Definition
Computer-based instructional tools that respond to learner input, allowing students to make choices, answer questions, manipulate variables, or navigate content, with the system adjusting what it presents based on those actions. In aviation training, interactive systems include simulations, computer-based training (CBT) modules, branching scenarios, and electronic learning programs that engage the learner in two-way exchange rather than one-way presentation.
Plain English
Training tools that respond to what the student does. The student clicks, types, or makes a choice, and the program reacts—asking a follow-up question, showing the result, or moving to a new scenario based on the answer.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation instructor training when discussing computer-based lessons, training devices, simulations, and other tools that involve two-way student participation.
Derivation
From the Latin 'inter' meaning 'between' and 'agere' meaning 'to act'—literally 'acting between.' The word highlights that learning happens through back-and-forth exchange between student and system, not passive viewing.
Why Pilots Care
These methods help resolve confusion on the spot, lowering the risk of later mistakes in the cockpit.
Intuition Check
Do not assume interactive means simply “on a screen” or “digital.” In this context, interactive means the student takes an action and the training system responds in a way that supports learning.
Example Sentence 1
The flight school added interactive systems to its ground school so students could work through emergency scenarios at their own pace.
Example Sentence 2
Using interactive systems in the simulator let the instructor correct the student’s altitude deviation immediately.