Paul: I have found that explaining 'why' a particular topic, lesson or assignment is important (in detail) to the students helps them to understand why they need to learn it. It also helps if you can relate the lesson or assignment to a real-world situation that the students might experience in their career. Finally, if you can describe an experience that you had in your career that relates to the topic or lesson, then that helps the students to understand.
Paul: I have found that explaining 'why' a particular topic, lesson or assignment is important (in detail) to the students helps them to understand why they need to learn it. It also helps if you can relate the lesson or assignment to a real-world situation that the students might experience in their career. Finally, if you can describe an experience that you had in your career that relates to the topic or lesson, then that helps the students to understand.
To maximise the students' satisfaction in any course, it is imperative to first provide them a complete projection of the course. A very well defined program outcome, course outcome and course specific outcome will help to get only those students who are absolutely clear about what the course has to offer.
Such outcome based course structure will help to increase student's satisfaction level.
I think you should return to Customer Satisfaction Theories, you will find different perspectives that explain for teacher what might do to satisfy you students expectations. I recommend this work for you:
IMPROVING STUDENT SATISFACTION AT A CARIBBEAN UNIVERSITYUSING A CUSTOMER FOCUSSED STRATEGY
Students' satisfaction is highly related to their aims. Some seek learning; so the more learning they receive the higher satisfaction they express. Others seek passing interesting times and they feel satisfied if the lessons are interesting for them. Some students can't cope with the course and they look for gradation from easy to difficult to get satisfied.
Most students, when they communicate in the classroom or with the professor privately, want to feel seen, heard, and understood. We they do not feel heard and accurately understood, they become defensive and shut down, close-off or struggle against.
An effective classroom teacher needs not only to specialize in verbal outflow, but in receptive inflow.
Motivation and its description with very clear and transparent words. As much as they know & understand it with its actual utilities in real world applications, they would have to attract accordingly.
Teaching for more than 18 years, I now tend to think that students’ satisfaction is overrated. You will have students complain no matter what you do and whether they are overworked or even underworked. It seems to be part and parcel of the educational process.