Social Interaction and Effectiveness of the Online Learning - A Moderating Role of Maintaining Social Distance during the Pandemic COVID-19

Abstract

Social interaction is more of a necessity than a desire for human beings. Traditional classrooms provide ample opportunity for learners and instructors to engage in social interaction. However, in online learning, learners are present at remote locations and hence interaction may not be so efficient due to technical paradox. The pandemic of COVID-19 has pushed most of the classroom learning to an online environment with which most of the people were not familiar. This study aims to investigate the importance of social interaction on the effectiveness of online learning during the pandemic when social distancing norms are in place. The results suggested that social interaction has a positive significant impact on the effectiveness of online learning. However, this effect is reduced in the presence of social distance norms as people give more importance to continuous learning, and saving lives rather than socializing in the online environment. The study will be helpful for instructors and educational institutes to formalize the strategies to enhance social interaction in online learning and analyze their pedagogy to improve effectiveness.

Keywords: Social interaction, effectiveness, online, learning, social distance, COVID-19, pandemic, e-learning