International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications

ISSN: 2456-9992

Predictive Drivers Of Students‟ Satisfaction In Open

Distance Learning In Sri Lanka
MJR Perera, Nalin Abeysekera, S.R.S.N. Sudasinghe, Isuri Roche Dharmaratne
Management and Science University of Malaysia, Graduate School of Management (GSM), University Drive, Seksyen 13,40100, Shah
Alam Selangor, Malaysia, PH-00940718258172
renukapousl@gmail.com

Open University of Sri Lanka, Department of Management Studies, Nawala, Nugegoda,Sri Lanka,PH-0094773028690
nalinabeysekera@gmail.com

Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration, School of Postgraduate Studies, 28/10, MalalasekaraMawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
PH-0094712322314
sudasinghe@slida.lk

Management and Science University, Malaysia, Colombo Learning Centre, 300,Colombo 3, Sri Lanka , PH-0094773822946
donmarino@sltnet.lk

Abstract: The predictive drivers of students‟ satisfaction in Open Distance Learning (ODL) has become an important and competitive
criterion in service quality perspectives in higher education (HE). The customer service quality act as an antecedent of customer satisfaction,
and their relationship has beenempirically proved by many of the researchers following literature based onmarketing.Distance Education
(DE) is introduced as a supplementary method in the higher education system for the disadvantaged, and for those who have missed
entering the traditional university system of higher education due to restrictions on the number of students allowed for university admission.
The DE system removed the barriers of minimum qualifications for the courses giving moreopportunity to the public to obtain higher
educational qualifications from recognised universities operating under the Open Distance Learning (ODL) concept. The ODL system
developed rapidly with the increase in number of students, but does not reflect the number of students passing out as graduates. Just as in,
„consumer behavior‟ in marketing literature, most of the researchers have addressed the relationships between students‟ perceived service
quality, satisfaction, students‟ persistence and attrition. The development of information technology influences ODL in a positive way by
giving more interaction with web based on-line and e-learning systems. The problem of student dropouts or students‟ attrition encountered
not in the early DE environment days,even in the on-line courses have been observed as high. Many research studies have disclosed the
reasons for this situation and recommendations made to increase and assess the quality of the programmes. This studywill examine the
relationships between the independent variables of Reliability, Cost &Time and Website Content and dependent variable of Students‟
Satisfaction. This study was conducted in the six main regional centers of the OUSL spread across the island. The sample size used was 760
undergraduate students who have more than,or equaled at least one year‟s exposure with the ODL system. The statistical analysis revealed
all the independent variables were significantly related with the Students‟ Satisfaction.

Keywords: Distance Education, Open Distance Learning, Satisfaction, Service Quality

1. Introduction learning. When the studentsare converted from the

Education is a significant factor to enlighten the life of the
nation (Susanti, Sule, & Sutisna, 2015). Distance
Education (DE) has originated as an alternative to
traditional education (Kutluk & Gulmez, 2012 ).DE
isdefined as,“an educational process and system in
which all or a significant proportion of the teaching is
carried out by someone or something removed in space
and time from the learner. Distance education requires
structured planning, well-designed courses, special
instructional techniques and methods of
communication by electronic and other technology, as
well as specific organizational and administrative
arrangements” (Higher Education for the Twenty First
Century (HETC) Project Ministry of Higher Education
and Research Sri Lanka & University Grants Commission,
April 2015). In recent times, a growth of distance
education could bea more flexible way (Butcher & Rose-
Adams, 2015) to acquire the higher education deprived of
time and space constraintswhich is restricted with a face to
face learning system.The DE is more economically
beneficial and desirable especially with the employed
students (Kutluk & Gulmez, 2012 ).DE is expanding and
(Khan & Iqbal, 2016) the rapid growth of distance
learning hasresulted in web based e-learning or on-line
traditional face-to-face to DE programs, changes should
be made to engage the learners proficiently (Khan &
Iqbal, 2016). To study the performanceof the students
with the unfamiliar new environment it is important to
study student satisfaction with distance learning programs
and how these relate to their academic achievement.
(Khan & Iqbal, 2016). The student persistence and
completion rates have faced problems with student
attrition or dropouts in DE (Simpson, Does distance
education do more harm than good?, 2010; Simpson, E-
Learning and the Future of Distance Education, 2013;
Simpson, Student Support Service for Success in Open
and Distance Learning, Feb 17, 2016; Tinto, 1975).The
enrollment in online courses is rapidly increasing due to
its flexibility, convenience and easy access but the
attrition rates remain high (Croxton, 2014).Internal,
External, and contextual factors could be influenced
dropout decisions (Croxton, 2014; Lee & Choi, 2011;
Parker, 1999; Park & Choi, 2009). Quality is important in
the input and output of higher education especially in open
and distance learning (Inegbedion & Adeyemi, Cost
indices in open and distance education in Nigerian
universities, 2013).The improvement of the quality of the
output of the educational process and the quality

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 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992
indicators must be managed in a systematic way,
(Peterson, Kovel‐Jarboe, & Schwartz, 1997). “The quality
of teaching depends on the quality of teachers in the
system” (Lekamge, 2010, p. 1). The prominent
SERVQUAL instrument with the dimensions of
Assurance, Empathy, Responsiveness, Reliability, and
Tangibilityhas been used in many educational
backgrounds to assess the service quality (SQ) and to find
the significant SQ dimensions and significant
relationships with students„satisfaction which leads to
behavioral intention (Malik, Danish, & Usman, 2010;
Mansori, Vaz, & Ismail, 2014; Pohyae, Romle, Darus,
Saleh, Saleh, & Mohamood, 2016; Stodnick & Rogers,
2008; Sembiring, 2015; Wei & Ramalu, 2011). The
student satisfaction is a multidimensional construct
(Montinaro & Chirico, 2006 ; Parasuraman, Zeithaml, &
Berry, A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its
Implications for Future Research, 1985), and four out of
the five constructs of SERVPERF (Cronin & Taylor,
1992), which include: responsiveness, reliability,
assurance and empathy were found to have significant
influence on satisfaction (Noor, Masuod, Said,
Kamaruzaman, & Mustafa, 2016 ). “Customer satisfaction
is a goal and an essential factor in an organization
success” (Khattab & Fraij, 2011). “Importance to conduct
research on students‟ satisfaction with distance learning
because differences in students‟ satisfaction might
influence educational opportunities for learning in a
relevant Web-based environment” (Horvat, Krsmanovic,
& Djuric, 2012, p. 1).Consequently the blended learning
courses which is a mix of face to face and online sessions
introduced as an online learning method would reduce the
cost to the students (Liyanagunawardena, Adams,
Rassool, & Williams, 2014). Universities can attract more
students to apply, if the higher education institutionsfocus
on reducing the cost of fees charged (Yusuf, Ghazali, &
Abdullah, 2017). The importance of the service
provided for students will influence the outcome of the
graduates and “ the output can be generated from the
quality of the lecturers who provide good teaching when
universities provide facilities and services to support the
advancement of knowledge and expertise” (Susanti, Sule,
& Sutisna, 2015, p. 1). Quality is very important as input
and output of higher education especially in an ODL
environment (Inegbedion & Adeyemi, Cost indices in
open and distance education in Nigerian universities,
2013)
1.1 Problem Statement
The OUSL has faced the problem of high attrition or
dropouts in the student population which has resulted in a
low graduation rate (The Open Unviersity of Sri Lanka
Corporate Plan 2011-2016 for Achieving Excellence,
Efficiency and Equity in Open Distance Learning, 2011).
Studies of the OUSL have revealed this situation
(Ariyaratne, Munasinghe, Seneviratne, Rajapaksha, &
Dediwala, 2014; Liyanagama, 2014)and recommended to
implement quality enhanced programmes to recoverfrom
this type of situation. The reliability of the service as a
promised service, the fees or cost structure of the
programmes, the content in the educational websites are
very important as service quality dimensions when
considering the student satisfaction based on the
literature (Ana Horvat, 2012; Hasan, Ilias, Rahman, &
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Razak, 2008; Kutluk & Gulmez, 2012 ; Gruber, Fuß,
Voss, & Glaeser-Zikuda, 2010; Inegbedion & Adeyemi,
Cost indices in open and distance education in Nigerian
universities, 2013; Simpson, Student Support Service for
Success in Open and Distance Learning, Feb 17,
2016).This study will be used to analyse the significant
factors which affect students‟ satisfaction to complete the
courses through persistence in ODL in the OUSL.
1.2 The Significance of the study
This study is designed based on the threevariables of,
Reliability, Cost, Time and Website Content, and the
independent variable of Student Satisfaction in ODL in
the OUSL. The results of the analysis given are the
predictable variables and their related significant items.
The University‟s Academic staff, higher management and
policy makers can understand the importance of these
service quality dimensions and how they impact on
student satisfaction. Strategic decisions could be
implemented to fulfill the desired service levels of the
students
2. Literature Review
The SERVQUAL, the prominent service quality
instrument was developed by Parasuraman et al (1988)
(Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry., SERVQUAL: A
Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring Consumer Perceptions
of Service Quality, 1988), which consist of five
dimensions namely tangibles, reliability, responsiveness,
assurance and empathy.Reliability defined as,“the ability
to perform the promised service dependably and
accurately” (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry.,
SERVQUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring
Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality, 1988), means
that “the organization delivers on its promises regarding
delivery, service provision, and problem resolution”
(Khattab & Fraij, 2011). In 2012,Mantovani (Mantovani,
2012) has found the significant relationship between
Reliability and Service Qualityin e-learning inODL. In
2013 Shah (Shah, 2013) has studied customer service
quality dimensions which lead to customer satisfaction in
the higher education sector in Pakistan by using
SERVQUAL instrument andshowed that the customer
satisfaction is significantly related to reliability (Shah,
2013).In 2015 Sembiring has examined the students‟
persistence with the Students‟ satisfaction with
SERVQUAL dimensions and found the dimension of
Reliability is siginificant with the students‟ satisfaction
(Sembiring, 2015). Cost can be defined as “an amount that
has to be paid or given up by a person in order to get
something that he/she desired” (Yusuf, Ghazali, &
Abdullah, 2017).In 1997 Joseph and Joseph has examined
students‟ perceptions of service quality in education and
identified seven determinants of service quality including
Cost/Time in New Zealand. He has used an
importance/performance-based approach to evaluate
service quality dimensions in education and Cost/Time
was ranked as the fourth place of the list of factors (Joseph
& Joseph, 1997). In 2004 Rashid & Harun (Rashid &
Harun, 2004) has catagorised 8 key characteristics of
service quality in the ODL in Learners‟ Perspective in
Malaysia including cost/ fees of the courses. The
cost/fees were significant with Ethnic Groups, type of
academic programs and distance between learning centres
201
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ISSN: 2456-9992

and home.In 2013, Sia (Sia, 2013) and in 2017 Yusuf, What significant factors do Students Satisfaction influence
Ghazali, & Abdullah (Yusuf, Ghazali, & Abdullah, 2017) ODL in the OUSL?
showed that the cost is very important when “college
choice” decision process.The study was conducted under 3.1 Conceptual Frame work and the Hypotheses
the statements of financial aids, available university The conceptual frame work for this study is mainly based
scholarships or loans, reasonable charges for the education on literature review. It consists of three (3) independent
and accommodation, and flexible payment schemes. The variables of, service quality dimensions of Reliability,
students were very much concernedabout full or partial Website Content and Cost& Time. The independent
scholarships which depend on a student‟s results as entry variable is Student Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL. The
requirements,and othersnot getting the scholarships research hypotheses: -
whohave to apply for a bank loan or other bank facilites
(Sia, 2013). In 2017 Yusuf, Ghazali, & Abdullah (Yusuf, There are three research hypotheses built into this study;
Ghazali, & Abdullah, 2017) had found that there is a 1. H1: There is an association between Reliability and
significant relationship between cost and a student‟s Student Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL.
decision in selectingHE institutions in Malaysia.“If the 2. H2: There is an association between Website Content
institution of higher education focuses on reducing the and Student Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL.
cost of fee in the university, then it can attract more 3. H3: There is an association between Cost &Time and
students to apply” (Yusuf, Ghazali, & Abdullah, 2017, p. Student Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL.
33). The location of the institute is also considered as a
time factor. This factor was studied as the ideal location of
the university; convenience, accessibility, campus layout
and the attractiveness of the university itself. In 2008
Hasan, Ilias, Rahman, & Razak (Hasan, Ilias, Rahman, &
Razak, 2008) did not find a significant relationship
between Reliability and the student satisfaction in private
higher education institutions in Malaysia.Consequently in
2011 Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs (Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using
SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning
experience, 2011) also used the SERVQUAL intrument to
investigate service quality dimensions in e-learning in
ODL in the USA but did not find it significant with the
dimension of Reliability. The significant relationship
between students‟ satisfaction and Reliablility was
examined and concluded that enhancing the trust in the
students that their institution is very much active in
providing the quality education and learning environment
for their academic development (Malik, Danish, &
Usman, 2010).In 2008 Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs (Udo, Bagchi,
& Kirs, Assessing Web Service Quality Dimensions: The
E- Servperf Approach, 2008) assessed web service Figure 1: Conceptual Frame work
quality dimensions by using E- SERVPERF approach and
Website Content was one of the significant 3.2 Research Instrument
dimension.Consequently, the findings indicated that web
service quality is asignificant driver of behavioral 3.2.1Data Collection
intentions, its indirect effect through customer satisfaction The validated questionnaire through a pilot test was
is also equally important. In 2011Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs administered to collect the data. The sample of 760
(Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using SERVQUAL to assess the undergraduate students followed a stratified sampling
quality of e-learning experience, 2011), have used procedure covering the central university and 5 of their
SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning main regional centersisland wide which has a population
experience, in ODL and found Website Content is a of 38,000 students.The respondents were selected from the
significant dimension with the student‟s perceived Regional Centers randomly as those who were willing to
service quality. participate in this survey provided they had a learning
experience with the university of more than, or equal
3. Research Methodology toone year at least.The 744 valid responses were used for
The research Methodology is mainly dependent on the the analysis which covered 98% of the original size of the
conceptual frame work, Research instrument, Sample sample.
frame work, Data collection and it‟s methods. It consists
of three (3) independent variables of service quality
dimensions of, Reliability, Website Content andCost&
Time. The independent variable is the Students‟
Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL. The objectives of the 3.2.2 Procedure
study; To examine the significant factors of Student The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis was
Satisfaction in ODL in the OUSL and confirm the adopted for this study which is considered as the second-
conceptual model. The research question for the study; generation multivariate data analysis method (Gye-Soo,

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 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992

2016; Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017). The main two
methods of SEM, covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and
variance based approach of Partial Least Squares (PLS)
can be carried out using the PLS-Graph, VisualPLS,
SmartPLS, and WarpPLS (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt,
2017; Wong, 2013). SEM is used to solve the complex
research problem situations with multiple dependent and
independent variables (Akter, D'Ambra, & Ray, 2011).
PLS is a soft modeling approach to SEM with no
assumptions about data distribution (Akter, D'Ambra, &
Ray, 2011; Vinzi, Chin, Henseler, & Wang, 2010). The
advantages of SEM is when handling a small sample
size in the non-availability of sufficient theory, the
accuracy of the predictive power and confirming the
correct model specification (Wong, 2013). The software
package of SmartPLS3.2.6 was used in this current study
(Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017). This SEM based
package used different types of fields. In the field of ODL,
service quality and student satisfaction (Mantovani, 2012;
Ribeiro & Gouvêa, 2013; Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using 3.3.2 Website Content
SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning The eight (8) items (Table 2) were constituted for this
experience, 2011), Students‟ Satisfaction and continuance item based on the study of (Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using
intention in HE institutes (Al-Rahmi, Othman, & Yusuf, SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning
2015; Chow & Shi, 2014 ; Ibrahim, Rahman, & Yasin, experience, 2011) rated on the 1-5 Likert scale. These
2014; Shahijan, Rezaei, & Amin, 2015), Repurchase items were mainly based on (Cao, Zhang, & Seydel, 2005;
Intention in Banking (Ibrahim, Rahman, & Yasin, 2014), Wang, Wang, & Shee, 2007; Zhang, Prybutok, & Huang,
Satisfaction Industry in hospitality industry (Ali, Amin, & 2006). These items are set to measure the usefulness of the
Cobanoglu, 2015; Izogo, 2016), customer satisfaction information with relation to the lessons, accuracy, quality
(Gye-Soo, 2016; Ringle, Sarstedt, & Zimmermann, 2011). of information, and the applications of audio-video,
multimedia and graphics. The Table 2 has tabulated the
3.3 Survey material Questions for the construct of Website Quality.
Based on the conceptual model the questionnaire was
developed to collect data to test the research hypotheses. Item Question Source
The research instrument was based on literature and most WSC1. The web site provides (Udo,
of the time the validated questions were used as the survey useful information. Bagchi, &
items by modifying it more to reflect the HE and ODL Kirs, Using
WSC2. The web site provides SERVQUAL
system. The questionnaire consisted of two (2) sections. accurate information. to assess the
The first section was the demographic data and the second quality of e-
section consistedof 27questions which have been rated on WSC3. The website provides learning
a5- point Likert scale. high quality experience,
information. 2011)

3.3.1 Reliability WSC4. The information on the

The questions for this variable ismainly based on web site is relevant to (Udo,
SERVQUAL (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry., my lessons. Bagchi, &
Kirs, Using
SERVQUAL: A Multiple-Item Scale for Measuring The web site uses SERVQUAL
Consumer Perceptions of Service Quality, 1988), WSC5. multimedia features to assess the
modified SERVQUAL (Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using properly. quality of e-
SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning learning
The web site uses experience,
experience, 2011) and other literature based HE studies of WSC6. animations/graphics 2011)
(Aghamolaei & Zare, 2008; Al-Rahmi, Othman, & Yusuf, properly.
2015; Mantovani, 2012) .There were six(7) questions to
evaluate the service quality dimension of Reliability under The web site uses audio (Udo,
WSC7. elements properly. Bagchi, &
the Likert scale 1-5. The Table 1 has tabulated the Kirs, Using
Questions for the construct of Reliability. The web site uses video SERVQUAL
elements properly. to assess the
WSC8. quality of e-
learning
experience,
2011)
3.3.3 Cost & Time
Table 1 Questions for the construct of Reliability There were only 3 items (Table 2) for this construct and
use Likert scale (1.5) for the rating of the responses.
(Udo, This
Item Question Source construct measures the allocated of the time Bagchi,
periods& for
REL1 The instructor consistently (Mantovani, 2012; the courses, the payments and the available Kirs,payment
Using
provides good lectures. Udo, Bagchi, & SERVQUAL
Kirs, Using schemes for the programmes. Questions were mainly
to assess the
REL2 The instructor is dependable. SERVQUAL to quality of e-
assess the quality of
Volume 1 Issue 4, Oct 2017 203
learning
e-learning www.ijarp.org experience,
The instructor reliably experience, 2011) 2011)
REL3 corrects information when
 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992

based on (Joseph & Joseph, 1997). The Table 3 has except the dimension of Cost &Time (KMO= 0.584)
tabulated the Questions for the construct of Cost & Time. (Field, 2011, p. 647; Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson, &
Tatham, 2011, p. 139) . The Cost & Time dimension has
Table 3: Questions for the construct of Cost & Time shown the law value of Cronbach‟s alpha and KMO since
it depends on the number of items and has only 3 items
Item Question Source (Devi, 2015). In PLS-SEM data analysis mainly in two
Parts; Measurement Model analysis and Structural Model
CT 1 Satisfied with the allocated time (Joseph &
period for the degree programme. Joseph,
analysis. Measurement Model represents the relationships
1997) between constructs and their corresponding indicators and
CT 2 Satisfied with the Cost of modified is generally referred to as an outer model. The Structural
accommodation. Model describes the relationships between latent variables
(Joseph &
CT 3 Satisfied with the Cost structure Joseph,
or constructs and referred to as the inner model (Hair,
allocated for my program. ( part time 1997) Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017).
payments) modified
Table 5: Pilot Test Results
(Joseph &
Joseph,
1997) Variables Cronbach's KMO No. of
Alpha value Items
3.3.4 Satisfaction modified
There were nine (9) (Table 4) questions that were set out Reliability. 0.732 0.630 7
for this construct to measure the overall satisfaction of
Website Content 0.807 0.786 8
their perceived service experience. The items were
adopted from the (Gruber, Fuß, Voss, & Glaeser-Zikuda, Satisfaction 0.899 0.828 8
2010; Mantovani, 2012; Udo, Bagchi, & Kirs, Using
SERVQUAL to assess the quality of e-learning Cost and Time 0.673 0.584 3
experience, 2011; Zhang, Prybutok, & Huang, 2006) using
the 5-point Likert scale for the response rating. 4.1 Measurement Model Analysis
There are two measurement model specifications based on
Table 4: Questions for the construct of Satisfaction the development of the constructs; Reflective and
Formative. The Reflective Model representingthe
Item Question Source causality is from the constructs to its measures. The
Formative Model which is based on the causal indicators
SAT1 Would you agree to say that „„I am (Udo,
satisfied with my decision to enroll Bagchi, &
form the construct (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017).
with this distance program‟‟? Kirs, Using As the first step for the reflective Measurement Model the
SERVQUA outer loadings (Appendix A) of the indicators were
SAT2 Would you agree to say that „„My L to assess estimated. The threshold value of 0.7 was not to be found
choice to enroll in this program was a the quality
wise one?‟‟ of e-learning
in the items of REL5P REL6P, REL7P, SAF8P and
experience, SAF9P and they were removed from the constructs. An
SAT3 Would you agree to say that „„I think I 2011) increase in the value of Average Variance Extracted
did the right thing when I paid for this (AVE) and R2were observed. The Indicator Reliability
learning service?‟‟
(square value of outer loadings) is also another indicator
SAT4 Would you agree to say that „„I feel (Udo, of the Measurement Model and the highest (0.812) is
that my experience with distance Bagchi, & given by the largest value (CT1P = 0.901) of the outer
learning has been enjoyable?‟‟ Kirs, Using loading. The threshold value for the indicator reliability
SERVQUA
SAT5 This distance learning course meets L to assess
must be greater than 0.700 (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt,
my expectations. the quality 2017). The quality criteria values of construct reliability
of e-learning and validity were given the composite reliability and
SAT6 My Overall experience is better than I experience, Cronbach's Alpha. The threshold value for these values
originally anticipated. 2011)
must be greater than 0.700. The convergent validity
SAT7 I am satisfied overall with the indicator of AVE must be greater than 0.500. The results
programs and services offered by the of Cronbach's Alpha, Composite Reliability and AVE for
Institute. (Udo, this study have reached the required standard (Appendix
SAT8 Bagchi, &
I am satisfied with the distance course Kirs, Using
B). The discriminant validity indicators of theFornell-
since it will give me a better chance to SERVQUA Larcker Criterion, cross loadings and Heterotrait-
further my career development. L to assess Monotrait (HTMT) Ratio Confidence Intervals (CI) in
SAT9 the quality Appendix C, Appendix D and Appendix E respectively.
I am delighted with the distance of e-learning
course and its contents. experience,
The results of the Fornell-Larcker Criterion (Appendix D)
2011) showed all the diagonal values which is equal to the
4 Data Analysis and Results square root of the AVE and is higher than the values in the
The instrument used for this study has been validated off diagonal positions; row andcolumn. This confirms that
through a pilot test (Table 5). The pilot test (Udo,
was verified all these constructs are valid measures of unique concepts.
with 50 undergraduate students selected randomly
Bagchi, & from The second discriminant validity indicator of Cross
the central university premises. The Cronbach‟sKirs,alpha
Using and Loadings (Appendix E) showed that the indicators‟
SERVQUA loading on its assigned construct is higher than all its
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) values revealed that the
L to assess
required standard of the values is greater the than 0.7000
quality
cross-loadings with other constructs. The third indicator of
of e-learning
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 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992

HTMT ratios and the confidence intervals must be

examined and the ratios must be lower than the threshold
value of 0.85, and in the bootstrap results of HTMT, The Structural Model relationships represent the
confidence intervals must significantly be different from hypothesised relationships among the constructs. The path
1. In the (Appendix F) all the HTMT ratios have reached coefficients (p values) can be obtained from the
the standard of less than 0.85. In (Appendix F: HTMT bootstrapping test which are inbetween -1 and +1. The
Confidence Intervals Bias Corrected) the columns labelled bootstrap standard error enables computing the empirical t
2.5% and 97.5% showed the lower and upper boundaries. values and p values for all path coefficients (Hair, Hult,
The value of 1 must not be included in these intervals Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017). The critical t value is 1.96 if the
(Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017). The summary of significance level is 5% for the two-tailed test and the p
the results of the Reflective Measurement Model is values are less than the 0.05 then the relationship can be
shownin(Table 6). concluded as the significant under the considerationof 5%
confidence level (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017).
Table 6: The summary of the results of the Reflective
Measurement Model Table 8: The Bootstrapping results of path coefficients
Convergent Validity Internal Consistency DV
Reliability Construct Satisfaction
Indicat L IR AVE CR CA HT
LV
ors MT Cost & Time 1.129
>0.5
>0.7 >0.5 0.6-0.9 0.6-0.9 CI
Reliability 1.239
Cost CT1P 0.904 0.817
& CT2P 0.796 0.634 0.681 0.864 0.801 Yes
Time CT3P 0.769 0.591
Satisfaction
REL1P 0.848 0.720
Relia REL2P 0.758 0.575 Website Content 1.280
0.636 0.874 0.809 Yes
bility REL3P 0.830 0.689
REL4P 0.748 0.559
SAF1P 0.793 0.628
Note: Original Sample (OS), Standard Deviation
SAF2P 0.743 0.552 (STDEV), Sample Mean (SM),
Satisf SAF3P 0.758 0.575
actio SAF4P 0.733 0.538 0.568 0.902 0.873 Yes The output results (Table 8) confirmed thatall the
n SAF5P 0.776 0.603
SAF6P 0.741 0.549
relationships are significant. The final model in Fig (2).
SAF7P 0.729 0.532 The variance extracted for the model which is considered
WCS1P 0.788 0.622 as a predictive power of the model is R2 is 0.5222
WCS2P 0.796 0.634 (52.2%). The R Square Adjusted is 0.520 (52.0%) which
Web WCS3P 0.801 0.642
site WCS4P 0.728 0.531 is the unbiased R2 value after removing the nonsignificant
0.613 0.927 0.910 Yes
Cont WCS5P 0.791 0.626 exogenous constructs (Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt,
ent WCS6P 0.797 0.636 2017).
WCS7P 0.767 0.589
WCS8P 0.789 0.623

Note:
(Latent Variable(LV), Loadings (L), Indicator Reliability
(IR), Composite Reliability (CR), Cronbach‟s Alpha
(CA), Confidence Interval (CI) must not include
1(HTMT)).

4.2 Structural Model Analysis

The Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) is above 5 in the
constructs as the critical level of the multicollinearity The
results of VIF between dependent and independent
variables in (Table 7) and all values are less than 1.2 and
no issues of multicollinearity (Hair, Hult, Ringle, &
Sarstedt, 2017; Izogo, 2016) .

Figure 2: Final Structural Model

Table 7: The Collinearity Statistics (VIF) of the Structural
Model

Construct Satisfaction

Cost & Time 1.129

Reliability 1.239
Satisfaction
Website Content 1.280
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 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992
The Effect size (f2) of the relationships between
endogenous variable of Satisfactionand the exogenous
variables of Cost& Time is 0.024(small in size),Reliability
is 0.195(medium) and Website Content is 0.346 (large)
(Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017). The Blindfolding
procedure Q2(Construct Cross Validated Redundancy
approach) suggests the value of the predictive relevance
of the model. The Q2 value is greater than zero
recommends the predictive relevance of the model for a
certain endogenous construct. With this model, the Q2 is
0.275 for the endogenous variable of Satisfaction (Akter,
D'Ambra, & Ray, 2011; Henseler, Hubona, & Ray,
2016).The values of the model fit summary; “SRMR is a
measure of approximate fit of the researcher‟s model. It
measures the difference between the observed correlation
matrix and the model-implied correlation matrix” (Garson,
2016, p. 68; Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017).The
Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) is
0.074 and Root Mean Square Residual Covariance
(rmsTheta) is 0.129. The threshold values are SRMR is less
than 0.08 (Hu & Bentler, 1999) and rmsThetais 0.12. The
results revealed the fitness of the final model (Garson,
2016; Hair, Hult, Ringle, & Sarstedt, 2017; Henseler, et
al., 2014)
5 Discussion and Recommendation
The research objective of this study is to examine the
significant factors of Student Satisfaction in ODL in the
OUSL and finalise the conceptual model. The three
significant factors were tested and concluded that all three
constructs can be included in the model as significant
predictors. The three hypotheses are supported from the
results of the study. The construct of the Reliability was
significant and this was consistent with the results of the
studies of (Hasan, Ilias, Rahman, & Razak, 2008; Malik,
Danish, & Usman, 2010; Sembiring, 2015; Stodnick &
Rogers, 2008)and inconsistent withthe study in Malaysia,
investigation of relationship between Service quality and
students‟ satisfaction (Wei & Ramalu, 2011). The
construct of Website Quality was significant and this
result is consistent with the study of (Mason & Weller,
Volume 1 Issue 4, Oct 2017
www.ijarp.org
2000)in a very large web-based course presented by the
Faculty of Technology in the Open University of the UK.
The results of this study were examined as a qualitative
research which uncovered the factors of the web based
course content and presentation fitness as
thestudents‟expectations and learning style. This mostly
affected students‟satisfaction. The study of (Ramayah,
2006) has showed by using extended the Technology
Acceptance Model that the perceived ease of use was
positively related to perceived usefulness of the course
website. The study of (Zhang, Prybutok, & Huang, 2006)
is also consistent with the current study results and
conformed to the Web site service quality which has
affected the consumers‟satisfaction level and further
enhancement of consumer intention. The other significant
construct is Cost & Time. The importance and
performance analysis of (Joseph & Joseph, 1997; Lim,
Yap, & Lee, 2011)confirmed the importance and it‟s4th
place in the ranking order of Cost and Time in service
quality factors in the higher education sector. In the
hospital industry results showed a significant relationship
between service experience and customer satisfaction,
which influences price acceptance of customers. (Ali,
Amin, & Cobanoglu, 2015). The cost (financial aid) is an
important decision when they select a higher education
institute (Sia, 2013). The promotions which affect cost
structures significantly influence the university selection
by the students and their parents (Zain, Jan, & Ibrahim,
2013). The recommendations on all three factors since
they are significant with the student satisfaction and
outcome would lead to positive and favorable decisions of
continuance of the studies, with the same institute. The
cost factor is very important when selecting a university
by the parents and the students. The feasible and reliable
cost structure and promotions will motivate both students
and parents and give them the impressionofeducation as
an investment for a life time (Lim, Yap, & Lee, 2011; Sia,
2013). The Factor of reliability is dependent on the sound
knowledge of the subjects, successful lectures, and the
quality of information. The quality must be assessed with
the lecturers, their professional knowledge and how they
treat their students. All the staff must have a very good
understanding of ODL delivery methods and their distance
education clientele, without frustrating the students who
have face to face sessions, by recommending to them the
hybrid method which is a mixture face to face, and on-line
learning. Visiting lecturersand other teaching staff must
offer quality enhanced trainingto continue with the
student‟s reliability in the promised service. “In the
Distance Education mode, whilst catering to larger
numbers, it also attempts to improve the quality of
training provided for teachers” (Lekamge, 2010, p.
4).Partial or full scholarships could be offered depending
on the results of the academic year. The quality of the
Website will enhance giving more reliable and a speedy
service to the students. The policy makers must take
strategic decisions to enhance the current service as an
attractive, reliable and uniquely recognised service. Future
research should be handled as a qualitative and
longitudinal way (Tinto, 1975) to understand other service
quality factors that influence the students‟ satisfaction
since the R2 has covered only 52%of this study. The term
„quality assurance‟ refers to a process of defining and
fulfilling a set of quality standards consistently and
206
 International Journal of Advanced Research and Publications
ISSN: 2456-9992
continuously with the goal of satisfying all consumers,
producers and the other stakeholders (Inegbedion & Adu,
Student Assessment of Quality of Access at the National
Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), 2016).
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[71] J. Henseler, T. K. Dijkstra, M. Sarstedt, C. M. Ringle, SAF7P 0.732

A. Diamantopoulos, D. W. Straub, D. J. K. Jr., J. F. SAF8P 0.669
Hair, G. T. M. Hult and R. J. Calantone, "Common
SAF9P 0.668
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Ro¨nkko¨ and Evermann (2013)," Organizational WCS1P 0.786
Research Methods, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 182-209, 2014. WCS2P 0.795
WCS3P 0.799
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2000.
WCS6P 0.800
[73] T. Ramayah, "Course Website Usage: Does Prior WCS7P 0.771
Experience Matter?," Wseas Trans on Information WCS8P 0.791
Science & Applications, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 299-306,
February 2006.
Appendix B
[74] Y. M. Lim, C. S. Yap and T. H. Lee, "Destination
choice, service quality, satisfaction, and Construct Reliability and Validity
consumerism: International students in Malaysian
institutions of higher education," African Journal of Average
Business Management, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1691-1702, 4 Cronbach's Composite Variance
Construct
Alpha Reliability Extracted
March 2011. (AVE)
Cost &
0.801 0.864 0.681
[75] O. M. Zain, M. T. Jan and A. B. Ibrahim, "Factors Time
Influencing Students' Decisions in Choosing Private Reliability 0.809 0.874 0.636
Institutions of Higher Education in Malaysia: A
Satisfaction 0.873 0.902 0.568
Structural Equation Modelling Approach," Asian
Website
Academy of Management Journal, vol. 18, no. 1, p. Content
0.910 0.927 0.613
75–90, 2013.

[76] J. O. Inegbedion and F. I. Adu, "Student Assessment

Appendix C
of Quality of Access at the National Open University
Discriminant Validity (Fornell-Larcker Criterion)
of Nigeria (NOUN)," Open Praxis, vol. 8, no. 4, p.
313–323, October–December 2016. Construct Cost & Reliability Satisfaction Website
Time Content
Appendix A Cost & Time 0.825
Reliability 0.255 0.797
Outer Loadings
Satisfaction 0.341 0.561 0.754
Items Cost & Reliability Satisfaction Website Website 0.308 0.419 0.637 0.783
Time Content Content
CT1P 0.901
CT2P 0.799 Appendix D
CT3P 0.773
Discriminant Validity (Cross Loadings)
REL1P 0.802
REL2P 0.706 Item Cost & Reliabili Satisfacti Website
Time ty on Content
REL3P 0.796 CT1P 0.904 0.303 0.392 0.339
REL4P 0.718 CT2P 0.796 0.127 0.185 0.180
REL5P 0.666 CT3P 0.769 0.100 0.149 0.157
REL6P 0.591 REL1P 0.165 0.848 0.529 0.379
REL7P 0.686 REL2P 0.261 0.758 0.369 0.212
SAF1P 0.771 REL3P 0.214 0.830 0.465 0.360
SAF2P 0.718 REL4P 0.194 0.748 0.402 0.364
SAF3P 0.736 SAF1P 0.300 0.471 0.793 0.506
SAF4P 0.713 SAF2P 0.268 0.365 0.743 0.537
SAF5P 0.779 SAF3P 0.258 0.391 0.758 0.451
SAF6P 0.749 SAF4P 0.202 0.377 0.733 0.489

Volume 1 Issue 4, Oct 2017 210

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ISSN: 2456-9992

SAF5P 0.237 0.518 0.776 0.473

SAF6P 0.210 0.418 0.741 0.458
SAF7P 0.322 0.408 0.729 0.444
WCS1P 0.232 0.462 0.593 0.788
WCS2P 0.255 0.371 0.538 0.796
WCS3P 0.282 0.346 0.528 0.801
WCS4P 0.293 0.275 0.436 0.728
WCS5P 0.215 0.297 0.478 0.791
WCS6P 0.242 0.284 0.440 0.797
WCS7P 0.208 0.257 0.447 0.767
WCS8P 0.203 0.281 0.489 0.789

Appendix E
Discriminant Validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio
(HTMT))

Construct Cost & Reliability Satisfaction Website

Time Content
Cost & Time
Reliability 0.268
Satisfaction 0.343 0.656
Website 0.313 0.472 0.707
Content

Appendix F
Discriminant Validity (Heterotrait-Monotrait(HTMT)
Confidence Intervals Bias Corrected

Relationship Origina Sampl Bias 2.5 97.5

l e % %
Sample Mean
(O) (M)
Reliability -> Cost & 0.268 0.271 0.00 0.19 0.347
Time 3 8
Satisfaction -> Cost 0.343 0.344 0.00 0.26 0.413
& Time 1 9
Satisfaction-> 0.656 0.657 0.00 0.57 0.725
Reliability 1 8
Website Content -> 0.313 0.313 0.00 0.23 0.396
Cost & Time 1 4
Website Content -> 0.472 0.472 0.00 0.39 0.551
Reliability 0 1
Website Content -> 0.707 0.707 0.00 0.64 0.761
Satisfaction 0 7

Appendix G
Collinearity Statistics (VIF)

Construct Cost Reliability Satisfaction Website

& Content
Time
Cost & Time 1.129
Reliability 1.239
Satisfaction
Website 1.280
Content

Volume 1 Issue 4, Oct 2017 211

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