A case study of online instructors and their quest for greater interactivity in their courses: Overcoming the distance in distance education

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the attitudes and experiences of seven online instructors in Teacher Education (three from the United States, four from Israel) pertaining to the deliberate efforts they make to build interaction into their web-based classes to support learning. In the tradition of cooperative inquiry, the use of purposive sampling and a semi-structured interview protocol provided the best opportunity to describe, rather than explain, the perspectives of these instructors who are currently teaching online and developing within this medium. Participants expressed the need to establish quality interactions throughout their distance courses, yet acknowledged barriers they perceive in attaining desired levels of human relationship. They also discussed the importance of collaboration, caring, and context when creating and teaching courses in an online environment.