online course,” and “I feel comfortable communicating with my instructor and classmates with email, discussion area, and chat room.”