Student perceptions of required student-to-student interactions in online courses

Abstract

Globalization has stretched the scope of the online learner population from a homogeneous profile of mostly adult, mostly employed, place-bound, goaloriented, and intrinsically motivated to one that is heterogeneous, younger, dynamic, and responsive to rapid technological innovations.This paper describes the emerging characteristics of the online learner and ensuing pedagogical implications and suggests that exploratory and dialogical online learning pedagogical models are most effective for supporting and promoting these characteristics.