Case Studies in Instructional Design Education: Students’ Communication Preferences During Online Discussions

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-35
Author(s):  
Jesús Trespalacios ◽  
Lida J. Uribe-Flórez
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovation ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Instructional Strategy ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Case Based

The analysis of case studies is an important constructivist instructional strategy that shows potential for engaging students in asynchronous online discussions. However, little is known about the use of audio-based discussions to promote this type of analysis. Twenty-nine students from two sections enrolled in an online instructional design course participated in the study. Students from both sections had the opportunity to experience different learning activities including online case-based discussion forums using text-based (Moodle) and audio-based (VoiceThread) formats. Data from a course evaluation survey were collected and analyzed based on the diffusion of innovation theory. Results revealed that students considered the case-based discussion as the most relevant learning activity. Additionally, students preferred the text-based format over the audio-based for the discussion of case studies. Reasons for their preferences and implications for research and practice are discussed.

scholarly journals Exploring Small Group Analysis of Instructional Design Cases in Online Learning Environments

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesus Trespalacios
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Instructional Design ◽  
Small Group ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Instructional Strategy ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Analyze Case ◽  
Case Based

The case-based approach is a constructivist instructional strategy that helps students apply their emerging knowledge by studying design problems in authentic real-world situations. One important instructional strategy in case-based instruction is to analyze cases in small groups before discussing them with the whole class. This study investigates the use of small-group structure to analyze case studies in online learning environments, as well as students’ perceptions of the use of VoiceThread presentations to improve their learning of instructional design. The results show that a small group strategy has great potential to help students analyze case studies and consequently enhance learning. The implications of these findings for instructional designers and online instructors are discussed.

scholarly journals Mastering New Information through Facebook and a Discussion Forum: A Comparative Analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Nantha Kumar Subramaniam ◽  
Maheswari Kandasamy
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Design ◽  
Adult Learners ◽  
Instructional Strategy ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Initial Study ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Productive Failure ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽  
New Information

This paper investigated the effect of productive failure (PF) as an instructional strategy in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) groups using Facebook and a discussion forum. PF is an instructional mode design that advocates the delaying of support for the learners during learning — the more they struggle, and even fail, while trying to master new information, the better they are likely to recall and apply that information later. PF has been used successfully in the classroom. However, it is not known whether the use of a PF instructional modewith adult learners in CSCL groups such as Facebook and discussion forums will produce such a positive effect. A discussion forum is an important platform used to deliver teaching and learning via the Web, while the use of social media, especially Facebook, for teaching and learning has gained prominence lately. This paper reports an initial study that compares a ‘productive failure’ instructional design in CSCL groups through Facebook and a discussion forum. Five Facebook and five discussion forum groups participated in the study. Both groups solved ill-structured complex problems in small groups without the provision of any support or scaffolding from their instructors. The findings suggest that the Facebook groups produced a variety of scope for discussion and deliberation for solving the problems and were more successful in sustaining the discussion compared to the discussion forum groups. Facebook groups also had a higher critical thinking ratio than the discussion forum groups. Based on these findings,the implications of a PF instructional design for adult learners are presented.

scholarly journals Introductory Biology Courses: A Framework To Support Active Learning in Large Enrollment Introductory Science Courses

2005 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Smith ◽  
Richard Stewart ◽  
Patricia Shields ◽  
Jennifer Hayes-Klosteridis ◽  
Paulette Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Course Evaluation ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Graduate Assistants ◽  
Science Courses ◽  
Scientific Teaching ◽  
Large Enrollment ◽  
Biology Courses ◽  
University Course

Active learning and research-oriented activities have been increasingly used in smaller, specialized science courses. Application of this type of scientific teaching to large enrollment introductory courses has been, however, a major challenge. The general microbiology lecture/laboratory course described has been designed to incorporate published active-learning methods. Three major case studies are used as platforms for active learning. Themes from case studies are integrated into lectures and laboratory experiments, and in class and online discussions and assignments. Students are stimulated to apply facts to problem-solving and to learn research skills such as data analysis, writing, and working in teams. This course is feasible only because of its organizational framework that makes use of teaching teams (made up of faculty, graduate assistants, and undergraduate assistants) and Web-based technology. Technology is a mode of communication, but also a system of course management. The relevance of this model to other biology courses led to assessment and evaluation, including an analysis of student responses to the new course, class performance, a university course evaluation, and retention of course learning. The results are indicative of an increase in student engagement in research-oriented activities and an appreciation of real-world context by students.

Creating the digital citizen: students’ co-construction of meaning for global citizenship during online discussions

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Myers
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Interaction Analysis ◽  
Discussion Board ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Boards ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Analysis Model ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThis study examines whether online asynchronous discussion forums support student’s meaning-making about citizenship in a globalizing world. Citizenship is an increasingly contested identity for young people, yet they have few opportunities in traditional civic education to consider their own citizenship. Although online discussions are considered effective spaces for increasing dialogue and critical thinking between diverse students, there has been little research to understand how effective they are for helping students to construct new understandings of citizenship.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis approach was used to analyze and code 89 discussion board posts. The Interaction Analysis Model (IAM) coding scheme was used to describe and analyze the quality of knowledge construction that occurred across the posts focusing on different aspects of global citizenship.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that the discussion boards produced substantive talks about the meaning of citizenship that in some instances reached the level of new knowledge construction. The students considered different meanings for global citizenship and negotiated positions on key issues. However, the highest levels of knowledge construction were rarely reached.Practical implicationsA major implication is the need to organize and cue discussion boards to support knowledge construction in addition to fostering dialogue.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the role that technology can play in supporting students’ knowledge construction about global citizenship that go beyond the scripted meanings conveyed in civics classes.

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>

scholarly journals The Impact of Roles Assignment on the Quality of Online Case-Based Discussion

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Larisa Olesova ◽  
Margaret Slavin
Keyword(s):  
Community Of Inquiry ◽  
Role Playing ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Cognitive Presence ◽  
Role Assignment ◽  
Asynchronous Online Discussions ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Case Based

The role assignment is an increasingly popular approach for facilitating and evaluating asynchronous online discussions (Strijbos & Weinberger, 2010), with aspirations to enhance students' cognitive presence. However, simply assigning roles may not improve knowledge construction, engagement, or interaction necessary to achieve this goal. Cognitive presence is a critical facet of the community of inquiry, rooted in the critical thinking literature, and is operationalized by the practical inquiry model for assessment purposes (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001).This presentation will share the methods and results of a study investigating changes in the level of cognitive presence while students played roles (starter, wrapper, and skeptic) in asynchronous online case-based discussions. The study was conducted during fall 2013, spring 2014 and summer 2014 in NUTR 295-DL at George Mason University. The research questions for this study were, "What is the impact of role playing on the level of cognitive presence? How is cognitive presence expressed across different roles played by students when they participate in asynchronous online discussion?"

scholarly journals Adding to the mix: Students use of Facebook groups and blackboard discussion forums in higher education

2016 ◽  
pp. 444-463
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Additional Material ◽  
Learning And Teaching ◽  
Sustained Activity ◽  
Learning Content ◽  
Unit Design ◽  
Teaching In Higher Education

This paper reports on a case study of the use of Facebook in learning and teaching in higher education. Facebook was used as a venue for online discussion to support the existing Learning Management System (in this case Blackboard) in the unit Internet Collaboration and Organisation as part of the Internet Communications degree taught fully online through Open Universities Australia (OUA). Students’ posts to both Facebook and the Blackboard discussion forum were analysed for content, length, and when throughout the study period they were posted. This is significant as much of the previous work in this area has relied on students self-reporting, rather than direct observation of student behaviour. These results were then compared to earlier instances of the same unit that ran within the previous twelve months, one fully online with OUA only using the Blackboard discussion group, and a second taught at Curtin University with both blended learning for students at the University’s Bentley campus as well as fully online for external students, that utilised both Blackboard and Facebook. The results show that Facebook greatly increases the level of student activity in online discussions, both absolutely and in the level of sustained activity across the unit’s study period. Facebook groups also had a different pattern of content from Blackboard. In Blackboard discussion is more focused on the set unit learning content, in Facebook students were using the groups to discuss administration and assignments and also bring in additional material from outside the units set learning materials. Facebook posts, while more sustained over the semester, were shorter in length. This study found that the addition of a Facebook discussion forum does not noticeably impact on the use of Blackboard’s discussion forum, but rather adds a new dimension to the mix of online interaction. The paper concludes that there is value in using both of these forums for student interaction, but unit design needs to take into account the different affordances of each to maximise their utility.

scholarly journals Meat as a matter of fact(s): the role of science in everyday representations of livestock production on social media

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (06) ◽  
pp. A01 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrika Olausson
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Representation Theory ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Social Representation ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Social Representation Theory ◽  
Strong Position

In recent times we have allegedly witnessed a “post-truth” turn in society. Nonetheless, surveys show that science holds a relatively strong position among lay publics, and case studies suggest that science is part of their online discussions about environmental issues on social media — an important, yet strikingly under-researched, debate forum. Guided by social representation theory, this study aims to contribute knowledge about the role of science in everyday representations of livestock production on social media. The analysis identifies two central themata, namely lay publics' contestations of (1) facts and non-facts, and (2) factual and non-factual sources.

scholarly journals Asynchronous Online Discussions During Case-Based Learning: A Problem-Solving Process

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrie A Koehler ◽  
Zui Cheng ◽  
Holly Fiock ◽  
Shamila Janakiraman ◽  
Huanhuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Case Based Learning ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Asynchronous Online Discussions ◽  
Expected Benefits ◽  
Problem Solving Process ◽  
Case Based

Asynchronous discussions are typically considered an essential aspect of online case-based learning. While instructors implement discussions to support a variety of instructional purposes during case-based learning (e.g., facilitate students’ sense making, prompt the consideration of diverse perspectives, debate complex topics), whether students receive the expected benefits is unclear, and little research has considered how students intentionally participate in discussions to support their learning during case-based learning. At the same time, students’ participation in asynchronous online discussions represents a complex endeavor. That is, students must make several decisions regarding how to effectively participate, while simultaneously experiencing several challenges. The purpose of this exploratory multiple-case study was to consider the experiences of six graduate students participating in asynchronous online discussions as a part of a case-based course. By analyzing these experiences, we were able to conceptualize students’ navigation of an asynchronous online discussion as a problem-solving process and consider individual problem-solving approaches. Results indicate that students relied primarily on instructors to determine the purpose of their discussion participation, expressed differing levels of value for participating in discussions, adopted a variety of strategies to meet discussion participation goals, and assessed their participation efforts mainly based on guidelines set by the instructor. We offer suggestions for effectively designing and facilitating asynchronous online discussions and discuss areas needing future research.

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