Introduction to the Issue Free

The growth of distance education programs has been nothing less that astounding. In just a few years, the educational offerings, delivered primarily through the Internet, has exploded. I wonder though, if soon the Internet craze in education will implode like we all witnessed with e-businesses a few years back.

At some point, perhaps fueled by competition, an oversubscribed market, a new technological advance, or student dissatisfaction, the distance education landscape will change dramatically. I think, as we have seen in other environments, that quality lasts. Good programs that provide a sound return in terms of student perception of learning will continue and even thrive.

I wish I knew what makes the perfect distance education program or course. I do know one big factor is interaction. Interaction is what makes learning more than absorbing words on a screen. Interaction between students and teachers is the main element in pushing students to think, evaluate, adjust, and expand their base of knowledge. Interactions among students give life to the process, provide membership into a community, and help create an identity and norms necessary for human participation.

In this special issue of Distance Learning, we are fortunate to have some great insights into creating and sustaining interaction. In “Improving Online Courses: What is Interaction and Why Use It?” Wilhelmina C. Savenye describes the types of interaction, explains why they are so important, and how to increase interaction in your courses.

From the general to the more specific, Jose A. Saldivar presents a creative strategy for obtaining additional interactions. In “Chat Transcripts: Once the Chat is Over, is it Really Over?” he encourages a reflective learning design using a course’s existing chat interactions.

In “The Evolution of Distance Education,” by Monica C. Tracey and Rita C. Richey, we see how the concept distance education has evolved over time, concluding with an identification of emerging conceptual orientations in distance education thinking, including an introduction to interaction.

In “Getting Connected: IP-based Videoconferencing in K-12 Schools,” by Deyu Hu, Barbara B. Lockee, and John Burton, we see how emerging technologies can be incorporated into distance education and increase the types, opportunities, and possibilities for interaction.

Interaction is indeed a necessary part of distance education. But the quality of the instruction and interaction needs to be considered as well. While we all may become somewhat enamored with the technological possibilities, it is, in the final analysis, education first and foremost. In “Thriving, Not Merely Surviving, With Technology: Some Guidelines for Successful Distance Learning,” Glenn E. Snelbecker, Susan M. Miller, and Robert Zheng present two concepts that underlie why and how instruction is designed, and designate several aspects that must be addressed for designing successful distance education.

Enjoy the issue.