Role Of Online Communication Research Articles

Interactive rhetoric for online learning environments

Limitations in communication modality and interactivity influence the use of language in an online environment, and conversely, language may be adapted to compensate for the online constraints. This is significant for participants in online learning environments (OLEs) who rely on written verbalization to achieve their educational objectives. Discourse analysis provides a means for understanding language and its role in online communication. The author introduces a new approach, called interactive rhetoric. Interactive rhetoric is a tool-oriented form of discourse analysis, treating language as a tool and using the tools of rhetorical analysis to understand and employ online language more effectively. While rhetorical analysis is typically associated with oratory and essay, the author argues that the OLE is uniquely suited to this approach.