Learner+to+Instructor+Interaction

“Development of the student-teacher relationship [is] the key to the success of distance education” ( Simonson, Schlosser, & Hanson, 1999, p. 63 ).

Student-centered learning is the prevailing philosophy of e-learning, which relegates the instructor to the role of mentor, or facilitator ( Blanchard, 2011; Levine, 2005 ), providing the necessary scaffolding to promote learning and self-reliance in the learner ( Cercone, 2008 ). Through a supportive and nurturing relationship with the instructor;
 * students have shown greater satisfaction with online courses ( Ali & Ahmad, 2011; Jackson, Jones, & Rodriguez, 2010; Shea, Fredericksen, & Pickett, 2006 ),
 * increased motivation in learning ( Al-Fahad, 2010; Omar, Kalulu, Belmasrour, 2011; Park & Choi, 2009; Pigliapoco & Bogliolo, 2008; Varvel, 2001 ), and
 * greater learning outcomes ( Abrami, Bernard, Bures, Borokhovski, & Tamim, 2010; Boling, Hough, Krinsky, Saleem, & Stevens, 2011; Jackson et al., 2010; Martinez-Caro, 2011; Pelz, 2010 ).

**Learner-instructor interactivity**
The literature suggests that student satisfaction and accomplishments increase in online classes as the instructor takes on the role of mentor and facilitator ( Blanchard, Hinchey, & Bennett, 2011; Levine, 2005 ), while students “become active participants in learning” ( Yang & Cornelious, 2005, Ensuring Effective Online Instruction, para. 3; see also, Donovant, 2009; Ferguson & DeFelice, 2010; Gunawardena, Linder-VanBerschot, LaPointe, & Rao, 2010 ). The “strongest predictor of learning” ( p. 578 ) according to Martinez-Caro (2011) is the quantity of interaction between instructor and student, while the lack of face-to-face interactions is the most significant contributor to student dissatisfaction with online learning ( Donovant, 2009 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">). Of the seven most significant factors contributing to a learner’s satisfaction, four are directly related to the instructor’s skills or the amount of interaction they have with students ( Chyung & Vachon, 2005; see also Jackson et al., 2010 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">).

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Learner-instructor strategies**
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Cercone (2008) suggested several strategies for nurturing the learner-instructor relationship. These strategies included; <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Each of these strategies demonstrates a caring and present facilitator that wants to assist the student to increase their knowledge and understanding. //[The content of this page are excerpts from Watts (2012).]//
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">providing sufficient scaffolding to encourage the student without dominating the discussion,
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">focusing on issues that relate directly to the student, and
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">introducing collaborative activities that allow students to work with others and report their findings to the class as a whole. Collaborative activities were also suggested as a means of addressing different student learning styles by Palloff and Pratt (2003).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Jackson et al. (2010) suggested “prompt feedback, use of humor or emoticons, referring to the student by name in written communication, discussion prompts, and sharing of personal examples” ( p. 81 <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">) as a means of facilitating the student-teacher relationship, and increasing student satisfaction.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Social presence and equitable student attention were identified by Ke (2010) as traits that motivate student learning and connectedness.


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 * = References ||
 * * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Abrami, P. C., Bernard, R. M., Bures, E. M., Borokhovski, E., & Tamim, R. (2010, July). //Interaction in distance education and online learning: Using evidence and theory to improve practice. The Evolution from Distance Education to Distributed Learning//. Symposium conducted at Memorial Union Biddle Hotel, Bloomington, IN. Retrieved from http://www.aect.org/events/symposia/Docs/InteractionDEnext120510.pdf
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Al-Fahad, F. N. (2010). The learners’ satisfaction toward online e-learning implemented in the college of applied studies and community service, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia: Can e-learning replace the conventional system of education? //Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education (TOJDE), 11//(2), 61-72. Retrieved from https://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ali, A., & Ahmad, I. (2011). Key factors for determining students’ satisfaction in distance learning courses: A study of Allama Iqbal Open University. //Contemporary Educational Technology, 2//(2), 118-134. Retrieved from []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Blanchard, R. D., Hinchey, K. T., & Bennett, E. E. (2011, April). //Literature review of residents as teachers from an adult learning perspective//. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Boling, E. C., Hough, M., Krinsky, H., Saleem, H., & Stevens, M. (2011). Cutting the distance in distance education: Perspectives on what promotes positive, online learning experiences. //Internet and Higher Education// (Advance online publication). doi:10.1016/j.iheduc.2011.11.006
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Cercone, K. (2008). Characteristics of adult learners with implications for online learning design. //Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education Journal (AACE), 16//(2), 137-159. Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/j/AACEJ
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Chyung, S. Y., & Vachon, M. (2005). An investigation of the profiles of satisfying and dissatisfying factors in e-learning. //Performance Improvement Quarterly, 59//(3), 227-245. doi:10.1177/0741713609331546
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Donavant, B. W. (2009) The new, modern practice of adult education: Online instruction in a continuing professional education setting. //Adult Education Quarterly, 59//(3), 227‐245. doi:10.1177/0741713609331546
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ferguson, J. M., & DeFelice, A. E. (2010). Length of online course and student satisfaction, perceived learning, and academic performance. //International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11//(2), 73-84. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Gunawardena, C. N., Linder-VanBerschot, J. A., LaPointe, D. K., & Rao, L. (2010). Predictors of learner satisfaction and transfer of learning in a corporate online education program. //The American Journal of Distance Education, 24//(1), 207-226. doi:10.1080/08923647.2010.522919
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Jackson, L. C., Jones, S. J., & Rodriguez, R. C. (2010). Faculty actions that result in student satisfaction in online courses. //Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14//(4), 78-96. Retrieved from http://jaln.sloanconsortium.org/index.php/jaln
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Ke, F. (2010). Examining online teaching, cognitive, and social presence for adult students. //Computers & Education, 55//, 808-820. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.03.013
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Levine, S. J. (Ed.) (2005). //Making distance education work: Understanding learning and learners at a distance//. Okemos, MI: LearnerAssociates.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Martinez‐Caro, E. (2011). Factors affecting effectiveness in e‐learning: An analysis in production management courses. //Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 19//(3), 572‐581. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cae.v19.3/issuetoc
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Omar, A., Kalulu, D., & Belmasrour, R. (2011). Enhanced instruction: The future of e-learning. //International Journal of Education Research, 6//(1), 21-37. Retrieved from http://www. journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-research/
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Palloff, R., & Pratt, K. (2003). //The virtual student: A profile and guide to working with online learners//. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Park, J.-H., & Choi, H. J. (2009). Factors influencing adult learners’ decision to drop out or persist in online learning. //Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 12//(4), 207-217. Retrieved from http://www.ifets.info/journals/12_4/18.pdf
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Pelz, B. (2010). (My) three principles of effective online pedagogy. //Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 14//(1), 103-116. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Pigliapoco, E. E., & Bogliolo, A. A. (2008). The effects of psychological sense of community in online and face-to-face academic courses. //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning, 3 //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">(4), 60-69. Retrieved from http://www.online-journals.org/i-jet
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Shea, P., Fredericksen, E., & Pickett, A. (2006). Student satisfaction and perceived learning with on-line courses: Principles and examples from the SUNY learning network. //Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 4//(2), 2-31. Retrieved from http://sloanconsortium.org/publications/jaln_main
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Simonson, M., Schlosser, C., & Hanson, D. (1999). Theory and distance education: A new discussion. //American Journal of distance Education, 13//(1), 60-75. doi:10.1080/08923649909527014
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Varvel, V. E., Jr. (2001). //Facilitating every student in an online course//. Retrieved from []
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Watts, S. W. (2012). //Learner relationships//. Unpublished Manuscript, Department of Education, Northcentral University, Prescott Valley, AZ.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 90%;">Yang, Y., & Cornelious, L. F. (2005). Preparing instructors for quality online instruction. //Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 8//(1). Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring81/yang81.htm ||