A study of learners' perceptions of the interactivity of web-based instruction

A well designed interaction mechanism creates a shortcut to learning. However, there is little research which analyzes learners' perceptions of the interface as they interact with WBI, especially from the human-interaction perspective. This study is therefore designed to provide a new framework to design systems with different degrees of interaction, and to examine learners' perceptions of these interaction elements. Forty-five subjects participated in the experiment. The results show that increased interactivity levels directly influence learners' perceived interactivity, perceived ease of use and usefulness, and satisfaction. It is noteworthy that the interactivity levels perceived by the designers and learners are different. We hope that designers can adopt different degrees of interactivity as suggested by the study results to design WBI systems that will best facilitate various learners' learning needs.