Interaction: a Key Component to Successful Online Learning

Nashwa Ismail

OAI: oai:purehost.bath.ac.uk:publications/fa455fa2-3fc9-4ad9-aefc-43698f15f1b0

In this global village we live in, education is not restricted to a special place like a school. All learners should be life-long learners, and learning should not be restricted to a time and place. Like any other kind of education, e-learning, a process to create and provide access to learning when the source of information and the learners are separated by time and distance, has special kinds of barriers which need to be known and considered, for instance the high drop-out rate of e-learning and the suitability of e-learning to cover different subjects. These problems appear to be related, directly or indirectly, to the issue of interactivity. Interactivity in e-learning is considered to be more than just clicking a mouse. Interactivity encourages both active learner reflection and manipulation of learning content; it reduces the feelings of isolation and of anxiety of not learning the curriculum. Interactivity facilitates the integration of learned content into existing schemata and in particular into real-life work situations. In the context of e-learning, interactivity is viewed as the principal method of engaging with learners and helping them to attain, retain and sustain the knowledge and skills they are learning. This thesis argues that an in-depth understanding of interactivity in e-learning will reinforce and enhance the capabilities of this learning mode, and consequently have a measurable positive impact on student drop-out rates, and widen the suitability and subject coverage of e-learning.

e-learning synchronous Asynchronous Blended learning e-content e-teacher drop-out