Issues of Interface
Karen Swan (kswan@kent.edu)
Research Center for Educational Technology
Kent State University, Kent OH 44242
This paper was shortlisted for the 'Best paper award' at the
Third EDEN Research Workshop, Oldenburg, Germany, 2004
Abstract
Although online learning no longer entails the kinds of interface barriers it once did, recent research is making very clear that interactions with interfaces significantly affect other interactions in online courses. This paper reviews the current literature on online learning to see what it can tell us about the mediating effects of differing interfaces on the three kinds of interactions described by Michael Moore [1] - interactions with course content, interactions with instructors, and interactions with classmates. The results point to the need for further serious research in this area.
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