The Importance of Interaction in Web-Based Education: A Program-Level Case Study of Online MBA Courses

Bude Su · Curtis Jay Bonk · Richard J. Magjuka · Xiaojing Liu · Seunghee Lee

240 citations0/0 files storedJournal of interactive online learning

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Online and Blended Learning Management and Marketing Education Technology-Enhanced Education Studies

Abstract

Though interaction is often billed as a significant component of successful online learning, empirical evidence of its importance as well as practical guidance or specific interaction techniques continue to be lacking. In response, this study utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate how instructors and students perceive the importance of online interaction and which instructional techniques enhance those interactions. Results show that instructors perceive the learner-instructor and learnerlearner interactions as key factors in high quality online programs. While online students generally perceive interaction as an effective means of learning, they vary with regard to having more interaction in online courses. Such variations seem to be associated with differences in personality or learning style. The present study also shows that instructors tend to use technologies and instructional activities that they are familiar with or have relied on in traditional classroom settings. When it comes to learning more sophisticated technologies or techniques, instructors vary significantly in their usage of new approaches. The rapid development of computer and Internet technologies has dramatically increased the ways of teaching and learning. Among these new approaches, online Webbased education has become a promising field. In the United States alone, the number of students enrolled in distance education classes has increased from 753,640 in the 19941995 academic year, to an estimated number of 3,077,000 in the 2000-2001 academic year (Lewis, Alexander, & Farris, 1997; Waits & Lewis, 2003). While increasing enrollment is certainly desirable from an administrative perspective, there is a growing concern about program quality. How can universities guarantee quality online programs when in the midst of such explosive growth? What are the exemplary pedagogical experiences that can help establish a high quality online program? These questions are

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1990Qualitative evaluation and research methods 1990Qualitative evaluation and research methods, 2nd ed.1989Editorial: Three types of interaction 1994Yin, Robert K., Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nd ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1994.2008The Theory and Practice of Online Learning 1995Constructivism and computer‐mediated communication in distance education 2004Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace 1994In support of a functional definition of interaction

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2018Instructor and student perceptions of online student engagement strategies 2019Online communication and interaction in distance higher education: A framework study of good practice 2020Social Interaction and Effectiveness of the Online Learning - A Moderating Role of Maintaining Social Distance during the Pandemic COVID-19 2012Students' self-regulation for interaction with others in online learning environments 2007The importance of participant interaction in online environments

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