Increasing Students' Interactivity in an Online Course.

Abstract

Efforts were undertaken to increase students ’ interactivity in an online course in adult development. The purpose was to increase students ’ engagement with the course materials, heighten their online discussions, and deepen their thinking about course-related concepts, theoretical principles, and research findings. Several strategies were used towards this end. Analyses of students ’ discussions showed that they relied frequently upon personal anecdotes to make meaning of the theories and developmental principles covered in the course. The instructional strategies did not, however, bear a direct relationship to students ’ participation, learning, or course performance. Rendering the course materials sensible in light of their personal experiences is a critical indicator of students ’ understanding and learning. Instructors may want to redirect their attention from assessing students ’ knowledge of factual contents in online courses where ability to discuss and analyze concepts and principles is a critical indicator of learning. Online education has come of age. Today, hundreds of universities and colleges are offering individual courses and degree programs online via the Web. Such academic

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