Interactivity: From Agents to Outcomes

In the world of distance learning, very few topics have generated as much debate as the construct of interactivity. Distance learning practitioners—particularly instructors and program administrators—seem to view interactivity as the defining attribute of a contemporary distance learning experience. That is, the interactivity enabled by two-way technologies providing real-time exchanges of audio, video, text, and graphical information among distributed participants serves as one of distance learning’s primary identifying characteristics. The use of interactive technologies in a distance learning enterprise also contributes to perceptions of distance learning quality. For example, distance learning experiences that use interactive compressed video may be perceived as being “better” than a distance learning experience using workbooks and videotapes. For critics, interactivity is frequently noted as the missing ingredient when comparing distance learning experiences with traditional face-to-face learning experiences. For proponents of distance learning, interactivity offers the evidence on which to build a case that a distance learning experience is just as good, if not better than, a traditional face-to-face learning experience.