Are We Having Fun Yet?: Instructional Delivery Methods that Enhance Online Student Satisfaction

The study determined the relationship between six instructional delivery methods in the Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) and the satisfaction levels of registered nurses enrolled in online bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree completion programs.  The DELES was e-mailed to 6,733 RNs enrolled in an online RN-BSN program headquartered in the Midwest of the United States.  The sample size was n = 1,161.  The DELES instrument contained 5-point Likert scale questions consisting of seven scales.  Six of the scales represented the instructional delivery methods of instructor support, student interaction and collaboration, personal relevance, authentic learning, active learning, and student autonomy.  The seventh scale represented student satisfaction.  The research question was: Is there a significant relationship between the six Distance Education Learning Environments Survey (DELES) instructional delivery methods and online RN-BSN nursing students’ satisfaction?  A correlation analysis, using a Pearson coefficient, was conducted on the data to answer the research question.  The results revealed there was a significant relationship between the six instructional delivery methods defined in the DELES to online RN-BSN student satisfaction levels.  Results indicated that Student Satisfaction was significantly positively related to the six instructional delivery method scores at a significance level of p < 0.0001.  The results of this study may help provide guidelines for designing online courses within RN-BSN programs, which can affect student satisfaction levels with overall online experience.  The results of this study support the need for nursing educators to implement constructivist approaches using the six instructional delivery methods outlined in the DELES (Walker & Fraser, 2005) as a means to enhancing online RN-BSN nursing students’ satisfaction.  The results of this study offer guidelines to nurse educators on how to enhance online students’ enjoyment and value of learning, which could affect how nursing programs design online programs to improve student retention.