Chapter 3: An Emerging Hybrid Model for Interactive Online Learning

Principles of distance education recognize that effective online learning depends on the quality and quantity of opportunities for interactive learning. This chapter describes a trend that extends ideas from distance education about using Internet discussion technologies in face-to-face instructional settings with a hybrid model that integrates the use of online discussion. The theoretical basis for integrating online interactions in traditional instructional settings is presented along with examples from a study analyzing cognitive growth demonstrated in online student discussions in a teacher preparation course. Recommendations for planning and managing online discussions that merge face-to-face instruction with Webbased interaction are detailed.

Student interaction in discussion is accepted as a desirable academic practice in university classrooms. The current trend toward constructivist methods further emphasizes the importance of peer interaction and draws attention to the concept of social negotiation of meaning as an important factor in stimulating higher levels of thinking and in expanding learners’ understanding. This concept has an instantly recognizable relevance in the context of developing habits of reflective thinking in teacher preparation programs. The use of Web-based discussion methods as used in distance education practice can provide new opportunities for peer interaction within traditional face-to-face (F2F) classes and can increase levels of student-student and student-teacher discourse.