scholarly journals Enhancing learning through the discussion forum

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nantha Kumar Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Collaborative Discussion

Asynchronous online discussion forums play an important role in adult online courses, and have many possible functions. Our experience in using the discussion forums in online courses for task-based collaborative discussion has led us to many questions about the optimal ways of using online discussion to support collaborative learning, such as how should instructors structure online discussions in a way that it promotes collaborative learning? What should instructors do to enhance learners' reflective thinking, critical thinking, or problem solving in online collaborative discussions? The challenges of using forum in learning have also been highlighted by many researchers. In this paper, we present a so-called “smart” discussion forum to support, monitor and facilitate task-based collaboration for the learning process of adult learners to advance their development of critical thinking.

Utilizing Question and Answer Discussion Forums to Enhance Learning in University Health Courses

2018 ◽  
pp. 235-251
Author(s):  
Niyi Awofeso
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Course Outcomes

This chapter examines the contributions of Moodle's Q&A discussion forum platforms to optimizing cooperative and collaborative learning, validity of assessment of discussion forum posts, and achievement of course outcomes. The author studied: (1) How appropriate is the Q&A variant of online discussion forums in facilitating individual and collaborative learning? (2) How may course facilitators equitably grade online learning individual and collaborative learning activities using Q&A discussion forums? (3) Do learners' performance in Q&A category of online discussion forums predict performance in other assignments in online courses? (4) How well do learning activities in Q&A forums achieve courses' learning outcomes compared with other learning approaches? Survey and data analysis conducted by the author at HBMSU, UAE revealed that Moodle's Q&A discussion forum compares favorably with other teaching approaches in facilitating cooperative and collaborative learning, predicting overall learning achievement as well as improving validity of assessments.

scholarly journals Assessment of Online Discussion Forums for Law Students

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-83
Author(s):  
Judith McNamara ◽  
◽  
Kelley Burton ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Law Students ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Work Placement ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum

This paper goes beyond the existing literature and explores the innovative topic of designing criterionreferenced assessment for online discussion forums. There are several benefits of embedding online discussion forums into subjects including engaging students in collaborative learning, and encouraging deeper analysis, critical thinking and reflection. Using the assessment principles of validity, reliability and transparency, this paper offers a range of practical strategies to tutors who plan to develop criterionreferenced assessment as opposed to norm-referenced assessment for online discussion forums, applies the assessment principles in the context of an undergraduate law subject, and exemplars a rubric for an online discussion forum in a work placement subject.

(Re)Assessing Student Thinking in Online Threaded Discussions

2013 ◽  
pp. 265-280
Author(s):  
Felicia Saffold
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Student Thinking ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Threaded Discussions ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

A teacher educator examines the level of critical thinking of her preservice teachers participating in an urban education course through online discussions. The objective was to see if online discussions, which were the heart of the learning process, could be an effective strategy to promote critical thinking skills. Using the revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001) as a guide, participants’ posts and responses were assessed to determine the quality of thinking that occurred in the online discussion forum. Results show that utilizing online discussion forums can be an effective pedagogy for classes where complex, often controversial issues such as social justice, equity, and white privilege are discussed.

Managing Online Discussion Forums for Collaborative Learning

2011 ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wing Lam ◽  
Eu-Jin Kong ◽  
Alton Chua
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Online Education ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Educational Methods ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Promising Area

In recent years, there has been significant growth in online education (Schrum & Hong, 2002; Evans & Haase, 2001). The number of academic journals devoted to online education also suggests that researchers are paying much attention to advancing online educational methods. One promising area of investigation is collaborative learning, which involves students learning as a group (Zhang & Nunamaker, 2003), much of which takes place electronically without face-to-face interaction (Townsend, DeMarie, & Hendrickson, 1998). One popular tool used to support collaborative learning is the online discussion forum (ODF), which allows asynchronous interaction between participants. This paper describes the experiences of using ODFs for collaborative learning at Universitas 21 Global (U21G), a newly established e-university.

Strategies and Principles to Develop Cognitive Presence in Online Discussions

2013 ◽  
pp. 148-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim A. Hosler ◽  
Bridget D. Arend
Keyword(s):  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Instructors ◽  
Question Prompts ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

The chapter is designed to provide online instructors with strategies and techniques for fostering greater cognitive presence in asynchronous online discussion forums. Online discussions, moderated and facilitated by instructors and students, are a staple in online learning environments and provide powerful mechanisms for engaging students in dialogue. However, oftentimes dialogues stall out at the initial inquiry stage, and deeper, critical thinking is neglected. Realizing the foundational nature of discussion forum activities, the authors present ways in which instructors can nurture cognitive presence and foster deeper lines of thinking in online discussions. The chapter outlines the four stages of cognitive presence while offering strategies and question prompts to engender cognitive presence in online discussions. A quick reference guide is included as a discussion aid, suggesting ways to recognize the stages of cognitive presence as well as providing question prompts for engendering greater cognitive presence and critical thinking.

Students' Uses of a Private Margin on Public Online Discussions

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-79
Author(s):  
Carl J. Forde ◽  
Kevin O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Postsecondary Students ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Graduate Courses ◽  
Public Forum ◽  
Specific Instruction ◽  
Private Space ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

For centuries, marginal notes have been integral to the acts of reading and studying. In the print realm, margins provide a private space where readers can record their initial reactions to text. Today many postsecondary students use online discussion forums as a prescribed part of course activities; yet these forums typically provide no private space for students to record their initial reactions to one another's posts. The authors added a private margin to the online discussion environment used in two graduate courses and examined students' uses of it. Without any specific instruction or encouragement, students used this margin as an integral part of how they participated in the discussion forum over the entire semester. The most common uses of the Virtual Margin were to privately record opinions on other students' posts, to create summaries of others' posts for personal study, and to create private drafts of notes to post publicly later. Overall, the results suggest that a private margin has potential to assist students in their learning and in developing public forum contributions.

scholarly journals Using Design-Based Research to Develop Meaningful Online Discussions in Undergraduate Field Experience Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Johnson ◽  
Laurie Hill ◽  
Jennifer Lock ◽  
Noha Altowairiki ◽  
Christopher Ostrowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Organizational Design ◽  
Field Experience ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Design Based Research ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Group Structures

<p class="3">From a design perspective, the intentionality of students to engage in surface or deep learning is often experienced through prescribed activities and learning tasks. Educators understand that meaningful learning can be furthered through the structural and organizational design of the online environment that motivates the student towards task completion. However, learning engagement is unique for each student. It is dependent on both how students learn and their intentions for learning. Based on this challenge, the design of online discussions becomes a pedagogical means in developing students’ intentionality for the adoption of strategies leading to deep learning. Through a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, iterative design of online learning components for undergraduate field experience courses were studied. For this paper, the focus of the research is on examining factors that influenced deep and surface levels of learning in online discussion forums. The results indicate that design factors (i.e., student engagement, group structures, and organization) influence the nature and degree of deep learning. From the findings, two implications for practice are shared to inform the design and scaffolding of online discussion forums to foster deep approaches to student learning.</p>

Smart Approaches for Optimizing Learning and Assessments in Online University Courses

2021 ◽  
pp. 93-115
Author(s):  
Niyi Awofeso
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Learning ◽  
Operational Research ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Learner Engagement ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
University Courses ◽  
Assessment Policy

This chapter discusses findings from two initiatives for optimizing the quality of learning and assessments in online university courses at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University: (1) use of mandatory assessment policy of self-paced classes to promote learner engagement and (2) achievement of learning outcomes and fairness of assessments using question and answer discussion forum platform compared with the more commonly used general discussion forum platform. With regards to the first initiative, the author undertook a case study of a policy of mandating assessment of engagement with self-paced classes at HBMSU between 2016 and 2017. Also, the author discusses findings from operational research to address the following questions: (1) How appropriate is the Q&A variant of online discussion forums in facilitating both cooperative and collaborative learning? (2) How may course facilitators equitably grade online learning individual and collaborative learning activities using Q&A discussion forums?

Motivators of Student Contribution in Peer-Facilitated Online Discussion Environments

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57
Author(s):  
Hew Khe Foon
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Personal Gain ◽  
Working Adults ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Contribution ◽  
Discussion Topic

Online discussion forums are increasingly being utilized to provide a means for student-to-student interaction in e-learning environments. There is comparatively little research that examines peer-facilitated asynchronous online discussions compared to instructor-facilitated ones. This paper reports three studies on the motivators of student contribution in online discussions conducted within the context of peer-facilitation. These three studies involved the following samples: (a) full-time undergraduates (n = 47), (b) full-time graduates (n = 41), and (c) working adults in corporate settings (n = 62). Cross-comparison of the three studies revealed six major motivators: discussion topic, performance-linked incentive, personal gain, social capital, enjoyment, and response from other participants. Interestingly and contrary to expectations, the most common motivator was not performance-linked incentive such as marks for contribution but (a) the type of discussion topic followed by (b) the types of responses from other participants. Further analyses revealed that more graduate students reported being motivated by personal gain motives compared to undergraduates and working adults, and fewer undergraduates reported being motivated by the enjoyment of the discussion compared to graduates and working adults. More undergraduate and graduate students reported being motivated by marks compared to working adults. Synthesizing the findings of this study and those reported in other previous studies produces a more updated and comprehensive understanding of what motivates students to contribute in peer-facilitated online discussions. Implications of the findings are discussed.

“I Feel Abused by My Own Mind”: Themes of Control in Men’s Online Accounts of Living With Anxiety

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (13) ◽  
pp. 2118-2131
Author(s):  
Phoebe G. Drioli-Phillips ◽  
Melissa Oxlad ◽  
Rebecca Feo ◽  
Brett Scholz ◽  
Amanda LeCouteur
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Discursive Psychology ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Independent Entity

Men’s experiences with anxiety are under-researched and poorly understood. Existing research gives little indication of how men talk about anxiety in situ, and little is known about how men describe their experiences of anxiety. Online discussion forums provide an opportunity to conduct naturalistic observations of how men describe their experiences with anxiety without the influence of a researcher. Thematic analysis, informed by principles of discursive psychology, was used to examine 130 opening posts to an online anxiety discussion forum. One superordinate theme, where anxiety is constructed as a loss of control, was identified. Analysis of this overarching theme generated three themes relating to how posters described a loss of control: (a) anxiety as an immobilizing force, (b) anxiety as an independent entity, and (c) anxiety as a dualist construction of the self. Our analysis has clear implications for developing and improving interventions for men experiencing anxiety.

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