Abstract
Increasing globalization and changes in the business landscape have pushed the concept of lifelong learning into the center of employee development as companies’ strategic advantage arises from the knowledge and skills of employees. In order to stay competitive in the labor market, and to accommodate the multiple life priorities of family and work, an increasing number of professionals follow (part-time) courses and programs online. Yet, little research has neither focused on the perceived learning and satisfaction of professional learners in this virtual environment nor investigated the factors that contribute to them. Using a mixed method approach, this chapter compares two online courses (one successful, one unsuccessful) provided for professional learners. A model framework is presented to unearth factors that influence perceived learning and satisfaction of professionals in online courses, which results in a strong correlation between creating a positive communication climate, collaborative knowledge sharing, and perceived learning and satisfaction of professionals.
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AppendixQuestionnaire Used to Evaluate Hybrid Courses
AppendixQuestionnaire Used to Evaluate Hybrid Courses
Question (measurement) | References |
|---|---|
Demographics | Â |
Please indicate your age (in years) | Â |
Please indicate your gender (1 = male, 2 = female) |  |
Please indicate the highest educational degree you have obtained (1 = secondary school, 2 = BA/BSc, 3 = MA/MSc, 4 = MBA, PhD, 5 = others) |  |
Please indicate your current employment status (1 = unemployed, 2 = student, 3 = internship/work placement, 4 = entry position, 5 = managerial, 6 = board/executive, 7 = others) |  |
Please indicate the amount of work experience you have gained (internships are part of work experience) since completing your education (in years) | Â |
Communication climate | Â |
I felt comfortable conversing through the online medium (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) | Gibson and Gibbs (2006) |
I felt comfortable participating in the course discussions (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
I felt comfortable interacting with other course participants (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
Course participants are able to say what they think (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
Knowledge sharing | Â |
When I understand a topic, I share my understanding with other participants in the course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) | van den Hooff and Ridder (2004) |
When other participants in the course understand a topic, they show their understanding to me (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
It is normal to share knowledge with other course participants (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
When somebody from the course posts a question, I try to answer it (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
When I post a question, other course participants try to answer it (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
If somebody asks me a question, I answer it right away (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
When I ask a question to somebody, he/she answers right away (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
Perceived satisfaction | Â |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: I am dissatisfied with the course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) | Frick et al. (2007) |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: This course was a waste of time and money (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: I am very satisfied with this course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
Perceived learning | Â |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: Compared to what I knew before I took the course, I learned a lot (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) | Frick et al. (2007) |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: I learned a lot in this course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: Looking back to when this course began, I have made a big improvement in my skills (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: I learned very little in this course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
These questions deal with the outcome of the online module: I did not learn much as a result of taking this course (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree) |  |
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Grohnert, T., Carbonell, K.B., Dailey-Hebert, A., Segers, M. (2013). An Evaluation Model for Collaborative Online Courses: The Impact of Knowledge Sharing and Communication Climate. In: Van den Bossche, P., Gijselaers, W., Milter, R. (eds) Facilitating Learning in the 21st Century: Leading through Technology, Diversity and Authenticity. Advances in Business Education and Training, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6137-7_5
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