The goal of this paper is to describe a new virtual form of instructor-student interaction that can enable students to interact with their instructors without the pressures inherent in a traditional setting where they must face other students. Virtual instructor-student interaction (VISI) is a new pedagogical technique, developed by the author, which involves the transformation of an online survey into a medium that can simultaneously present course material, ask questions, obtain feedback and deliver responses. The interaction takes place asynchronously in a private space between the student and the instructor. By using this method instructors can enable students to grow their knowledge of subject material through brainstorming and direct communication with the instructor, in an intellectual space that is devoid of the peer pressure that pervades both traditional face-to-face interactions as well as the public interaction that takes place in online courses on open access websites.