Interaction and virtual learning

Abstract

᭹The meteoric growth in on-line education has focused attention on virtual learning communities. ᭹ Critics suggest that the on-line learner suffers isolation resulting from diminished interaction with others and thus question the quality of the on-line educational experience. ᭹ A case study is presented of an American MBA programme at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater that compares interactions in on-line and traditional learning communities. ᭹ Evidence is presented which suggests that on-line students score higher on measures of interaction than traditional students. Furthermore, interaction is important in predicting effectiveness of courses regardless of mode of delivery. This suggests that interaction can occur in on-line courses and is important in designing such offerings.

The Reflective Learning Continuum: Reflecting on Reflection

“…However, student-to-student interactions must also play an important role in any learning process (Peltier et al, 2003;Hay et al, 2004b). Dempsey et al (2001) contend that the sharing of thoughts and feelings with others is a fundamental requisite to reflection.…”

Dispelling the Myths of Online Education: Learning via the Information Superhighway

“…Further, both types of interaction were positively and significantly related to students' perceptions of the overall effectiveness of the module. In a previous study, the authors found that online and traditional students rated their interaction with the instructor similarly (Hay et al, 2004b). Online students also rated their interaction with other students at a significantly higher level than did traditional students.…”

“…Key to the continued growth of online education is the ability to address concerns that educators, administrators, students, and employers have about the ability of this type of education delivery system to prepare students to meet the challenges of the real world (Dolezalek, 2003;Hay et al, 2004b). Unfortunately, relatively little is understood on how to best plan, implement, and evaluate interactive web-based modules (Peltier et al 2003).…”

“…Reality: Early distance education programmes were hampered by a lack of student-to-student and student-to-instructor interaction (Hay et al, 2004b), especially in those more closely akin to correspondence type modules. Effective interaction is a function of the instructor, peer encouragement, the design of the module and the technological infrastructure being used (Martins and Kellermanns, 2004).…”

Online Distant Learning Using Situation-Based Scenarios

“…But generic interactive applications are not well suited to a training context, and specialized ones can require too much learning time to master (Murphy and Manzanares, 2008) (Kinser, 2003), slowing down their acceptance by the users (Jung et al, 2006) (Pigliapoco et al, 2008). Moreover, users expect new learning possibilities through the use of these applications (Hay et al, 2004).…”