Systematically Investigating Instructor Impact on Student Satisfaction in Graduate Programs

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to investigate how flexibility impacts student performance and satisfaction in a graduate level course. This example explores how much flexibility can be incorporated without compromising instructor satisfaction. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether student satisfaction and performance increased when the instructor in a graduate level teacher education course increased flexibility in discussion grouping and format and in grading and revisions. The goals of the study were to increase student satisfaction and performance in a graduate level reading education course in a college of education. This was a pilot case study using the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) as a lens. Data collection included survey, focus groups, and interview. A small sample size was used to suit the needs of a pilot, qualitative case study. This work is important for teacher educators as they make decisions about the amount of flexibility they are comfortable incorporating into their courses as well as to model evidence based practices for teachers.