What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative Learning in a Web-Based Course?

Online Discussions ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Web Based ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.

What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative Learning in a Web-Based Course?

Online and Distance Learning ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-935-9.ch251 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 3084-3103

Author(s):

Xinchun Wang

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Interactive Learning ◽

Online Discussions ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Web Based ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learning activities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the important factors that influence participation and contribute to sustained online interaction and collaboration.

What Factors Promote Sustained Online Discussions and Collaborative Learning in a Web-Based Course?

Web-Based Education ◽

10.4018/978-1-61520-963-7.ch080 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 1182-1202

Author(s):

Xinchun Wang

Keyword(s):

Interactive Learning ◽

Online Discussions ◽

Survey Questionnaire ◽

Online Classes ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Web Based ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactivelearning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learningtasks that motivate sustained student participation andinteraction. This study investigates the factors that encourage student interaction and collaboration in both process and product oriented computer mediated communication (CMC) tasks in a Web-based course that adopts interactive learning tasks as its core learningactivities. The analysis of a post course survey questionnaire collected from three online classes suggest that among others, the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences in process and product driven interactive learning tasks are some of the importantfactors that influence participation and contribute tosustained online interaction and collaboration.

Process and Product Oriented Online Collaborative Learning Tasks

Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch246 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1680-1685

Author(s):

Xinchun Wang

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Online Discussion ◽

Interactive Learning ◽

Group Cohesion ◽

Discussion Group ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Web Based ◽

Online Collaborative Learning ◽

Learning Tasks ◽

Although the pedagogical advantages of online interactive learning are well known, much needs to be done in instructional design of applicable collaborative learning tasks that motivate sustained student participation and interaction. Among others, some of the known factors that affect the outcomes of interactive learning include the structure of the online discussion, group size and group cohesion, strictly enforced deadlines, direct link of interactive learning activities to the assessment, and the differences between process and product oriented collaborative learning. This study explores the differences between process and product oriented group learning activities and their impact on online cooperation and collaboration in Web-based courses.

Computer Mediated Communication and Student Learning in Large Introductory Sociology Classes

Teaching Sociology ◽

10.1177/0092055x0503300201 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 122-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Eric R. Wright ◽

Anthony H. Lawson

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Student Learning ◽

Learning Strategies ◽

Learning Activities ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Final Exam ◽

Introductory Sociology ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Online Group

Over the past several years, scholars of teaching and learning have demonstrated the potential of collaborative learning strategies for improving student learning. This paper examines the use of computer-mediated communication to promote collaborative student learning in large introductory sociology courses. Specifically, we summarize a project we conducted during the 2000-2001 academic year in which we added online collaborative learning activities to the curriculum of two large sections of introductory sociology. Drawing on Novak et al.'s (1999) Just-In-Time Teaching methods, we developed online activities to help prepare students for subsequent in-class work and to cultivate a sense of group solidarity among smaller teams within the larger class. The results suggest that student engagement in the online group learning activities was strongly predictive of better student academic achievement on the biweekly quizzes, cumulative final exam, and course paper. These findings highlight the potential value of online group work for fostering collaborative learning environments in large lecture courses as well as for enhancing student learning.

Computer-Mediated Communication Learning Environments

Social Computing ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-984-7.ch003 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 38-44

Author(s):

Stefania Manca

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Social Dimension ◽

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Model Learning ◽

Web Based ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

The Social

The social, relational, and affective dynamics are receiving more and more attention in the study of learning processes, as cognitive, affective, and emotional dimensions of learning seem to be closely related. This kind of co-origination, borne out in the context of neurosciences, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and education, has also been recognized in the field of Web-based learning. The research framework of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has emphasized the role that a well-established social dimension plays in collaborative learning and group-based working within communities of learners. According to the socioconstructivist model, learning always implies a social dialogical process where individuals are mutually engaged in the construction and sharing of new knowledge (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994; Wenger, 1998). Pedagogical approaches based on these assumptions combine the advantages of a learning strategy that promotes deeper level learning, critical thinking, and shared understanding with those related to the development of social and communication skills (Garrison & Anderson, 2003).

Computer-Mediated Communication Learning Environments

Encyclopedia of Information Communication Technology ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-845-1.ch016 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 121-126

Author(s):

Stefania Manca

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Learning Strategy ◽

Social Dimension ◽

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Model Learning ◽

Web Based ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

The Social

The social, relational, and affective dynamics are receiving more and more attention in the study of learning processes, as cognitive, affective, and emotional dimensions of learning seem to be closely related. This kind of co-origination, borne out in the context of neurosciences, artificial intelligence, cognitive psychology, and education, has also been recognized in the field of Web-based learning. The research framework of computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has emphasized the role that a well-established social dimension plays in collaborative learning and groupbased working within communities of learners. According to the socioconstructivist model, learning always implies a social dialogical process where individuals are mutually engaged in the construction and sharing of new knowledge (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 1994; Wenger, 1998). Pedagogical approaches based on these assumptions combine the advantages of a learning strategy that promotes deeper level learning, critical thinking, and shared understanding with those related to the development of social and communication skills (Garrison & Anderson, 2003).

Computer-mediated communication in the information curriculum: an initiative in computer-supported collaborative learning

Education for Information ◽

10.3233/efi-1995-13303 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 193-210 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

S.P. Fowell ◽

P. Levy

Keyword(s):

Collaborative Learning ◽

Computer Supported Collaborative Learning ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Computer Mediated

Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology / La revue canadienne de l’apprentissage et de la technologie ◽

A framework for identifying and promoting metacognitive knowledge and control in online discussants

10.21432/t2sw2v ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 34 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Elizabeth Murphy

Keyword(s):

Online Discussions ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Computer Based Learning ◽

Regulatory Processes ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Computer Based ◽

Metacognitive Activity ◽

And Control ◽

Source Of Information

The effectiveness of computer-based learning environments depends on learners’ deployment of metacognitive and self-regulatory processes. Analysis of transmitted messages in a context of Computer Mediated Communication can provide a source of information on metacognitive activity. However, existing models or frameworks (e.g., Henri, 1992) that support the identification and assessment of metacognition have been described as subjective, lacking in clear criteria, and unreliable in contexts of scoring. This paper develops a framework that might be used by researchers analysing transcripts of discussions for evidence of engagement in metacognition, by instructors assessing learners’ participation in online discussions or by designers setting up metacognitive experiences for learners. Résumé : L’efficacité des environnements d’apprentissage assistés par ordinateur repose sur l’utilisation de processus de métacognition et d’autorégulation par les apprenants. L’analyse de messages transmis dans un contexte de communication assistée par ordinateur peut constituer une source d’information sur l’activité métacognitive. Cependant, les modèles et cadres existants (p. ex. Henri, 1992) qui permettent la reconnaissance et l’évaluation de la métacognition ont été décrits comme subjectifs, dépourvus de critères clairs et peu fiables dans des contextes de notation. Cet article décrit un cadre qui pourrait être utilisé par les chercheurs qui analysent les transcriptions de discussions à la recherche de preuves d’engagement métacognitif, par les instructeurs qui procèdent à l’évaluation de la participation des apprenants à des discussions en ligne ou par les concepteurs qui élaborent des expériences métacognitives pour les apprenants.

Text & Talk - An Interdisciplinary Journal of Language Discourse Communication Studies ◽

Toward a broader understanding of social talk in Web-based courses

10.1515/text-2012-0017 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Linda Reneland-Forsman

Keyword(s):

School Teachers ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Group Culture ◽

Web Based ◽

Web Based Learning ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Mediated Discourse ◽

Narrative Format ◽

Normative Status

AbstractThe interactive potential of computer-mediated communication has proved more difficult to realize than expected. This study tries to break away from the normative status of speech underlining computer-mediated communication by asking how social talk is manifested in Web-based learning environments. The asynchronous communication of 55 students during a study period of 18 weeks was examined using mediated discourse analysis. The students were training as pre-school teachers in a four-year program. Their ability to create a group culture seemed significant for how they developed group autonomy and were able to handle unexpected incidents or a loose framing. The communication between the students was in narrative format and was lengthy in character; trust and confidence were dropped off as part of a constant construction of group culture. These students did not adopt or develop known means of compensating for the loss of nonverbal clues. There were indications of sharing private concerns and information from other practices in life as a conditional aspect of participation. When having troubles to cope, it was the youngest students who failed.