Student Online Learning Experience: An Analysis of Factors Influencing Satisfaction in Engineering

Abstract

Fully online programs have expanded access to higher education for working adult students, yet sustaining their engagement over time remains a critical institutional challenge. This study aimed to identify the factors that explain student satisfaction in 100% online undergraduate engineering programs at a Chilean university. Using an adapted UTAUT2-OLE instrument, data were collected from 230 working adult students and analyzed through blockwise hierarchical linear regression. Perceived Quality, Performance Expectancy, Attitude toward Online Learning, Behavioral Intention, and Online Learning Value jointly explained 89.5% of satisfaction variance, while Effort Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, Social Influence, and Habit were non-significant. Notably, prior online experience emerged as a negative predictor, suggesting that experienced learners apply higher evaluative standards. No sociodemographic differences in satisfaction were observed. These findings underscore that instructional quality and perceived utility are the primary levers for enhancing satisfaction and retention in online engineering education, with implications for institutional design in Latin American contexts.