Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the relationship between student assessment method and e-learning satisfaction. Which e-learning assessment method do students prefer? The assessment method is an additional determinant of the effectiveness and quality that affects user satisfaction with online courses. Design/methodology/approach The study employs data from 1,114 students. The first set of data was obtained from a questionnaire on the online platform. The second set of

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... n was obtained from the external assessment reports by e-learning specialists. The satisfaction revealed by the students in their responses to the questionnaire is the dependent variable in the multivariate technique. In order to estimate the influence of the independent variables on the global satisfaction, we use the ordinary least squares technic. This method is the most appropriate for dependent discrete variables whose categories are ordered but have multiple categories, as is the case for the dependent variable. Findings The method influences e-learning satisfaction, even though only slightly. The students are reluctant to be assessed by a final exam. Students prefer systems that award more importance to the assessment of coursework as part of the final mark. Practical implications Knowing the level of student satisfaction and the factors that influence it is helpful to the teachers for improving their courses. Originality/value In online education, student satisfaction is an indicator of the quality of the education system. Although previous research has analyzed the factors that influence e-student satisfaction, to the best of authors' knowledge, no previous research has specifically analyzed the relationship between assessment systems and general student satisfaction with the course.