Online Discussion Forums

Abstract

It has been suggested that interaction in online learning programmes promotes student-centred learning, encourages wider student participation, and produces more in-depth and reasoned discussions than traditional face-to-face programmes (Karayan and Crowe (1997) and Smith and Hardaker (2000) cited in Davies and Graff (2005: 1)). In this article, the participation rates and usage patterns by undergraduate political science students of online discussion forums are examined. The study is guided by a number of questions: (1) Are students willing to participate in online discussion forums? (2) Do students enjoy participating in such forums? (3) What discourages a student from participating in online discussion forums? (4) Is there a link between participation in discussion forums and grade performances in coursework? and (5) Does class size have an impact on forum participation rates? The study focuses on two groups of students studying introductory Irish politics courses in University College Cork, Ireland. The article considers student feedback on the use of online discussion forums, compares the level of participation with course grades, and finally presents an account of the author's reflections on the use of online discussion forums in teaching.

Structured and unstructured discussion forums as tools for student engagement

“…The relationship between the use of discussion forums and academic performance has been studied previously (Buckley, 2011;Davies & Graff, 2005). However, some have suggested that forums could also increase student engagement (Bean, 2011;Brookfield & Preskill, 2005;Donnelly & Gardner, 2011), though this assertion has not been empirically examined.…”

Exploring the Roles and Facilitation Strategies of Online Peer Moderators

“…Additionally, online discussions afford higher-order thinking. The delayed feature in discussion boards provides learners with extra time to reflect on written messages and conduct research before responding, which can result in more in-depth and reasoned responses (Buckley, 2011;Curry & Cook, 2014;Hew & Cheung, 2008;Klisc, McGill & Hobbs, 2012). Furthermore, online discussions can improve students' social skills, as they enable students to interact with others, e.g.…”

The impact of student facilitation on student engagement in asynchronous online discussion

“…There are three forms of interaction which are student-student interaction, student-instructor interaction, and student-content interaction (G. E. Moore, Warner, & Jones, 2016). These interactions can establish meaningful communication (Dixon, 2014), contribute to a greater sense of community (Buckley, 2011;Hammond, 2017;Moody, 2004), result in critical thinking and new knowledge construction (Chen, Chang, Ouyang, & Zhou, 2018;Williams & Lahman, 2011;Zhu, 2006), and lead to enhanced student engagement in online education (Dixson, 2010;G. E. Moore et al, 2016).…”

“…E. Moore et al, 2016). Second, online discussion motivates students to have more in-depth discussion and compose more thoughtful responses than discussion in a traditional face-to-face class because students have more time to process and thoroughly think through the information (Buckley, 2011;Gao, Zhang, & Franklin, 2013;E. Lee & Hannafin, 2016).…”

“…Studies show that students demonstrate greater success in course preparation (Lineweaver, 2010;Salter & Conneely, 2015a) and understanding of course materials (Lineweaver, 2010) when required to discuss concepts in a forum with their peers (Lineweaver, 2010;Salter & Conneely, 2015b). The degree and quality of student participation and reflection improve when they engage in online discussion (Buckley, 2011;Williams & Lahman, 2011). Third, online discussion motivates students, especially shy students to participate in discussion (J.-M. Lee, 2006).…”