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Introduction

K-12 Online Learning is Growing

• 1,000,000 K-12 students are involved in online learning
• 47 states have significant K-12 programs
• Michigan and Alabama require high school students to take online courses
• Several other states including Idaho have proposed similar requirements
  

One drawback to online learning models is a lack of quality interactions which can contribute to:

• low sense of community
• sense of isolation
  
• higher dropout rates
• cheating
• others?
  

Although interactions have been correlated with positive course outcomes in a higher education setting, little research has been done on the K-12 setting. Differences in the K-12 environment make it difficult to generalize higher education finding to the K-12 setting.

• Lower self-regulation abilities
  
• less motivation
• need for more social interactions

The purpose of this study is to examine how interactions affect positive course outcomes in a K-12 setting.

Literature Review

Moore’s Three Forms of Interaction

• Forms

§ Learner-instructor

§ Learner-content

§ Learner-Learner

§ Need for two additional forms of interaction: Learner-Parent and Parent-Instructor

• Nature of Interaction
  

§ Social

§ Procedural

§ Content

Benifits of interactions (review research studies)

Gaps in the research

• K-12 context
  
• parental interactions
• account for self-regulation abilities

Research questions

•