Student satisfaction with online lectures: a structural equation modelling approach at a public university in Ghana

This study examined the determinants of student satisfaction with online lectures at a public university in Ghana, extending the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to include pedagogical support, organisational factors, and technological challenges. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive survey design, data were collected with a structured questionnaire from a purposively sampled group of 217 Bachelor of Education in Information and Communication Technology students and analysed with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in IBM SPSS Amos 26.0. We tested six hypotheses linking these constructs to student satisfaction and engagement outcomes. Results revealed that pedagogical support ( β = 0.35) and organisational factors ( β = 0.29) were the strongest predictors of satisfaction, with larger effects than technological challenges ( β = −0.14). Perceived ease of use did not significantly predict satisfaction ( β = 0.08), and satisfaction strongly predicted engagement outcomes ( β = 0.76). The model demonstrated robust fit (CFI = 0.94, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.06) and explained 64% of variance in satisfaction. These findings suggest that, in resource-constrained environments, investing in high-quality teaching and organisational support may do more to raise student satisfaction than focusing on technology alone. The study contributes to the growing body of African scholarship on online learning and provides actionable insights for policymakers and educators seeking to improve online education quality in developing contexts.