An Investigation of the Efficacy of Asynchronous Discussion on Students’ Performance in an Online Research Method Course

Abstract

Online instruction has become increasingly a commonplace in higher education, broadly and within the field of behavior analysis. Given the increased availability of online instruction, it is important to establish how learning outcomes are influenced by various teaching methods, in order to effectively train the next generation of behavior analysts. This study used a between-group design to evaluate the use of asynchronous online class discussion. Results indicate greater group mean performance on quizzes for students who were required to participate in asynchronous discussion as a component of instruction.

Towards a Modern-Day Teaching Machine: The Synthesis of Programmed Instruction and Online Education

“…With 7 out of 10 participants performing higher following the module packet + chat conditions, the results of Experiment 3 are consistent with previous literature that suggests a synthesis of group learning and programmed instruction in online learning arrangements (Diaz & Cartnal, 1999 ; Frieder et al, 2009 ; Malkin et al, 2018 ). Generalization of field-specific repertoires outside of the university is an obstacle facing education delivered exclusively online (Alexander, Lignugaris/Kraft, & Forbush, 2007 ).…”

“…However, despite these criticisms, universities are beginning to adapt. In the field of applied behavior analysis (ABA), 33% of universities with verified course sequences do so through distance education, and 17% offer hybrid courses (Malkin, Rehfeldt, & Shayter, 2018 ). Online ABA courses offer several alternatives, such as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) (Rehfeldt, Jung, Aguirre, Nichols, & Root, 2016 ), online teacher consultation (Frieder, Peterson, Woodward, Crane, & Garner, 2009 ), parent training (Jang et al, 2012 ), and continuing education units offered through web-based training.…”

Student Preferences for Learning Resources on a Land-based Postgraduate Online Degree Programme

“…Likewise, adjusting the "rules" of the discussion board may lead to a better level of interaction. For example, we are considering allowing anonymous postings or pseudonyms for students so they feel less daunted about using this collaborative tool or by making engagement with the discussion board compulsory (Malkin et al, 2018).…”

Using Asynchronous, Online Discussion Forums to Explore How Life Sciences Students Approach an Ill-Structured Problem

“…AODFs can be effective for student learning in a collaborative manner (Hrastinski 2009), provided assignments are carefully constructed to elicit discussions (Andresen 2009;Gao, Zhang, and Franklin 2012). Indeed, AODFs have been used in a wide range of settings and have been shown to improve student engagement (Galikyan and Admiraal 2019); interactions among students and students with staff (Osborne et al 2018); scientific argumentation (Choi and Hand 2019); and performance in assessments (Jorczak and Dupuis 2014;Malkin, Rehfeldt, and Shayter 2018), among other learning outcomes.…”