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Background of the Problem Over the last five years,
the use of the Internet has accelerated beyond any prediction, and the specific explosion of the World Wide Web ("Web") is mind-boggling (Khan, 1997). Business and entertainment uses of the Web are skyrocketing (Martin,
1997), and so are the efforts to effectively apply educational applications (Gates, 1996). The use of online environments for educational purposes is increasing, as well as the variety and sophistication of the online
instructional environments (Collis, 1997). Also, advanced technologies, such as the Web, and their applications are constantly under evolution. Therefore, online learning, has remained a somewhat elusive research topic,
and as well presents the problem of ever-increasing complexity. Despite the constant changes in the technology, some facets of online environments have remained fairly consistent. Online communication,
through email, computer conferencing, and other computer-mediated-communication (CMC) offers an efficient and motivating method for engaging people (Kaye, 1992). The interaction among students in online educational
settings is greatly increased in comparison to traditional settings (Harasim et al., 1995). Also, the enormous amounts and range of online resources on the Internet offers students in online courses access to knowledge
and information like no other medium in history. With the huge increase in on-line communication, and specifically on-line education, the importance of assessing the effectiveness of utilizing
Web-based applications for the delivery of instruction is crucial as we move into a new educational paradigm. Course structure over the Internet continues to undergo changes and upgrades. At this point in the evolution
of environments, Web-based courses have these characteristics: (a) asynchronous (can also have synchronous elements); (b) geographically boundless; and (c) based mostly on dialogue and written text. Also, sound,
video, and a variety of graphics are increasingly becoming components of Web-based courses. An important aspect of this area centers around the "interactivity components" and how these contribute to successful
"online learning communities" (Winn, 1997). Linda Harasim (1990), a recognized leader in on-line learning, asks these appropriate questions concerning "interacting in hyperspace": How do we create effective on-line
learning communities? How do we use asynchronous communications appropriately? What kinds of collaboration are possible in on-line learning communities? Michael Beaudoin, editor of The Third Distance Education Research
Symposium: Instruction (ACSDE, 1995), identified interaction as the key component in delivering effective distance education, and the concept warranting the greatest need for research. Those examples make clear
the importance of studies that investigate the issue of interaction within a social-dialogical based online learning community. The following types of interaction components (adapted from Moore, 1989) are possibly very
influential in the delivery of successful Web-based online educational environments:
(1) peer interaction (social, academic, reflective, collaborative, etc.); (2) student-teacher interaction;
(3) interaction with the technological components (hardware and software); and, (4) content-student interaction with the course material, online responses, as well as the Web/Internet resources.
Research is needed to help us understand these types of online interaction, and more importantly link them to theoretical frameworks. It is critical, amidst all the excitement about the potential of the
Web's technological capacity for delivering effective educational experiences that research link theory to practice. Applying sound pedagogical principles is paramount, lest this innovation become yet another failing
fad. Many educational researchers have begun to investigate the processes involved in linking Web-based instruction to educational theory (Reeves & Reeves, 1997), and to instructional design (Bannan & Milheim,
1997), as well as examine how Web-based education might support specific pedagogical principles, such as collaborative learning (Harasim, Calvert, & Groeneboer, 1997). A particularly promising
pedagogical approach, constructivism, provided an epistemological background for this study. It seems to be emerging as an effective approach to learning and teaching, and as well, seems to align itself with the
functional aspects of Web-based virtual learning experiences, as a segment of a broader distance learning paradigm. That is, in online learning environments, learners are at a distance, and though independent (at their
separate computers), are part of the online learning community which uses language (mostly through dialogue) as the mediator of learning. This coincides with the constructivists' idea that learners negotiate meaning
within a community of learners (Rogoff, 1994), in more real-world activity and problems (Lave & Wegner, 1991). The basic assumptions are as follows:
- Learning occurs from a high level of interaction within a social-dialogical based learning environment (Jonassen et al., 1995) which is learner-centered.
- Learning is the construction of personally relevant knowledge
- The teacher acts as facilitator, moderator, coach, manager, and guide for students who are fairly self-directed.
There seems to be overlap between constructivist thinking and advanced online computer technology-mediated education (e.g., Web-based, computer conferencing). The principles that
constructivists posit are almost exactly the same claims made by designers and developers and early adopters of advanced instructional technology (e.g., Duffy & Jonassen, 1991). It is clear that there would be
educational value in assessing these emerging online environments in terms of constructivist theoretical frameworks. This unique and new educational environment, which is a complex medium of instructional
delivery, demands the need for changes in pedagogy, and learner and instructor behaviors (Harasim et al., 1995). To help meet demands, it is obvious that thorough investigation of this phenomenon is absolutely crucial.
We need to more clearly understand the learning processes that occur in online Web-based environments. Perhaps even more, from a broader perspective, we need to investigate what kinds of instructional strategies can be
effectively supported in which specific types of technology-mediated environments. In particular, there is a need to understand how constructivist instructional and learning principles may be applicable for certain
types of delivery, and to understand how the processes might be supported and facilitated. |
