1. Promoting Synchronous Interaction in an eLearning Environment
- Author
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Pan, Cheng-Chang (Sam) and Sullivan, Michael
- Abstract
Online courses may not be for everyone. However, when eLearning is the only opportunity to receive education, it will be one of the instructor's responsibilities to ensure the eLearning experience is as compatible and comparable as possible to students' prior experience. Any online program may have to accommodate those who are limited to the choice of eLearning. This qualitative inquiry is deemed significant because of its attempt to discover a new tool that is suitable for a distributed learning environment. The Skype freeware enables course management system (CMS) users (i.e., the instructor and learners) to provide just-in-time clarification and information. Thus, learners can receive an immediate recognition of their courses of action, such as responsible and responsive participation in the course activities, which, in turn, encourages their autonomous and active or proactive learning on the Web. The audio tool also adds a high-touch, high-tech experience. Above all, a causal relationship between the three key elements of an instructional design approach is witnessed in this initial phase of analysis.
- Published
- 2005