Emotion and On-line Learning

Traditionally, emotion and cognition have been viewed as polar opposites and this view has been incorporated into theories of learning. One reason for this may be a lack of clarity in defining emotion. In fact there are some other perspectives on how emotion and cognition, emotion and learning, are related. These considerations emerge with renewed vigor with the move to online learning. The present author has interviewed about twenty students who often study online. These students insist that emotions are critical to their online learning. Evidence from the literature and the interviews show us that emotion is essential to the teaching/ learning process.