Bridging the Distance: Using Interactive Communication Tools to Make Online Education More Social

Abstract

Distance education offers geographically or time-constrained students access to the full depth and breadth of higher education offerings. Yet, distance education has significant drawbacks, including limitations to communication abilities, feelings of separation from instructors and peers, and an increased likelihood of dropping out. Educational informatics researchers argue that learning is a socially constructed activity, and thus students need to be able to communicate in order to develop a learning community. Consequently, historically, disconnected distance-learning practices were problematic for many students. As distance education has evolved to include a range of online offerings, including for-credit online degree programs and massive open online courses (MOOCs), new technologies have arisen that can make these challenges easier to surmount. Current literature suggests that faculty-encouraged use of both course-based and external Web 2.0 interactive tools may help students in online degree programs to succeed and feel connected to other students and faculty while participating in their distance-education courses. This paper examines the literature on distance education in order to provide a context for future research into communication patterns within MOOC courses, particularly within longer sequences of MOOC courses, and the role of student motivations on student-communication expectations and needs.Embargoed Restriction set for Item 110644 on 2019-04-22T15:30:16Z with date 2019-06-30 by [email protected] by Fernanda Schaefer ([email protected]) on 2019-04-22T15:32:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Cunningham.pdf: 262140 bytes, checksum: 6a53df3d9285764964e6bbac8aabf593 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2019-04-22T15:32:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cunningham.pdf: 262140 bytes, checksum: 6a53df3d9285764964e6bbac8aabf593 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017Embargo set by: Fernanda Schaefer for item 110644 Lift date: 2019-06-30T05:00:00Z Reason: By agreement with the publisher Johns Hopkins University Press.Embargoed Restriction Lifted for Item 110644 on 2019-06-30T09:15:11Z