Chapter 23: Interaction in Online Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature

Researchers and practitioners are in general agreement that interaction is a key variable in learning and satisfaction with distance education courses (Fulford & Zhang, 1993; Gunawardena & Duphorne, 2001; Swan, 2001). Yet, the term is defined in so many different ways in the distance education literature as to be practically useless unless specific distinctions can be defined and generally agreed upon (Moore, 1989). Promoting common definitions and interpretations is even more challenging when the educational technology literature is considered. Bannan-Ritland (2002) calls for the fields of educational technology and distance education to define various forms of interaction better to ensure that appropriate interactions occur online and lead to improved learning. Nevertheless, little has been done to synthesize related literature on interaction in online learning environments (Hirumi, 2002).