Frequency, Intensity and Topicality
in Online Learning: An Exploration
of the Interaction Dimensions that
Contribute to Student Satisfaction
in Online Learning
Kathleen Burnett, Laurie J. Bonnici, Shawne D. Miksa and
Joonmin Kim
This article analyzes dimensions of interaction that contribute to student sat-
isfaction in Web-supported courses. Researchers examined chat logs and
discussion board postings for eight graduate courses in fall 2000 at the
Florida State University School of Information Studies, and conducted focus
group interviews in spring 2001 with 14 online and local students. Interac-
tion was examined along three dimensions: frequency, intensity and topical-
ity (FIT). Of the eight courses, one received a FIT ranking of high, three
received a FIT ranking of low, and four received a FIT ranking of medium.
Dimensions of interaction contributing positively toward online learning in
master's courses in library and information studies (LIS) were explored to
help LIS educators design, develop, and implement online courses that are
both more effective in their support of learning and more satisfying to
students and instructors.
Introduction
This article identifies and analyzes the dimensions of interaction that con-
tribute to student satisfaction in Web-supported courses. The study was
conducted between 2000 and 2002 at the Florida State University (FSU)
School of Information Studies (now College of Information). The research-
ers examined chat session logs and discussion board postings for eight
master's courses taught online in fall 2000 utilizing a codebook and coding
procedures developed in an earlier pilot study during the summer of 2000.
Focus group interviews were conducted in spring 2001 with 14 online and
local students in these and other online courses. Interaction was examined
along three dimensions: frequency, intensity and topicality (FIT).
In this study, frequency was defined as the mean number of interactions
per student enrol led occurring each weekday during an academic term. In-
tensity was defined as the total number of statements generated by students,
J. of Education for Library and Information Science, Vol. 48, No. 1 -Winter 2007
ISSN: 0748-5786 ©2007 Association for Library and Information Science Education 21