Four types of interaction to overcome challenges of e-learning solutions

Online education is growing rapidly within all levels of education. Notwithstanding this dramatic growth, research suggests that online learning curriculum designers and instructors in both developed and developing countries are unaware of the foundational theories relating to student interaction and involvement, which leads to lack of interaction and student isolation. Moreover, research suggests that course dropout rates among distance learners are significantly higher than those of traditional campus-based students, and that many educators remain unaware of the basics of how online education programs operate. Despite these obstacles, the Ministry of Labor in Colombia (SENA) has been able to successfully implement a nationwide e-learning program aimed at raising the level of English of over 1.5 million Colombians. Using the SENA program as a case study, the authors show how the challenges described in the literature can be overcome using four types of interactions combined with innovative technological tools and effective pedagogical approaches.