Increasing Interpersonal Interactions in an Online Course: Does Increased Instructor E-mail Activity and a Voluntary In-Person Meeting Time Facilitate Student Learning?

Abstract

Distance learning is expanding rapidly in universities. While theoretical and qualitative literature stress the critical role of effective interpersonal interactions in motivating students and facilitating learning in online environments, quantitative evidence on the benefits of increased interpersonal interactions on student learning outcomes is limited. This study examines the effect of providing a voluntary meeting time and increasing instructor e-mail activity on student grades in a fully online Pre-Calculus course at a public university. Student selection into courses was minimal since students only had access to one condition at a time. We further use a propensity score matching strategy to address demographic variations in student characteristics across cohorts. Our results indicate that the increased interpersonal interaction opportunities increased final exam scores by 0.22 standard deviations and improved passing rates by 19 percentage points. The Rosenbaum’s sensitivity analysis indicates that it is unlikely that these results are due to omitted variable bias.

A systematic review of research on online teaching and learning from 2009 to 2018

“…This was the second most studied theme under engagement. Researchers examined increasing interpersonal interactions ( Cung et al, 2018 ), learner-learner interactions ( Phirangee, 2016 ; Shackelford & Maxwell, 2012 ; Tawfik et al, 2018 ), peer-peer interaction ( Comer et al, 2014 ), learner-instructor interaction ( Kuo et al, 2014 ), learner-content interaction ( Zimmerman, 2012 ), interaction through peer mentoring ( Ruane & Koku, 2014 ), interaction and community building ( Thormann & Fidalgo, 2014 ), and interaction in discussions ( Ruane & Lee, 2016 ; Tibi, 2018 ).…”

Email Use Reconsidered in Health Professions Education: Viewpoint

“…Although academics in the late 1980s were reluctant to adopt this new method of communication [ 29 ], email has now replaced other modes of communication in higher education [ 14 ]. Email is used in traditional and web-based learning environments to facilitate class activities, enable mentoring and collaboration, and disseminate course information and assignments [ 30 - 32 ]. Email is also incorporated into educational environments to facilitate learning and engagement [ 33 ].…”

“…Moreover, emails sent by course instructors help to motivate students toward successful learning outcomes [ 34 ]. The instantaneous and continuous nature of email permits increased interaction between faculty and students, which is crucial for increasing the quality of education and facilitating an effective learning environment [ 30 ]. The asynchronous feature of email supports the careful construction of questions and responses by allowing each party to consider their message before sending [ 34 ].…”

Email Use Reconsidered in Health Professions Education: Viewpoint (Preprint)

“…Although academics in the late 1980s were reluctant to adopt this new method of communication [29], email has now replaced other modes of communication in higher education [14]. Email is used in traditional and web-based learning environments to facilitate class activities, enable mentoring and collaboration, and disseminate course information and assignments [30][31][32]. Email is also incorporated into educational environments to facilitate learning and engagement [33].…”