scholarly journals Social capital from online discussion forums: Differences between online and blended modes of delivery

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Carceller ◽  
Shane Dawson ◽  
Lori Lockyer
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Academic Performance ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Centrality Measures ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Online Discussion Forum

<p class="AJET-Abstract">This study explored the concept of social capital in higher education contexts by investigating student discussion forum activity and academic performance. To address these aims online discussion forum logs, student marks and teaching delivery method (blended or fully online) data were extracted from the universities learning management system (LMS). Student social network centrality measures were then calculated from the course discussion activity and correlated against student academic performance for each delivery mode. Drawing on social capital and social network theories the analyses identified that in comparison to low performing students the high-performing group held more central positions in their networks and tended to establish dense social connections with students of a similar academic ability. It was also observed that the relationships formed in blended teaching units were of a greater intensity and reciprocity than those established in fully online teaching units indicating a higher level of social capital was reached. This difference in the amount of available social capital between the two teaching modes suggests that students in blended units have comparatively greater access to resources embedded within the network, which in turn can be mobilised to assist them in their academic endeavours.</p>

A Reimagined EdD

2021 ◽  
pp. 1029-1058
Author(s):  
Matthew Militello ◽  
Lynda Tredway ◽  
Karen D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Progressive Pedagogy

This chapter provides an overview of an innovative design for an online doctoral program in educational leadership. The authors begin with an outline of the participatory, progressive pedagogy framework that guides their work with students. They analyze the use of two illustrations that exemplify their pedagogy in an online environment: digital storytelling and Flip Grid, a video-based online discussion forum. The chapter demonstrates the importance of relationships prior to engagement in critical dialogue and pedagogies both online and in person and identifies key principles for online teaching and learning.

scholarly journals The Impact of Contact Sessions and Discussion Forums on the Academic Performance of Open Distance Learning Students

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Olivier
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Distance Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Examination Preparation

<p class="3">This study investigated the impact of face-to-face contact sessions and online discussion forums on the academic performance of students at an Open Distance Learning (ODL) university (N = 1,015). <em>t</em>-Tests for independent samples indicated that students who attended a written assignment preparation contact session performed significantly better in the written assignment than those students who did not attend this contact session [<em>t</em>(813) = 4.64, p = 0.00]; students who attended an examination preparation contact session did not perform significantly better in the examination than those students who did not attend this contact session [<em>t</em>(892) = 1.12, p = 0.26]; while students who used an online discussion forum performed significantly better in the final examination than those students who did not use this forum [<em>t</em>(1,013) = 4.04, p = 0.00]. Reasons for these mixed results are subsequently discussed. The study also found that the attendance of contact sessions and the utilisation of an online discussion forum by students were extremely low, and possible reasons for this are also given. Implications for the use of contact sessions and online discussion forums to improve the academic performance of ODL students are also discussed.</p>

A Reimagined EdD

2018 ◽  
pp. 214-243
Author(s):  
Matthew Militello ◽  
Lynda Tredway ◽  
Karen D. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Educational Leadership ◽  
Online Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Teaching And Learning ◽  
Innovative Design ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Progressive Pedagogy

This chapter provides an overview of an innovative design for an online doctoral program in educational leadership. The authors begin with an outline of the participatory, progressive pedagogy framework that guides their work with students. They analyze the use of two illustrations that exemplify their pedagogy in an online environment: digital storytelling and Flip Grid, a video-based online discussion forum. The chapter demonstrates the importance of relationships prior to engagement in critical dialogue and pedagogies both online and in person and identifies key principles for online teaching and learning.

scholarly journals DON'T JUST SAY THANK YOU: EXPLORATION OF TYPES OF POSTS INSPIRING AND HINDERING DEEP CONVERSATIONS ONLINE

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devayani Tirthali ◽  
Yumiko Murai
Keyword(s):  
Learning Community ◽  
Sequential Analysis ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Fixed Structure ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given

In an open online discussion forum, where there is no fixed structure or a facilitator like a course forum without any assigned themes, every participant is a facilitator shaping the direction and depth of a conversation. How can we as designers then make sure it leads to an engaging learning community that learners keep coming back to beyond the given course period? This paper reports on sequential analysis of 172 posts in 32 threads and close reading of two threads from an open online discussion forum in a free open online course, specifically looking at the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves, to gain better understanding of the types of actions that lead to deeper and sustained engagement with the ideas of interest. Sequential analysis is an approach that estimates which types of sequences of posts or interactions are most likely to occur in a threaded discussion. The results showed that sharing personal experiences attracted most responses, implying that it is important to encourage participants to share questions or cases connected to their personal experiences. In addition, somewhat paradoxically, we found that posts acknowledging responses tend to conclude and close down the conversation while posts that ask diverging questions tend to attract more discussion.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document