The following table provides a summary of the four types of online interaction that we have explored in this mini-series of posts. For fuller descriptions, click on the links.
| Type of interaction | Examples | Applications |
| Selecting | Multiple-choice questions Making selections within images Making selections within audio-visual events Rating scales Hyperlinks Menus |
These interactions are easy to set up, easy for the user to work with and easy for the application to act upon because the user is constrained in what they can select by the options that are made available. However, they do not allow the user a free choice and, in when used for assessment, test only for recognition of a right answer, not recall. |
| Supplying | Text input Numerical input Spoken input Drawing |
Here the user is given much more scope to make their input without the constraint of selecting from a list. These interactions are easy enough to set up but very hard for an application to act upon intelligently without extensive programming (think of all the code that’s used to process a search query). When used for assessment, all but the very simplest one word or numeric answers will need to be reviewed by an assessor. |
| Organising | Matching Sequencing |
These interactions are much less frequently used generally in online applications but have a very definite role to play in interactive learning materials. |
| Exploring | Scrolling Zooming and panning Audio and video transport controls Stepping backwards and forwards through a sequence of items Rotating a 3D image Moving an avatar in a 3D space |
The purpose of these interactions is not to gather information that the application can process, but rather to provide the user with an opportunity to search within a space or body of content. These interactions are engaging and immersive, and so have a valuable role to play in more user-centred online learning resources. |