Source: Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 20(2), 177-203. (2012).
The authors examined the role of student interaction in an online environment and implications for course development and online instruction.
In a review of seminal articles in the area of pre-service teacher education courses, two research questions were addressed:
(1) what are the most effective strategies to increase interaction among pre-service teachers? and (2) do teacher education courses/programs favor one form of interaction over another?
The authors describe interaction in three ways: in relation to content; in relation to the instructor; and in relation to other learners.
The body of research points to student interaction as an essential component of online learning, and the increase in the level of interactivity directly correlates with a higher the level of student satisfaction and performance (Dunnington, 2006).