Chapter 25: Online Learners’ Preferences For Interaction

Interaction has been defined from many perspectives. Most simply stated interaction is engagement in learning (Hillman, Willis & Gunawardena, 1994). It is agreed that interaction must be designed into an instructional program and that it is an important variable for online learning. Berge (1999) suggests that interaction is important to learner satisfaction and that it assists in maintaining student persistence in courses. With retention in online learning programs being as low as 50% in some cases and course completion rates in traditional courses at 10-20 percentage points higher than in online courses (Carr, 2000), learner satisfaction is a key variable. With interaction being a component of overall student satisfaction, interaction should be considered when trying to increase retention in online courses. However, from the online learners point of view, too much interaction may be perceived as busywork and lead to frustration, boredom, and overload (Berge, 1999); while too little interaction may result in student isolation. Both are considered frustrating and a balance has to be found.