Promoting Learner-Learner Interactions through Ecological Assessments of the Online Environment

As the number of learners engaging in online education increases, a growing body of literature is developing to recommend best practices for instructors. Typically, these recommendations are oriented to a particular aspect of interaction based on Moore’s (1989) extended framework, to include learner­-instructor; learner­-learner; learner­-content; learner­-interface interactions, with a recent emphasis on the importance of learner­-learner interactions. However, online instructors and learners operate within a complex environment in which many aspects can have a direct impact on the instructor’s ability to facilitate learner-learner interactions. If online education providers and instructors hope to successfully adopt practices to promote learner­-learner interaction, an assessment of the environment in which they operate to determine appropriate courses of action is warranted. In this article, a tool for examining the learning environment is presented, and implications for practice are provided.