Interactivity
in Online Courses
There are two types of learning interactivities, both
are important to learning: interaction with content and
interpersonal interaction (i.e., with other people). Interpersonal
interaction includes both instructor-student and student-student
and can use real-time communication (synchronous) or asynchronous
communication with interaction independent of time and place.
Many
online courses concentrate only on causing learners to interact
with content; there is little interaction with the instructor
and none with other learners. Such interaction is generally
insufficient to achieve higher level learning objectives
(analysis, synthesis, and evaluation); interpersonal interactivity
is also needed. In either type of interactivity, the student
does not interact with the computer; the student interacts
using the computer. A high level of interpersonal interactivity
is achievable in an online course. In fact, a good instructor
can achieve more interpersonal interactivity in an online
course than a traditional face-to-face course. We will first
discuss the excellent content interactivity available in
some online courses before discussing interpersonal interactivity.
Interactivity
with Content
Some online courses provide interactivity with content.
Such interactivity takes the form of self-paced, student-controlled,
individualized learning opportunities embedded with assessment
events along the way. Such tutorials require significant
design time and money to anticipate and program for all
learners' needs. Well-designed tutorials are generally excellent
for lower levels of learning (knowledge, comprehension),
although some very sophisticated ones can teach at higher
levels. Unanticipated learner needs still require faculty
contact. These types of tutorials can be excellent supplements
to online courses learning, but cannot replace interpersonal
interactivity. The remainder of this article is devoted
to interpersonal interactivity.
Importance
of Interpersonal Interactivity
Interpersonal interactivity fosters development of critical
thinking through clarification of ideas and evaluation of
others' ideas. The process of revising, discussing, and
debating leads to deeper cognitive processing of course
material. Discussions force students to think through the
issue being discussed. It is through the actual process
of writing our thoughts and working them over that we really
come to understand an issue. Written thought also allows
us to later review and reflect on our understanding. We
also better understand material by bouncing our thoughts
off others. We need reinforcement that our understanding
is the same as others. When it comes to attitudinal changes
it is especially useful to bounce our thinking off other
learners in addition to the faculty member who will have
biases about course content.
Learners
can learn from each other. In distant learning courses,
the instructor is the "guide on the side," not
the "sage on the stage." In this role, the instructor
(sometimes called facilitator, tutor, or mentor) guides
students through learning that should seek to obtain relevant
past experience from which students can learn. Learners
who have worked for several years come to classes with a
wealth of experience from which rich content can be presented
to other learners.
Generally
online classes promote participation in discussions. Because
of the delay in asynchronous discussions (similar to email),
students have time to reflect on or further research a topic
before responding. Learners have control: of the time of
interaction, the number of interactions, and time taken
to reflect on an issue before contributing to a discussion.
Anonymity of contributors is a great equalizer; participants
don't need to struggle for a turn to speak. The overall
result is that slow thinkers and shy individuals are more
likely to contribute than in a traditional classroom.
Creating
a friendly, social environment is also essential for promoting
learning. Interpersonal interactivity motivates students.
Most people do not want to work completely on their own.
An isolated learner may be a lonely distance learner. Most
people desire to connect with others, become part of a community.
Many students find that other students will push or motivate
them to work. This is especially the case if students work
on assignments together in a small group.
How
Online Interpersonal Interactivity is Achieved
Asynchronous interpersonal interactivity is accomplished
by email or computer conferencing, which is similar to a
bulletin board. Computer conferencing is better for ongoing
discussions because users can see all previous contributions
to a discussion. This allows "threaded discussions"
where the instructor asks a question of the class (beginning
the thread), and others respond to the instructor or to
other students' comments (adding to the thread). Synchronous
interpersonal interactivity is generally accomplished using
live chat. However, with sophisticated hardware and software,
two-way audio and video are available. Of course, non-computer
communication may also be used, such as a telephone conference
call.
To encourage
participation in discussions, class size needs to be kept
small. Large classes will create an overwhelming number
of postings to read (consider 50 students each posting three
to six times per week), and students will usually not want
to share much of themselves in a large class. Providing
clear grading criteria that includes assigning significant
participation points (15-30 percent is normal depending
upon the subject) and tying participation to attendance
will ensure that online students contribute to discussions
if they expect to successfully complete the course. Participation
criteria should address both quality and quantity of postings
and require responses to other participants, not just to
the instructor. Yes, students need to respond to questions
posed by their instructor, but students can and should be
iron sharpening iron.
Faculty
skill and caring are the biggest keys to promoting participation.
Faculty should encourage participation and create a friendly,
comfortable social environment to help participants open
up. Faculty sometimes become one of the participants-modeling
participation, then at other times guiding, encouraging,
critiquing, weaving contributions together, or asking questions
to focus on critical concepts, principles, and skills.
Hank
Kelly, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Distributed Learning
Indiana Wesleyan University
