Abstract
Distance education courses today are not limited to asynchronous interactions. Current technologies are available that make synchronous interactions viable options within distance education courses. We argue that synchronous interactions should be included as a central component of the distance education experience. Not only has synchronous learning been shown to be more effective, but the inclusion of synchronous interactions in distance education may also potentially provide more similar learning experiences to those found in traditional instruction. Today’s students have shown an interest in this format as displayed by the popularity of online social networks and online communities. Individuals within these communities can share and view information in multitude of ways: text, images, and videos. Software systems such as Elluminate™ and Adobe Connect™ are designed to enhance these interactions by offering a variety of optional tools for communication such as shared whiteboards and screen sharing. Online 3D environments offer these same advantages but also include a spatial component which may allow individuals to become more deeply immersed within the technology and potentially a more true-to-life experience.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Affinity Circles Web site – http://www.affinitycircles.com
References
Annetta, L. A. (2007, February 7) Evaluating teacher and student attitudes in HI FIVES. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation.
Annetta, L. A., & Holmes, S. (2006). Creating presence and community in a synchronous virtual learning environment using avatars. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 3(8).
Annetta, L. A., Murray, M. R., Gull-Laird, S., Bohr, S. C., & Park, J. C. (2006). Serious games: Incorporating video games in the classroom. Educause Quarterly, 29(3), 16–22.
Annetta, L. A., & Shymansky, J. A. (2006). The effect of three distance education strategies have on science learning for rural elementary school teachers in a professional development project. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 43(10).
Baggaley, J. (2008). Where did distance education go wrong? Distance Education, 29(1), 39–51.
Chang, S. H. H., & Smith, R. A. (2008). Effectiveness of Interaction in a learner-centered paradigm distance education class based on student satisfaction. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 40(4), 407–426.
Cooper, M., Donnelly, A., & Ferreira, J. M. (2002). Remote controlled experiments for teaching over the Internet: A comparison of approaches developed in the PEARL project. In: Proceedings of the 19th annual conference of the Australian Society of Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education, Auckland, New Zealand.
Foreman, J. (2003, July–August). Next-generation educational technology versus the lecture. EDUCAUSE Review, 38(4), 12–16.
Gee, J. P. (2003). Learning by design: Good video games as learning machines. New York: Palgrave/Macmillan.
Gee, J. P. (2008). Good videogames, the human mind, and good learning. In T. Willoughby & E. Wood (Eds.), Children’s learning in a digital world (pp. 40–63). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Dickey, M. (2007). Game design and learning: A conjectural analysis of how massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPGs) foster intrinsic motivation. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(3), 253–273.
Hara, N., & Kling, R. (2001). Student distress in Web-based distance education. Educause Quarterly, 3, 68–69.
Howell, S. L., Williams, P. B., & Lindsay, N. K. (2003). Thirty-two trends affecting distance education: An informed foundation for strategic planning. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 6(3), 1–18.
La Pointe, K. D., & Gunawardena, C. (2004). Developing, testing, and refining a model to understand the relationship between peer interaction and learning outcomes in computer-mediated conferencing. Distance Education, 25(1), 83–106.
Moore, J. G. (2002). What does research say about the learners using computer-mediated communication in distance learning. The American Journal of Distance Education, 16(2), 61–64.
Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2005). Distance education: A systems view (2nd ed., pp. 33–36). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, ISBN 0-534-50688-7.
National Science Foundation. (2004). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering. Arlington, VA: Author.
Neal, L. (2003). Predictions for 2003: E-learning’s leading lights look ahead. Retrieved February 22, 2004, from http://www.elearnmag.org/subpage/sub_page.cfm/article_pk=6541&page_number_nb=17title-COLUMN
Sible, J. C., Wilhelm, D. E., & Lederman, M. (2006). Teaching cell and molecular biology for gender equity. Life Sciences Education, 5, 227–238.
Soloway, E., Guzdial, M., & Hay, K. E. (1994). Learner-centered design: The challenge for HCI in the 21st century. Interactions, 1(2), 36–48.
Oblinger, D., Barone, C. A., & Hawkins, B. L. (2001). Distributed education and its challenges: An overview. Retrieved November 3, 2003, from http://www.acenet.edu/bookstore/pdf/distributed-learning/distributedlearning.
O’Connor, C., Sceiford, E., Wang, G., & Foucar-Szocki, D. (2003). Departure, abandonment, and dropout of e-learning: Dilemma and solutions, TechLearn 2003 Conference.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rejeski, D. (2002). Gaming our way to a better future. Retrieved February 22, 2004, from http://www.avault.com/developer/getarticle.asp/name-drejeski1&page=2
Richardson, J., & Swan, K. (2003). Examining social presence in online courses in relation to students’ perceived learning and satisfaction. Journal of Asynchronous Learning, 6(1), 21–40.
Rovai, A. P. (2002). Building sense of community at a distance. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 3(1), 1–16.
Trindade, J. F. (2005). Improving physics learning with virtual environments: An example on the phases of water. Interactive Educational Multimedia, 11, 212–226.
Tu, C. -H., & McIsaac, M. (2002). The relationship of social presence and interaction in online classes. The American Journal of Distance Education, 16(3), 131–150.
United States General Accounting Office. (2004). Distance Education: Improved data on program costs and guidelines on quality assessments needed to inform federal policy (No. GAO-04-279). Washington, D.C.
Zhoa, Y., Lei, J., Yan, B., Laie, C., & Tan, H. S. (2005). What makes a difference? A practical analysis of research on the effectiveness of distance education. Teachers College Record, 107(8), 1836–1884.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Annetta, L.A., Folta, E., Klesath, M. (2010). The Role of Synchronous Interactions Within Higher Education Distance Education Courses. In: V-Learning. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3627-8_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3627-8_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-3620-9
Online ISBN: 978-90-481-3627-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)