scholarly journals What to expect, and how to improve online discussion forums: the instructors’ perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhanielly P. R. de Lima ◽  
Marco A. Gerosa ◽  
Tayana U. Conte ◽  
José Francisco de M. Netto
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Asynchronous Communication ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Analyze Data

AbstractOnline discussion forums are asynchronous communication tools that are widely used in Learning Management Systems. However, instructors and students face various difficulties, and instructors lack a guide on what strategies they can use to achieve a more participatory forum environment. This work aims to identify benefits and difficulties of using online discussion forums from the instructors’ point of view, and to provide a list of strategies and improvements that can mitigate the challenges and lead to a more participatory forum. We used coding procedures to analyze data collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of our exploratory analysis are relevant to the distance learning community and can inform instructors, developers, and researchers to help them improve the quality of mediation and use of forums.

Predicting the Timing and Quality of Responses in Online Discussion Forums

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Hansen ◽  
Richard Junior Bustamante ◽  
Tsung-Yen Yang ◽  
Elizabeth Tenorio ◽  
Christopher Brinton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums

scholarly journals Models to evaluate online learning communities of asynchronous discussion forums

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khe Foon Hew ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Learning Community ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Learning Communities ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
Geographical Locations

Recent developments in learning theory have emphasised the importance of context and social interaction. In this vein, the notion of a learning community is gaining momentum. With the advent of asynchronous online discussion forums, learning communities now need not be confined to any specific geographical locations, as people can now interact with one another at any place and time convenient to them. In this paper, we describe appropriate models that can evaluate these online learning communities. We examine pertinent issues including learner-learner interaction, learner-teacher interaction, the thinking skills of the learners, the levels of information processing exhibited by learners in the online discussion, and the roles played by the online moderator. A practical example is also provided to illustrate how these models can be used. Finally, we discuss some drawbacks related to each model and ways for overcoming them.

From Active Reading to Active Dialogue

2012 ◽  
pp. 1717-1735
Author(s):  
Cindy Xin ◽  
Geoffrey Glass ◽  
Andrew Feenberg ◽  
Eva Bures ◽  
Phil Abrami
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Learning Management Systems ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Active Reading ◽  
Learning Management

Our research aims to improve online discussion forums. The authors identify typical problems in online discussion that create difficulties for learners and describe a pedagogical approach emphasizing the importance of moderating in dealing with these problems. The usual design of discussion forums in learning management systems is not helpful but can be improved by specific add-ons. The authors describe a software add-on to the Moodle discussion forum called Marginalia that was designed to implement our preferred pedagogy. They focus on annotation, aiding the retrieval of archived material, helping participants build upon one another’s ideas, and encouraging participants to write “weaving” messages that connect ideas and summarize the discourse. Preliminary studies of this software found a number of uses, some of them unexpected. The chapter concludes with an analysis of two trial classes employing Marginalia.

From Active Reading to Active Dialogue

2011 ◽  
pp. 300-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Xin ◽  
Geoffrey Glass ◽  
Andrew Feenberg ◽  
Eva Bures ◽  
Phil Abrami
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Learning Management Systems ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Pedagogical Approach ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Active Reading ◽  
Learning Management

Our research aims to improve online discussion forums. The authors identify typical problems in online discussion that create difficulties for learners and describe a pedagogical approach emphasizing the importance of moderating in dealing with these problems. The usual design of discussion forums in learning management systems is not helpful but can be improved by specific add-ons. The authors describe a software add-on to the Moodle discussion forum called Marginalia that was designed to implement our preferred pedagogy. They focus on annotation, aiding the retrieval of archived material, helping participants build upon one another’s ideas, and encouraging participants to write “weaving” messages that connect ideas and summarize the discourse. Preliminary studies of this software found a number of uses, some of them unexpected. The chapter concludes with an analysis of two trial classes employing Marginalia.

scholarly journals Evaluating quality in online asynchronous interactions between students and discussion facilitators

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dip Nandi ◽  
Margaret Hamilton ◽  
Shanton Chang ◽  
Sandrine Balbo
Keyword(s):  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Course Content ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
University Courses ◽  
Student Focus

<span>Online discussion forums have become an essential part of university courses, whether the course is conducted online, or face to face, or in mixed or blended mode. Discussion forums are considered to engage students better with the course content and encourage them to share and gain knowledge from each other. However, online engagement does not always happen automatically between students. Hence grading of discussion forum participation has been recommended to ensure quality student participation. Currently, a major focus has been put onto the better use of discussion forums, but the way in which the quality of participation can be evaluated has yet to be adequately investigated. Furthermore, evaluation of the instructor participation in a discussion forum and its impact on students and their contributions is lacking. In this paper, we report on our research into online discussion forum quality through analysis of discussion forum activities, along with student focus group meetings and instructor interviews. We have devised a set of criteria for evaluating discussion forum activities. Our results show that students depend highly on the instructor's feedback and the participation of the students can only be evaluated with reference to the moderation of the instructors.</span>

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>

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