Interactive Course Design in Online Learning Environments

Abstract

Education focuses on learning that translates into persistent changes in behavior. Like many other areas of life, the advancements in technology have affected education in multiple ways, and distance education has a prominent place in technology-mediated education. By its very nature, distance education does not require learner and instructor to be in the same physical place. This situation may cause concern about the level and quality of interactions because the interactions in the digital medium may not be directly observable. Considering various types of interaction, interactions within the distance education context should not be limited to learner and instructor interaction. Rather, multiple types of interactions including learner-content, learner-learner, and learner-instructor should be utilized. In this respect, the purpose of this chapter is to exemplify how various elements of interactivity could be used effectively in online courses. Numerous learning management systems are available to offer online courses to distance learners.