This study examines the possibility of using vicarious interaction for effective learning support in large
web-based courses, which have grown in numbers with expansion of lifelong learning and MOOCs. The
study has analyzed prior research on effectiveness of vicarious interaction in web-based courses, and based
on this, we redesigned or developed some of the large lectures with 300 students provided by Open
University A. Then we conducted a survey for those who took the newly developed courses, asking their
understanding and learning interest in the courses using vicarious interaction, and analyzed their perceived
preference and effect about vicarious interaction. The results show that the learners have shown a positive
response to the contents using(based on) vicarious interaction, both in terms of understanding and learning
interest, and that they perceived effect of the interaction, for example, gaining an expanded understanding
of the lectures and a sense of increased immersion, through which they felt they were actually
participating in a real classroom. The study also suggests that students prefer indirect interactions to direct
interactions in online education.