Student preparedness for interaction in an online learning environment

Abstract

This paper reports the preliminary results of a study exploring the level of student preparedness for university online learning environments. The focus of this paper is interaction. Students in an introductory computer education course were asked to rate their level of preparedness for 12 competencies considered necessary for online interaction. Results showed that students felt 'very prepared' for only one competency, 'prepared' for six competencies, and 'poorly prepared for five competencies. Critically, the competencies students felt they were poorly prepared were those that support interactions for online learning environments designed within the social constructivist paradigm. The independent variables of sex, age, and level of study were found to have no significant influence on student self-reported levels of preparedness.