Determination of interaction type preferences of learners in Anadolu University open education system

Interaction is a crucial and indispensable component for open and distance learning. Anadolu University Open Education System provides its learners with a variety of services facilitating different interaction types. However, there is a gap in the current literature on interaction type preferences of Open Education System learners. The purpose of this study is to investigate learner preferences for interaction types, and demographical and educational variables related to learner preferences and thereby to fill the gap in the literature. In this study, an online questionnaire based on Interaction Equivalency Theorem was used to determine learner preferences for interaction types and to examine the relationship between learner characteristics and interaction type preferences. The questionnaire was completed by 696 learners enrolled in Open Education System. The results of this study revealed that learners preferred learner-teacher interaction in face-to-face courses and in their general learning processes. On the other hand, it was found that the learners preferred learner-content interaction in Open Education courses. In addition, Chi-Square Test and Multiple Correspondence Analysis results showed that there is no statistically significant relationship between interaction type preferences for Open Education courses and variables such as gender, number of children owned, department and marital status. However, a statistically significant relationship was found between interaction type preferences for Open Education courses and variables such as age, occupation, admission type, class and place of residence.