Social activities are important in education

The process of learning in the academic environment is not only related to individual efforts in acquisition of knowledge and skills, but it is also based on social interaction between the users and the instructor, as well as the users themselves.

That is why, in order for an educational process to be successful, it is not enough for the participants of online courses to only receive the information available in the literature and electronic sources, but to get help and support in acquiring the educational content through the communication with the instructor, as well as feedback about their success and way of work.

Participation in a joint educational process is an opportunity for informal contact and fulfilling different social needs for the participants. Social aspect in group education is especially important because the communication influences the motivation of the participants , as well as to achieve a greater sense of security and satisfaction among the students with participation in group instruction and the knowledge and skills acquired in that process.

In distance education there is a trend of intensifying social interaction (where the so-called "we-learning" systems are emphasized) supported by social software, as well as social network analysis tools on the Internet.

Experience in using online education systems showed that insufficient or inadequate communication with the instructor are among the most common causes of frustration.

Tips & tricks: Conduct a poll among participants of online courses about the causes of their (dis)content and difficulties in mastering the online educational requirements, and research how it is possible to provide a positive influence on their success and motivation by introducing and innovating the communication methods with the instructor.