The Role of the Instructor, Motivation, and Interaction in Building Online Learning Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to examine the role of instructor, motivation, and interaction in building students’ perceptions of and satisfaction with online learning (OL). It proposes a structural model based on data collected from 446 graduate and undergraduate students who attended online courses during the first COVID-19 lockdown. The data analysis was conducted using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results reinforced the role of interaction and instructors in strengthening students’ motivation, especially highlighting interaction as a facilitator of how instructors motivate their students. Motivation, interaction, and the instructor’s role contributed to positive OL perceptions, which in turn generated greater student satisfaction. This study also revealed that interaction is the factor with the highest impact on OL perception. The instructor’s role in motivating students was found to be higher if a greater interaction was present in the online platform. However, the students did not derive OL satisfaction directly from their instructors; rather, satisfaction was generated only when motivation, interaction, and positive OL perceptions emerged. Finally, gender differences were identified in the students’ OL satisfaction. Females derived a greater level of motivation, OL perception, and satisfaction from interactions with their instructors and peers, while the male students’ OL perception and satisfaction were not affected by their instructors.