Generating true learning dialogue as opposed to a collection of loosely affiliated posted messages on a class discussion board can be challenging. This paper presents the results of a cross-case analysis of nine naturalistic case studies of online classes, looking at how activity design and facilitation factors affected various dimensions of student participation. Findings show that use of guidelines, deadlines and feedback and type of instructor presence affect the resulting discourse in an online class. Additionally, the paper explores how particular types of learning activities are better suited to generating discussion than others and how the integration of discussion activities with the rest of the course activities and requirements impacts learner motivation and participation.
IntroductionThe growth of online instruction over the last 10 years has been tremendous. In 1994, no one had heard of Blackboard or WebCT. In 2004, it is not uncommon to hear professors ask colleagues at another university "Do you have Blackboard or WebCT?" Given the rate at which technology use has grown, it is not surprising that research has struggled to keep up with it. As a result, many "best practices" are based on intuition, personal experience, and traditional instructional methods rather than on empirically based research.Although many of the same underlying principles of teaching and learning still apply, online courses are qualitatively different from traditional, classroom-based courses. All aspects of class discussion-initiation, facilitation, conclusion, and Downloaded by [Univ of Louisiana at Lafayette] at 23:52 19 December 2014128 V. P. Dennen feedback-require different approaches when an asynchronous medium is used. Instructors must account for the fact that they are not in the presence of live students, able to gauge reactions, and make small adjustments on the spot on an as-needed basis. There is no traditional instruction method that is truly an analogue to asynchronous discussion, and thus this medium needs to be examined closely in order to generate knowledge that will help online instructors learn and make informed decisions about how to design and facilitate asynchronous course interactions.This study offers an initial step in that direction, using a case study methodology to examine how asynchronous discussion was used in nine different online courses in terms of course design, activity design, instructor facilitation, and resulting interactions. The research question for this naturalistic study was: "How does the design and facilitation of different types of asynchronous discussion activities impact student participation in terms of quantity, quality, timing, and nature of messages posted?" While student participation is not a direct measure of learning, it is necessary in order for a discussion activity to be successful and result in learning. Should student messages be lacking in sufficient quantity, quality, timing, and purpose then it is less likely that the learning objectives will be met through that ac...
