Paul M. Biner

Factors underlying distance learner satisfaction with televised college‐level courses

Abstract Two investigations were conducted to identify the major dimensions of distance learner satisfaction with live‐broadcast, interactive (one‐way video, two‐way audio) televised college‐level courses. In the first study, factor analyses were used to explore the responses of 201 currently enrolled students to the Telecourse Evaluation Questionnaire. The analyses identified seven distinct dimensions of course satisfaction. A comparable study was conducted one year later using a different sample of 177 distance learners who were also enrolled in the televised courses. A factor analysis of these data validated the original results in that, as predicted, seven comparable dimensions were identified. Overall results are discussed in terms of the practical benefits the research offers to both program personnel and evaluation researchers.

The development of an instrument to measure student attitudes toward televised courses

Abstract This article describes a method for developing a customized, empirically‐based attitudinal assessment instrument. Issues relating to the effective administration of the instrument and to faculty resistance are discussed. The author suggests that the structured assessment of student attitudes toward distance delivery made possible by such an instrument is an important initial step in the overall evaluation process.

Personality characteristics differentiating and predicting the achievement of televised‐course students and traditional‐course students 1

Abstract A large‐scale field study was conducted to 1) determine if the personality traits of students enrolled in televised college‐level courses differ from the personality traits of students enrolled in traditional college‐level courses and 2) identify the specific personality traits predictive of successful performance in televised classes. Results showed that students enrolled in telecourses do have a unique personality profile and that certain traits predicted success for these students. Implications of these results are discussed.

Preferred Lighting Levels Variability among Settings, Behaviors, and Individuals

Typically, studies of illumination have emphasized its effects on performance of specific tasks. The present study instead examined preference for lighting levels. Among the reasons for investigating preferences is that preference measures theoretically include a variety of human reactions to lighting, including comfort, aesthetics, and performance. The purposes of Experiment 1 were to obtain preferences for lighting levels, judgments of the importance of lighting levels, and judgments about the desirability of controlling lighting level for 43 behavior settings of college students. The purposes of Experiment 2 were to replicate part of Experiment 1 and extend the research to other common behaviors occurring in the same settings studied in Experiment 1. Results indicated large differences in the variety of lighting preferred for various behaviors and settings. Judgments of importance of lighting level had a quadratic relationship to preferred illumination, that is, importance was greater for behavior settings preferred either dark or bright. Importance and control were strongly linearly related. Implications for I ES standards and future research are discussed.

Effects of Setting on Window Preferences and Factors Associated with Those Preferences

Window preference research on a few settings has found that windows are generally preferred and that larger windows are preferred over smaller ones. No theoretical model of window preferences, however, has been proposed. The present experiment was designed to investigate window preferences across a large variety of common spaces and to examine reasons orfactors that may underlie these preferences with the ultimate goal of predicting them. Window preferences, in terms of size, number, and degree of transparency were made for 14 common spaces. Subjects then indicated the factors underlying their specific preferences from a list of 18 potential factors. Results showed that both window preferences and factors vary more widely than previous research would indicate. More important, however, it was demonstrated that the amount of windows desired in a space can be reliably predicted by knowing how important specific factors (e.g., having a view or good ventilation) are to individuals in that space.

The Impact of Remote-Site Group Size on Student Satisfaction and Relative Performance in Interactive Telecourses

Abstract Undergraduate college students in seventeen live, interactive telecourses at sixty‐eight remote sites were asked to report their satisfaction with various facets of their telecourses, as well as their overall satisfaction with the courses. In addition, an index of relative performance was calculated for each student in which achievement in the current telecourse was compared to prior overall academic achievement. Results showed that remote‐site group size (i.e., the number of individuals taking a course at a given site) significantly predicted satisfaction with all facets of the courses, overall satisfaction with the courses, and relative performance. Students attending class sessions with fewer students reported being more satisfied with the courses and were more likely to perform at levels exceeding their previous academic performance than students attending the sessions with a greater number of students. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

An Arousal Optimization Model of Lighting Level Preferences An Interaction of Social Situation and Task Demands

Both the lighting level of a setting and the social situation can affect arousal. If individuals attempt to maintain an optimal arousal level, then preferred lighting levels for a particular setting should vary with social variables. The purpose of this study was to examine this hypothesis. Male and female subjects (N = 105) were presented with 48 hypothetical situations and were asked to indicate their lighting level preferences for each. Some of the situations involved activities requiring a high degree of visual attention, while the other situations involved activities of a nonvisual nature. Activities were crossed with a social variable: a platonic friend present, a romantic partner present, or a group of platonic friends present. Across all activities, brightness preferences for the romantic partner situations were significantly lower than preferences for either the platonic friend situations or the group of friends situations. The effect of the social situation was very strong for nonvisual activities, but it was considerably weakened for visual activities. Also, brightness preferences were lower for situations with a group of friends than with one friend, but only for complex tasks. The results are consistent with arousal optimization theory.

Relative academic performance and its relation to facet and overall satisfaction with interactive telecourses

An investigation was conducted in which 288 undergraduate college students taking 17 live, interactive telecourses at 68 remote sites were asked to report their satisfaction with various aspects of their telecourses as well as their overall satisfaction with those courses. In addition, a measure of relative academic performance was calculated for each student in which performance in the current telecourse was compared to prior academic performance. Results showed that high levels of relative performance were associated with (1) student satisfaction with the technological aspects of the courses, (2) student satisfaction with the promptness of material exchange with the instructor, and (3) overall student satisfaction. Practical implications of these results are discussed. 1. The research reported in this manuscript was funded by a grant to the fourth author from the Indianapolis‐based Lilly Endowment Incorporated. This study is part of a larger series of investigations currently being conducted by the firs...

Need State and the Illusion of Control

Two investigations tested the hypothesis that the need for a randomly determined outcome influences the degree of perceived skill involved in attaining the outcome, which, in turn, influences the confidence in attaining the outcome. In Study 1, food-deprived or food-satiated subjects expected to have a good or poor chance of winning a food incentive in a drawing. Compared to food-satiated subjects, food-deprived subjects thought the drawing involved more skill, and they were more confident about winning. In Study 2, state lottery players reported their incomes, how much skill they thought playing the lottery involved, and how confident they were about winning Path analyses showed that income negatively affected skill ratings, and skill ratings positively affected confidence-in-winning ratings. Results were replicated using comparable questions about a lottery-sponsored rub-off card game. Results are discussed in terms of Langers propositions regarding the illusion of control.

Effects of difficulty and goal value on goal valence

Abstract An experiment was conducted to demonstrate the interactive effect of task difficulty and goal value on motivational arousal as measured by perceived goal attractiveness. Subjects learned that they would have to successfully perform either an easy, difficult, or very difficult memory task in order to win a prize. Some subjects expected to win a