A great resource that should be utilised more, but also a place of anxiety: student perspectives on using an online discussion forum

Griffin, Lynda; Roy, James

doi:10.1080/02680513.2019.1644159

Cited by 15 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…This would be a kind of human-in-the-loop dialogue system or, from the teacher's perspective, assistive technology which can bridge between high quality but non-scalable one-to-one tutoring, and the current limitations of natural language processing technology. Such educational technology can bring the benefit of personalised tutoring, for instance reducing the anxiety of participating in group discussion (Griffin and Roy, 2019), while also providing the implicit skill and sensitivity brought by experienced human teachers.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the 9th Workshop on Natural Language Processing for Computer Assisted Language Learning (NLP4CALL 2020)

Alfter¹,

Volodina²,

Pilán³

et al. 2020

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proceedings of the 9th Workshop on Natural Language Processing for Computer Assisted Language Learning (NLP4CALL 2020)

Alfter¹,

Volodina²,

Pilán³

et al. 2020

Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings

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“…Support for this model comes from qualitative studies that suggest some students are shy about participating. Griffin and Roy (2019) found students avoided forums because of feelings of intimidation and appearing silly. Others felt that forums publicised "how stupid I really am" (p. 2).…”

Section: Discussion Forum Participationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discussion forums: A misnomer? Examining lurkers, engagement and academic achievement

Brunton

MacDonald

Sugden

et al. 2022

AJET

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Discussion forums are often touted as maximising student participation and learning but concerns around engagement counter any perceived benefits. Often participation is the measure of engagement, and students who do not post are deemed unengaged. To further examine engagement and forums as learning communities, we used analytic data from 270 students enrolled in two online psychology subjects using social network analysis and interviewed 22 students. Both subjects’ forums had greater egalitarian triads, indicative of reciprocal relationships. Furthermore, both active posters and lurkers had a mix of grade bands indicating that some lurkers still achieved academically. Lurking was a key qualitative theme along with checking for assessment information and intimidation. For both subjects, students were engaged with the forums, and differences in connectivity were consistent with the different subject content. However, forum activity indicated that these forums were more like subscription services than communities of practice. We propose that forums can be transformed into dynamic teaching spaces through understanding the multidimensionality of engagement, setting the expectation and tone of the forum as a safe place, and enhancing the platforms so visible indicators show that posts have been read or consumed. We further propose that students who engage but do not post be called quiet participants. Implications for practice or policy: Educators and researchers can improve the understanding of engagement with discussion forums by acknowledging the distinction between participation and engagement. Online providers can assist in transforming these online platforms into dynamic teaching tools through enhancements that indicate a post has been read. Educators can increase engagement by setting the tone and expectations for the forum. Replacing the negative term lurker with quiet participants better reflects the activity of these students.

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“…forums as a source of peer and tutor support. However, students also reported tensions such as the content of other students' posts and the exposure of the self through writing online (Griffin & Roy, 2019).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of career focused online discussion forums

Fowkes

2021

cjcd

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This mixed method research project investigated the impact and utility of online discussion forums (ODFs) hosted by the The Open University (UK) Careers and Employability Services in supporting the career identity, learning and development of Open University students. Despite a substantial evidence base underpinning the use of ODFs within online learning environments for pedagogical applications there is a paucity of scholarly activity linking student participation within ODFs for specific career learning and career development purposes. In addressing this gap, this novel research draws upon influential career theory relating to career learning and career identity to situate student and staff perceptions of careers focussed ODFs and their impact. To achieve this the interactions of higher education students were analysed within six selected ODFs whilst more in-depth insights were captured through student questionnaires and staff interviews. The findings of this study demonstrate the wide-ranging benefits of ODFs for the growth of career identity and learning, and also as a space where critical community inquiry can occur, contributing to deeper approaches to learning for participants.

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A great resource that should be utilised more, but also a place of anxiety: student perspectives on using an online discussion forum

Abstract: The Open University's repository of research publications and other research outputs A great resource that should be utilised more, but also a place of anxiety: student perspectives on using an online discussion forum

Cited by 15 publications

References 25 publications

Proceedings of the 9th Workshop on Natural Language Processing for Computer Assisted Language Learning (NLP4CALL 2020)

Proceedings of the 9th Workshop on Natural Language Processing for Computer Assisted Language Learning (NLP4CALL 2020)

Discussion forums: A misnomer? Examining lurkers, engagement and academic achievement

The impact of career focused online discussion forums

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