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 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.

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>

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.

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.

Fostering Higher Knowledge Construction Levels in Online Discussion Forums

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 44-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khe Foon Hew ◽  
Wing Sum Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Knowledge Construction ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Student Facilitation ◽  
Facilitation Techniques

Prior research has suggested that higher levels of knowledge construction (e.g., where opinions are argued, challenged, or negotiated) have rarely been demonstrated in student online discussions. In this study, the authors replicate prior research on group size, discussion duration, and student facilitation techniques to examine the influence of these factors on the attainment of higher level knowledge construction. Data were collected from 12 online discussion forums involving undergraduate students and students’ reflection logs. Analysis of the data confirms a significant positive correction between higher level knowledge construction occurrences and group size. No correlation is found between the discussion duration and the occurrences of higher level knowledge construction. Further analysis between the higher and lower performing forums suggests that a certain critical mass, which appears to be a group size of about 10 participants, may be required to direct the discussion to advanced levels of knowledge construction. In addition, results show that students in higher performing forums used the facilitation technique of pointing, highlighting unanswered or unresolved issues statistically significantly more than their counterparts in lower performing forums.

scholarly journals An Exploration of Metacognition in Asynchronous Student-Led Discussions: A Qualitative Inquiry

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha M. Snyder ◽  
Laurie P. Dringus
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Qualitative Inquiry ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Socially Situated ◽  
Study Student

Research is limited on how metacognition is facilitated and manifested in socially situated online learning environments such as online discussion forums. We approached metacognition as the phenomenon of interest partly through a methodological objective to evaluate the relevance of a metacognition construct and partly through a content objective to study student-led facilitation of discussions as a strategy in promoting metacognition. Results revealed that the metacognition construct was useful in helping us understand and organize the data and student-led online discussions can be an effective strategy for helping students develop dimensions of metacognition including knowledge, monitoring, and regulation. However, in order for students to use these skills effectively, instruction, motivation, and guidance are needed particularly related to regulation of metacognition and co-construction of meaning.

scholarly journals Conceptualizing mediatization: Is `Have your say´ a kind of transnational public sphere for public deliberation?

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
António Alberto Castro Baía Reis
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Public Deliberation ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Present Essay ◽  
News Website ◽  
Do So

<p>The present essay aims to reflect on the questions of how the <em>BBC</em> news website discussion forum <em>Have your say</em> is organized and to what extent it can be considered as a transnational or global public sphere for public deliberation. In order to do so, one must firstly look at this discussion forum in terms of its structure, so that we can comprehend in a descriptive and formal way what is <em>Have your say</em>. Then, to try to understand and suggest what exactly <em>Have your say</em> is in terms of the possibility of being a global public sphere for public deliberation, one must tackle into a reflection that encompasses the concepts of transnational/global public sphere (Habermas, 1996; Castells, 2008), public deliberation (Pateman, 1970; Drvzek, 2000; Abelson et al., 2003), as well as some mediation/mediatization paradigms. The goal of this essay is to provide an objective academic reflection by attempting to frame this specific online phenomenon within the concepts above mentioned, to ultimately argue and prove that online discussion forums such as <em>Have your say</em> are by definition ambivalent. </p>

scholarly journals Automatic assessment of online discussions using text mining

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvette Awuor ◽  
Robert Oboko
Keyword(s):  
Latent Semantic Analysis ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Automatic Assessment ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Management Forum ◽  
Heavy Burden

Online discussion forums have rapidly gained usage in e-learning systems. This has placed a heavy burden on course instructors in terms of moderating student discussions. Previous methods of assessing student participation in online discussions followed strictly quantitative approaches that did not necessarily capture the students’ effort. Along with this growth in usage there is a need for accelerated knowledge extraction tools for analysing and presenting online messages in a useful and meaningful manner. This article discussed a qualitative approach which involves content analysis of the discussions and generation of clustered keywords which can be used to identify topics of discussion. The authors applied a new k-means++ clustering algorithm with latent semantic analysis to assess the topics expressed by students in online discussion forums. The proposed algorithm was then compared with the standard k-means++ algorithm. Using the Moodle course management forum to validate the proposed algorithm, the authors show that the k-mean++ clustering algorithm with latent semantic analysis performs better than a stand-alone k-means++.

scholarly journals Understanding Issues Affecting Students’ Commitment to Online Discussion Forums in Undergraduate Courses

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (01) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Semiyu Adejare Aderibigbe ◽  
Jacqueline Maria Dias ◽  
Mini Sara Abraham
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Discussion ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Faculty Support ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Online Discussion Forums ◽  
Learning Platform ◽  
Online Discussion Forum ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Research Questions

<p class="0abstract">This study explored students’ commitment and factors impacting their commitment to the online discussion forums that complement teaching and learning in two undergraduate courses. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies, we collected and analyzed data to address our research questions. The findings indicate that students are committed to online discussion forums in this study, which seemed to be impacted by students’ technological skills and exciting topics. Even so, a few students were not as committed as they would have liked because the platform was new, and they needed time to adapt to the learning platform. That said, our findings reveal that students’ commitment to and engagement in the online discussion forum can be fostered with faculty support, exciting topics, and time to understand the new learning terrain.</p>

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