Online learning has been conceptualized for decades as being delivered in one of two modes: synchronous or asynchronous. Technological determinism falls short in describing the role that the individuals' psychological, social and pedagogical factors play in their perception, experience and understanding of time online. This article explores the history of synchronous and asynchronous concepts and argues that an examination of students' perception of time in online contexts is required if we are to move past asynchronous-synchronous dualities toward a more nuanced understanding of how time manifests itself and affects pedagogical practices. Bakhtin's concept of the dialogic is used as a framework to explore how time in online learning has been reshaped through dialogue. A new description of time online as being polysynchronous is suggested and the illustrations provided explore the educational implications of this time shift on online discussions.
Despite the growth in online learning offerings in K-12 and higher education, limited research has been undertaken to better understand less visible online learning activities. Reading and rereading are not typically valued as important indicators of learning since number or frequency of entries, words or key phrases are usually visible and easily tracked. This paper addresses reading, writing and revisiting behaviours by cluster groups in eight online courses, and looks for patterns related to rereading. Participant perceptions of the value of rereading entries in online learning are discussed. The findings highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the different roles reading and rereading play in online learning discussions. This research informs our understanding of the importance of non-posting behaviors to student learning. Instructionally, these results may encourage valuing of different “paths” to online learning success beyond the criterion of written entries.Despite the growth in online learning offerings in K-12 and higher education, limited research has been undertaken to better understand less visible online learning activities. Reading and rereading are not typically valued as important indicators of learning since number or frequency of entries, words or key phrases are usually visible and easily tracked. This paper addresses reading, writing and revisiting behaviours by cluster groups in eight online courses, and looks for patterns related to rereading. Participant perceptions of the value of rereading entries in online learning are discussed. The findings highlight the importance of a more nuanced understanding of the different roles reading and rereading play in online learning discussions. This research informs our understanding of the importance of non-posting behaviors to student learning. Instructionally, these results may encourage valuing of different “paths” to online learning success beyond the criterion of written entries.
No abstract
Private discussion entries (called “notes” in this chapter) provide opportunities for instructors to engage with students for social and cognitive support in discussion-based online learning environments. Situated within discussion threads, embedded private communication allows for personalized engagement with students to support learning through in-place feedback, redirection, and encouragement. Nine themes of the affordances of private notes were identified through the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data gathered from four instructors and the activities of 278 students in 11 online graduate education courses. The benefits of private, in-place interactions identified by the instructors include encouraging authentic participation, building trust and social presence, redirecting conversation, providing advice about learning online, and more. A discussion of the importance of in-place private communications in online learning for providing feedback, reassurance, and guidance is supported by examples and followed by suggestions for future research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.