Premium
Understanding interpersonal interaction in an online professional development course
Author(s) -
Githens Rod P.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
human resource development quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1532-1096
pISSN - 1044-8004
DOI - 10.1002/hrdq.1202
Subject(s) - interpersonal communication , psychology , socialization , interpersonal relationship , professional development , social psychology , social skills , social relation , online course , pedagogy , developmental psychology , mathematics education
This qualitative case study was designed to examine how interpersonal interaction benefited (and did not benefit) participants in an online professional development course. In recent years, e‐learning courses in workplace and organizational settings have begun to include interaction and dialogue among participants. This case study is an in‐depth exploration of interpersonal interaction and social presence within one such course. Notable findings include that (1) participants valued the sharing of specific case‐based knowledge by fellow participants, (2) some participants valued professional socialization with others in the field, (3) enthusiastic learners revealed complex and contradictory perspectives regarding interpersonal interaction, (4) facilitators needed to model social presence for participants, (5) some “inactive” participants were actually engaged, and (6) learners may seek online courses for purposes of intellectual safety.