Evaluating the impact of online discussion boards on student engagement with group work

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the use of an online discussion board as an assessment item on students learning performance in relation to group work based on Social Learning Theory. The study uses survey questionnaires at the beginning and end of semester together with student grade information. The data analysis consists of (1) a regression analysis to explore the relationship between student interaction and performance and (2) a repeated measures ANOVA to explore changes in attitude and perceived encouragement. Student's perceptions at the outset were found to be important as was the use of the online discussion board as a learning tool even when it is not assessed. Further, students' attitude to the online discussion board improved through the semester however the online assessment task did not encourage domestic students to be more engaged in group-based activities. In contrast, international students were more encouraged to participate in group-based activities at the end of the semester. The study has implications for online group activities in education.     

The use of electronic media to develop transferable skills in science students studying anatomy

Transferable skills such as team working, communication, information gathering, critical thinking, and peer assessment are essential for graduates seeking employment in the competitive jobs market. Use of online discussion boards have grown to allow students to communicate with each other at a time and location of their choosing. This study aimed to develop transferable skills using specially developed online components supported by discussion boards and chat rooms. Students enrolled in the Human Anatomy and Histology module at the University of Manchester were put into groups of six or seven students (26 groups in total). Two e-learning components were constructed to develop transferable skills. Each group had a discussion board and chat room available to assist communication in completion of the components. Peer marking was also done on this media. Data collected showed the discussion boards were heavily utilized (average number of posts per group was 48). Eighty-three percent of students found the discussion boards useful to complete the tasks. Students felt their team building and critical analysis skills had improved. Peer assessment was well received by students. Using online discussion boards proved an excellent way to develop transferable skills in a large group of science students.     

Unspoken social dynamics in an online discussion group: the disconnect between attitudes and overt behavior of English language teaching graduate students

Course instructors across a wide range of disciplines have implemented computer-based learning resources such as online discussion boards. While the benefits of implementing an online discussion board in teaching have been well-documented, investigation into the social aspects of online learning environments is still needed in order to develop a deeper understanding of how group dynamics affect the overall learning experience. Accordingly, this action research project was designed to explore the perceptions of graduate students concerning the use of an online discussion board, focusing on whether the character of the interactions evidenced in the content of the discussion was reflected in the participants’ views of their experiences. The messages posted to the discussion forum were examined via discourse analysis, while the perceptions of the participants were interrogated through self-administered interviews. The results revealed that while positive group dynamics appeared to be prevalent in the discussion, the perceptions of the individual class members did not always agree with this view. In light of the findings, the researcher outlines some possible solutions for creating an online environment that is conducive to learning for members of a discussion forum with disparate levels of experience, as well as some suggestions for further research.     

Evaluating interactivity and learning in computer conferencing using content analysis techniques

This paper outlines the application of a particular model of content analysis to the evaluation of an online discussion group. A set of online discussion data from a group of students enrolled in an educational management course offered by the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK) was examined. The provision of the online discussion facility for this group of students was mainly for enrichment purposes and their participation was completely voluntary. Overall, the analysis confirmed the usefulness of Henri’s model in examining the interaction and learning processes in an online forum. It also provided insights towards increased understanding of the complex processes and methodological considerations involved in analysing online conferences.     

Culture,role and group work: A social network analysis perspective on an online collaborative course

This paper discusses the patterns of network dynamics within a multicultural online collaborative learning environment. It analyses the interaction of participants (both students and facilitators) within a discussion board that was established as part of a 3‐month online collaborative course. The study employs longitudinal probabilistic social network analysis (SNA) to identify the patterns and trends within the network. It conjectures and tests a set of hypotheses concerning the tendencies towards homophily/heterophily and preferential attachment. The paper presents identified interaction network patterns in relation to cultural differences. It also evaluates network dynamics by considering participant roles and group work in the course under study. Results of social network analyses are reported along with measures of statistical confidence in findings. The potential for extending exploratory SNA methods and visualisation techniques in educational research are discussed here.     

Work Habits of Students in Traditional and Online Sections of an Introductory Physics Course: A Case Study

The study compares the work habits of two student groups in an introductory physics course, one in traditional and one in online sections. Both groups shared the same online materials and online homework, as well as the same discussion boards and examinations, but one group in addition had traditional lectures. The groups were compared with respect to amount and frequency of access to different online course resources. It was found that with few exceptions, both groups exhibited very similar work habits. Students in the online sections more frequently accessed content pages and more frequently contributed to course discussions. It was also found that regular access of the materials throughout the week, rather than only on homework deadline nights, is a predictor of success on examinations, and that this indicator is more reliable for students in the online sections. Overall, though, the effect of traditional lectures is minimal.     

Designing for interaction,thinking and academic achievement in a Tanzanian undergraduate chemistry course

Virtual learning environments are used in higher education around the world to promote student learning. However, in many countries it has not yielded the expected effect on student interaction and learning. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the use of certain pedagogical approaches would promote student interaction, higher-order thinking and achievement. 102 undergraduate students taking an introductory chemistry course at a Tanzanian university participated in the study, and were randomly assigned to three groups. Each group first studied one topic using the control design (non-interactive learning, NIL) to establish a baseline. Then each group studied three further topics using different pedagogical approaches (NIL), discussion forums (medium interactive learning) and podcasts (highly interactive learning). Data included interviews, subject tests, and the content of online discussion forums. All qualitative data were coded, and repeated-measures ANOVA was used to analyze within design and between design effects; student interaction patterns were analyzed using social network analysis. Results show that social interaction, academic achievement and thinking improved progressively over the three topics (iterations) in each design. The changes in instructor pedagogical strategies and the actions of students to bring what they had learned from podcasts to the learning community contributed to the marked improvement. We conclude that effective use of discussion forums in higher education in Tanzania can produce important learning effects (interaction, thinking, and enhanced academic achievement) and is a low-bandwidth strategy, but coupling podcasts with discussion forums may be a powerful way to enhance the effects.     

教师区域网络协同备课效果研究——基于文本内容分析的视角

交互质量评价是教师网络教研效率效果的保证,并为后续研究提供实施依据。基于此,该研究利用文本内容分析法,根据Gunawardena交互分析模型,对安徽肥西县10所学校的33位二年级老师基于学习元的协同备课交互内容开展深入分析,发现基于学习元的协同备课体现了群体知识的协同进化过程。而对教师在线讨论主题进行分析后,发现教师对于学生思维的培养、教学评价、学生主体性的发挥等方面存有关注不足的现状,这都为后续教研主题的设计、教研活动的开展等提供了参考。     

The relationship between social presence and online privacy

Online privacy may critically impact social presence in an online learning environment. This study examined how online privacy affects social presence in online learning environments and whether e-mail, bulletin board, and real-time discussion affect online privacy. Mixed methods were used to examine the relationship between social presence and privacy. The participants rated computer-mediated communication (CMC) with a high degree of social presence, but the quantitative correlation between social presence and privacy failed to reach significance. Participants shared personal information on CMC knowing that it was risky because the medium lacked security despite the perceived high levels of social presence. This contradictional phenomenon can be explained as “risk-taking” behavior. Among three CMC systems, e-mail was ranked as the most private and followed by one-to-one real-time discussion, then many-to-many real-time discussion. Bulletin board was considered to afford the least privacy.     

Rethinking online discourse: Improving learning through discussions in the online classroom

As colleges continue to expand online offerings, student participation within courses should be assessed to ensure that teachers can best implement effective, responsible lesson plans. This study examined discourse in an online classroom in order to gauge student participation by observing student-to-student and student-to-instructor exchanges within the discussion board. Classroom discourse was analyzed using Stahl’s computer supported collaborative learning methodology. Data was collected to assess development of classroom dialogue through group collaboration, and to determine whether participants were interpreting previous posts and contributing to the development of the discussion topic. This study shows that students within the online classroom were able to construct deeper meanings in classroom dialogues through thoughtful and personal contributions, thereby reaching new understandings through collaborative discussion. This study contends that through insightful planning and guided responses, instructors can manage online classroom discussions to better direct student communications in order to improve collaborative learning and knowledge construction.     

The influence of discussion groups in a case-based learning environment

The common practice of using discussion groups during case-based learning makes the role of discussion important in these learning environments. However, little empirical research has been done to investigate the influence of discussion on performance and motivation in case-based learning. The purpose of this article is to present the results of a study conducted to examine the role of discussion groups in a case-based environment. College students completed two cases either individually or in small discussion groups. Measures included two case analyses, an attitude survey, time on task, and document analysis. Results revealed significant performance and time differences between instructional methods on the first case, but not on the second case. In addition, results indicated significant differences in student attitudes between treatments. Overall, participants who worked in groups liked their method significantly better than those who worked alone, felt they learned more working in a group than they would have working alone, and expressed a preference for working in a group if they had to do the class over again. Implications for implementing case-based learning and future research are discussed. Anna E. Flynn is Vice President and NAPM Associate Professor with the National Association of Purchasing Management.     

协作问题解决讨论活动中行为模式自动化挖掘方法研究

为探究在线协作学习中基于问题解决讨论活动的群组交互行为模式,文章提出协作问题解决的协作讨论活动行为编码表,将协作问题解决中的重要行为特征进行分类编码。基于关联规则挖掘算法,自动化地挖掘协作问题解决中具有高转换率的行为序列。通过开展实证研究,探究影响协作质量的重要行为模式。研究结果表明,在协作过程中学生们修订观点、争论、采用证据以及良好的管理等行为对群组协作都具有积极意义。该研究为教育工作者构建基于问题解决的在线协作讨论活动提供了有利依据和重要参考。     

Does Discussion Promote Learning Outcomes? Analysis of an Online Criminology Class: Research Note

The extent to which discussion promotes learning outcomes is a relatively unexplored area in teaching. The present paper contributes to the literature by assessing the extent to which student use of a discussion board is predictive of grades. The sample consists of 341 students who completed an online course in criminology. Learning outcomes are measured in terms of final examination scores. The number of participations or hits (N?=?6,934) on a web-based discussion board is used as a measure of the quantity of class participation. Overall, hits on the discussion board did not predict grades. However, among low achievers, the greater the participation in the board, the higher the grades. Using data on a web-based discussion board as a measure, the present study reports a link between discussion and achievement for low achievers—a result consistent with a previous study in online physics classes. Future work is needed to explore such moderating effects in the link between the use of other web-based utilities, such as blogs, on student performance.     

Effects of Peer-Led Online Asynchronous Discussion on Undergraduate Students' Cognitive Achievement

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of peer leadership on students' cognitive achievement in online asynchronous discussions. Undergraduate students from a large online course were randomly assigned into groups for four asynchronous discussions, with each group having two to three peer leaders. Results of the mixed-method analysis revealed that the quality of student leaders' lower-order cognitive achievement in online discussion was significantly better than that of student responders. Student leaders' higher-order cognitive level achievement in online discussion had at least the same quality as that of student responders. Moreover, both students' higher-order and lower-order cognitive achievement in discussions had positive and moderate correlation with students' course achievement. Further study should focus on methods to maximize student responders' cognitive achievement in online peer-led discussions.     

Evaluating the quality of interaction in asynchronous discussion forums in fully online courses

Fully online courses are becoming progressively more popular because of their “anytime anywhere” learning flexibility. One of the ways students interact with each other and with the instructors within fully online learning environments is via asynchronous discussion forums. However, student engagement in online discussion forums does not always take place automatically and there is a lack of clarity about the ideal role of the instructors in them. In this article, we report on our research on the quality of discussion in fully online courses through analysis of discussion forum activities. We have conducted our research on two large fully online subjects for computing students over two consecutive semesters and used a grounded theoretic approach for data analysis. Our results reveal what students and instructors consider as quality interaction in fully online courses. We also propose two frameworks based on our findings that can be used to ensure effective online interaction.     

The Role of the Tutor in Asynchronous Discussion Boards: A Case Study of a Pre-Service Teacher Course

Based on a study conducted in a core module of the Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme at the National Institute of Education (Singapore), this paper provides an account of the perceptions and experiences of pre-service teachers on the roles of their tutors in the online discussion board. The research methods included a questionnaire survey, two focus group interviews and an analysis of the discussion records. The findings suggest that there are gaps between the experiences and perceptions of the pre-service teachers on the roles of their tutors. These identified gaps have various implications for the role of the online tutor in practice: setting meaningful tasks; guiding participants in the 'technicalities' of online discussion; participating actively in discussions by answering queries, providing feedback and posing conflicting views to elicit thinking/reflection; keeping the discussion focused; drawing conclusions and providing content expertise; and recommending resources for extension of learning.     

Participation in online courses from the students’ perspective

The purpose of this study is to uncover factors that affect participation in online classes from the student’s perspective. Interest in the online environment has been increasing and renders the opinions of students participating in online courses more important since the opinions of students in this environment are closely related to interaction. It has been seen that lack of interaction creates a sense of loneliness, which causes students to drop their classes. For this reason, a qualitative study has been conducted about student experiences on the use of methods that increase interaction in an online environment and participation. Participants were given tasks based on collaboration, special attention was paid to make sure that the setting in which the participants found themselves was in accordance with the principles of the community of inquiry, computerized equipment was used to facilitate online interactions. 15 students worked based on collaboration and 15 students worked individually. Data was collected with interviews and reflection reports. Open, axial and selective coding was made by using the theorizing method. At the end of the study, it was determined that participation in online environment was affected in both groups by factors such as personal approaches, changing variables, mediated attributes.     

Synchronous and asynchronous interactions of bilingual Hispanic pre‐ and in‐service teachers in distance learning

Abstract

This study investigated differences in online written interactions of bilingual Hispanic pre‐ and in‐service teachers across two types of online discussion groups: synchronous and asynchronous. Participants were exposed to a shortened version of a wholly online special education course and participated in instructional activities as well as synchronous and asynchronous discussion groups over a six‐week period. The research used both an alternating treatment design to gather quantitative data, and interviews and questionnaires for qualitative data. The results support the contention that synchronous discussion group interactions are an important feature of successful online courses with Hispanic students.     

Impacts of Student Categorization of Their Online Discussion Contributions

A case study examined the collaborative experiences of students in an online business writing classroom. The purpose was to examine the same groups of students working on collaborative writing assignments in both a synchronous (real-time) and an asynchronous (non-real-time) discussion forum. This study focused on examining the amount, pattern, and focus of interactions, as well as assessing students' attitudes toward communicating in the two different environments.