Identifying Effective Metrics in Instructor–Student Interaction in Virtual Education

Abstract

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted with the aim of designing and validating an indigenous and comprehensive model for virtual education, focusing on identifying and strengthening effective interaction between instructors and students in Iranian universities. The research was implemented using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach. In the qualitative phase, employing a phenomenological method and interviews with 12 experts, the dimensions and components of the initial model were extracted. In the quantitative phase, the proposed model was tested using a researcher-developed questionnaire (89 items) and a sample of 379 students from universities in Golestan Province. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling in PLS and SPSS software. The findings led to the design and validation of a six-dimensional model that explains effective interaction based on educational, communicative, emotional-psychological, and technological dimensions. The components of “active student participation” and “quality of instructor feedback” were identified as the strongest indicators of interaction. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed good model fit and significant path coefficients (all above 0.79). The proposed model provides a systematic and indigenous framework for understanding and improving interaction in virtual education in Iran. This model indicates that achieving high-quality interaction requires moving beyond a one-way information transmission paradigm toward activating instructional design, sustained bidirectional communication, and simultaneous attention to emotional and technical dimensions. Application of this model can serve as a basis for developing practical strategies for instructors, instructional designers, and policymakers.