Instructor-Learner-Content Interaction

Learner-content interaction is the heart of the constructivist learning process that takes place when a learner copes with contents. This interactive process involves the construction of new bodies of knowledge based on past experience, on reprocessing the learnt content and on the construction of new concepts, which are internalised (Vygotsky, 1978; Moore, 1989; Vrasidas, 2000). However, during virtual teaching the learners conduct interactions with learning contents while the amount of information and material grows and it becomes difficult to continue to interact with all these materials (Wagner, 1994; Lewis, 1999).

Thus on-line courses need to be based on simple navigating methods that are understood by the users (Wilson and Ryder, 1988; Rheingold, 1993; Anderson and Garrison, 1998; Goldstein, 2001; Djoudi & Harous, 2001). Knowledge flows from every location to every location and it is accessible to all at any place and time (Kiesker, 1997). Thus what can be provided to the learners are data, the learners can use their own abilities or the help of an instructor to turn these data into knowledge (Brooks & Brooks, 1993).

The conclusion drawn from this is that the teacher needs to design the learning environment to enable this ability to be cultivated. Applying the data in data-in- the-making, problem-solving and invention of alternatives is what turns the data into knowledge. However there are also obviously many advantages since distance-learning facilitates an encounter with learners from all over the world, such as those in courses and seminars thus providing many possibilities for 'just-in-time' learning (Killion, 2002). The computer-mediated environment enables each learner to learn according to their own field of interest, even if there are only a small number of learners who are interested in studying the particular subject (Dede, 1990).

Margalit (2004) explains the use of a simple technology 'headers discourse' intended to make more intelligent use of the medium of forums and electronic post and to realise the additional learning/ teaching potential that they embody.

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Technology uses the formats of forums and electronic post as they are by creating an explicit 'headers discourse' that is clear, visible, continuous, effective, short, intelligent and economical, indicating something about the substance of the discourse even before opening the messages. Participants in a discussion agree to maintain the following rules for correspondence: those who write messages on a forum or e-mail include the key word of the discussion in the header indicating the subject of the discussion, followed by a colon and then the key sentence of the message – a sentence that represents the concept expressed in the message in the best possible way. This method makes it easy for the discussion participants to swiftly skim the substance of the discussion and of the message or mail that is relevant for them. The participants' ability to use headers improves and they derive knowledge from them through the autonomous creation of and reading of headers.

In comparison to traditional learning in the classroom, teleprocessed learning has a character of more self-direction, where reinforcement is provided not by teachers, but rather from the contents. Thus the contents in an on-line course should be partially interactive to encourage the learner's motivation. The planning of contents should therefore respond to the different learning styles of the learners (Moore & Kearsley, 1996; Anderson & Garrison, 1998; Mabrito, 2005). In order to ensure that their courses arouse and promote effective interaction, the course instructors need to ensure that the organisation of the contents is easy for surfing and orientation (LaMonica, 2001). Mabrito (2005) suggests planning the learning space in a course in a functional manner that is clear to students from the first glance. Students need to see all the areas and categories of contents in the course to facilitate identification and surfing.

According to the Usability Principles suggested by Nielsen (2000) for good websites, students should be able to reach each page of contents in the site with three clicks of the mouse. Another consideration in the planning of interaction with learning materials is connected with the format of the sources of knowledge. Most lecturers base their work on written textual materials, but some students are not cognitively disposed to the textual sources of knowledge

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and they prefer to see the contents in the form of rich graphical presentations or video clips, some others prefer oral or video files as samples alongside text. It is therefore recommended that different types of data sources should be integrated within the course site, and not to suffice with a few textual materials (Marbito). A difficult problem that remains is that students do not always read the texts (Rossman, 1995; Carr-Chellman & Duchastel, 2000; Mills, 2000) so that Stodel et al. (2006) noted that it is often necessary in on-line courses to create interest and enthusiasm by focusing on several in-depth subjects instead of a rapid transition between contents and subjects.

Informal writing on the forum helps the learners to perform meaningful interaction with the contents that differs in substance from the interaction that takes place during formal writing in a traditional class (Funaro & Montell, 1999). Intensified involvement of learners in a forum contributes to the level of discussion. LaGrandeur (1996) added that electronic discussions help learners to become more aware of the literacy process – to recognise the value of writing rough drafts, revising the drafting of their arguments, and presenting references for their ideas on their way to composing a complete article. In addition, the quality of the writing on a forum is higher because the writers have time and opportunities to edit their work (Anderson, 1996). However, a study by Salant (2004) found that pupils with low linguistic skills were liable to have inferior status in a forum because this tool only enabled the entering of textual data.

Who possesses the knowledge at the initial stages of on-line teaching and at later stages? Exposure of knowledge removes the knowledge from the teacher's possession (Baraniuk, 2008) creating a 'frightening' situation, no less, in which the students, may use it as if it were theirs, for example they can read it in their own order, performing actions from the end to the beginning etc. Even if it is a book or video-film that is possessed, the student can choose how to use the provided information. In the on-line environment in which the information is displayed in many different structures, 'the intolerable ease' of

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turning pages, searching, cutting, copying and pasting turn the freedom of choice into a definitely larger management of knowledge.

2.5.3 Learner-Instructor Interaction

Learner-instructor interaction takes place between the learner and an expert who transmits contents or prepares and arranges them. This interaction aims to improve the learner's motivation to learn, to assist learning and to modify the teaching methods to the learner's needs (Wilson & Ryder, 1988; Moore, 1989). In learner-instructor face-to-face relations the interaction is synchronic and usually occurs in real-time in a classroom. In learning through the Internet, interaction occurs outside the classroom and can be in real-time or time delayed thus enabling participants to think and deliberate before responding. Interaction of this kind spreads out over a large range of possibilities from the receipt of contents written by the instructor on the site, to a dialogue in which the learner asks questions and receives answers concerning the content and processes that are happening on the site. The teacher listens to questions, answers, providing feedback and encourages the learner (Moore, 1989; Moore and Kearsley, 1996; Vrasidas, 2000; Mayes, 2001; LaMonica, 2001; Lynch, 2002; Anderson, 2003; Mabrito, 2005).

According to Garrison & Anderson (2004) the success of distance-learning depends on the ability of the instructor to create a learning environment that engenders the learners' motivation for a significant advance in meaningful learning and creation of products.

The learner's interaction with the teacher is characterised by different features (Moore & Kearsley, 1996; LaMonica, 2001; Lynch, 2002; Mabrito, 2005): The lone distance-learners should receive the sense that there is value in their investment and that someone waits for and reacts in a constructive manner to each of their learning steps (Tagg & Dickeson, 1995). Gelbart (2000) notes the importance of providing a prompt reaction to learner requests in a distance- teaching course, more than would be given in a face-to-face lesson, as a factor that increases the learners' confidence and motivation for the course, since

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distance-learners need far more encouragement and support (Anderson & Garrison, 1998; Goldstein, 2001; Galland, 2002). It is therefore important that the time-span of the teacher's reply should not take longer than 24 hours (Kubala, 2000). Learners participating in virtual courses may feel isolated in a virtual space. One way to overcome such difficulties is to maintain virtual reception hours, in which questions can be asked and an immediate reply received, providing swift feedback (within a few days) for tasks presented for inspection, and conducting regular weekly communication with the learners, including richly written messages, in which the teachers can encourage learners to turn to them with any question. In this way, a sense of friendship and community among colleagues and between the teacher and each learner is created (Serwatka, 2002). Romeo (2001) found that adult students took an on-line course because they believed that they would have more contact with the teacher and would receive more feedback for their work in comparison to a face-to-face course. Mullen & Tallent-Runnels (2005) found that students felt that the teacher's attentiveness in the on-line environment was different from that in a traditional classroom, since the teacher encouraged each student to participate and offer opinions, to present personal examples and provide material.