flex-e-bility

The central assumption of Interactions in online education. Implications for theory and practice (Juwah, 2006) is that interaction is at the centre of learning’ (p.xv). This book is designed to critically examine as well as contribute ‘to the debate on the important phenomenon of interactions in online education from the theoretical, pedagogical, design, educational and sociocultural perspectives’ (p.2). Educational interactions are categorised as mainly learner to learner, learner to tutor to and learner to content. Learning is theorized as a cyclical phenomenon of three stages: conceptualization (interacting with concepts); construction (interacting with tasks); and dialogue (interacting with people). It is claimed that ‘technological developments, sound pedagogical underpinnings and the effective use of a diverse range of media now make it possible for designers of learning to create a sophisticated modes of interaction which engage, motivate, stimulate and ‘delight’ the learner’ (p.2).

Divided into four sections: theoretical and pedagogical perspectives; design and learning environment; practice; and professional development this text provides a valuable contribution to an understanding of interaction and instructional/education design using online technology.


Juwah, C. (Ed.). (2006). Interactions in online education. Implications for theory and practice. London: Routledge.