Share Paper: Understanding Interactivity in Online Learning Environments: The Role of Social Presence & Cognitive Absorption in Student Satisfaction

  1. Peter Leong, University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
  2. Curtis Ho, University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
  3. Shuqiang Zhang, University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
Friday, October 28 10:00-10:30 AM Junior Ballroom B

Abstract: Interaction has been identified as one of the major constructs in distance education research. However, a major obstacle facing researchers studying interaction and interactivity is that these terms have not been clearly or functionally defined to make the concept of interaction measurable and useful. Researchers studying interactions in computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems have used social presence theory to analyze interaction, communication and collaborative learning. Social presence has been determined to be a strong predictor of satisfaction within a CMC environment. Another vein of research that may shed some light on interaction and satisfaction in online learning environments is cognitive absorption ...