Designing Interaction Experiences

1. Designing Interaction Experiences Ellen D. Wagner, Ph.D. Director, Global Higher Education Macromedia, Inc.

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3. DESCRIPTION • This session presents a brief overview of variables affecting interaction and proposes an environmental model for consideration. • It offers suggestions for creating interaction experiences that are empirically based and focuses on maximizing learning outcomes.

4. RATIONALE • Interaction is the most debated construct in the world of technology mediated learning design and development. • In these settings, interaction is the defining attribute of the quality and value • Interactivity (equated with interaction) is the most expensive component of a technology mediated learning design.

5. THE EVOLVING INTERACTION LANDSCAPE THEORIES (learning, pedagogy, communication) PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT (instructional design, performance support) EXPERIENCE (technology, tools, connectivity)

6. BUT WAIT! WE HAVEN’T DEFINED IT YET… • Interactions are reciprocal events that require at least two objects and two actions. • Interactions occur when the objects and events mutually influence one another. Wagner, E.D. (1994)

7. INTERACTION AS TRANSACTION • Education offers a continuum of transactions from less distance, where there is greater interaction and less structure, to more distance, where there may be less interaction and more structure. McIsaac, M. and Gunawardena, C. 1996

8. THEORY OF TRANSACTIONAL DISTANCE (Moore)* • A pedagogical theory that examines the effect that distance has on instruction and learning. • It focused on shifts in understanding and perception created by the separation of teachers and learners • Primary variables are structure (course design) and dialogue (communication between instructors and learners during implementation) • Distance is a concept defined in the relationship between structure and dialogue *cited in Moore, M.G. and Kearsley, G. 1995

9. TRANSACTIONAL DISTANCE THEORY, EXTENDED • Jung’s (2001) extension of Moore’s theory included: • Infrastructure - content expandability, content adaptability, visual layout • Dialogue - academic interaction, collaborative interaction, interpersonal interaction • Learner collaboration – The degree and quality of engagement with others • Learner autonomy – The degree and quality of independence

10. TYPES OF INTERACTION • Learner-Instructor: dialogue between the learner and instructor • Learner-Learner: the dialogue between/among students • Learner-Content: The materials a learner needs to interact with to extend understanding • Learner-Interface: The learner’s ability to use the communication medium facilitating the online course Moore, 1989 Hillman, Willis and Gunawardena, 1994

11. SOCIAL PRESENCE • (Social) presence refers to the degree to which an individual feels or is seen as real by colleagues working in an online context. • When a learner has a higher degree of social presence they are more likely to feel connected to the group, which in turn leads to greater satisfaction and reduces the likelihood that the learner will leave the environment. (Moller, 1998)

12. PERCEPTIONS OF PRESENCE • Audio feedback is one of the most important features for engendering a sense of presence • Ease of navigation within a virtual environment impact perceptions of presence Jelfs and Whitelock (2000)

13. TRANSFORMING THE LEARNER-CENTERED EXPERIENCE Engagement Contextual Active Ownership Social ENCOURAGES IS IS IS REQUIRES DEEPER LEARNING www.west.asu.edu/nlii/learning.htm

14. STEP BY STEP LEARNING DESIGNS High DEEPER LEARNING MASTERY LEARNING TIME ON LEARNING TASK COMPETENCY BASED LEARNING DECISION SUPPORT Low PERFORMANCE SUPPORT Complex Simple LEARNING TASK

15. Participation Communication Engagement Feedback Elaboration Motivation Negotiation Teambuilding Discovery Exploration Clarification Closure INTERACTION OUTCOMES Wagner, E.D. (1999)

16. We Imagine Macromedia imagines a world where every digital interaction – whether in the living room, the office, the beach or the car – is a smart, simple efficient and engaging experience. Where the true capabilities of digital experiences emanate from every interface.

17. I N T E R A C T I O N A CTIVE EXPERIENCE Interactive Experience

18. From Read Only to Read / Write FROM READ ONLY TO READ / WRITE

19. FROM INFORMATION HUNTER / GATHERER TO INFORMATION FINDING YOU We are making experience better everywhere it goes.

20. User visible experience Goals, tasks, perspective Experience Received Rich Client Look & feel Behavior and flow Practices & guidelines Runtime The Experience Layer Rich client framework Components, behaviors, Managers, languages Experience Created Server Server framework Data management, experience metrics, Debugging, profiling, security Shared objects Web services App servers DBS THE EXPERIENCE LAYER

21. AN ENVIRONMENTAL MODEL FOR CREATINGINTERACTIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCES PEDAGOGY (Teaching Design) Learning Design Instructional Theories Learning Theories The Experience Layer Discover Communicate Explore (Learning) Content EPISTOMOLOGIES ONTOLOGIES Clarify TAXONOMIES Close METADATA INTERACTION OUTCOMES Motivate Engage Participate Reflect

23. Thanks for joining me today. For more information, including citations, please feel free to contact me: ewagner@macromedia.com +1.415.613.2690