Structured and unstructured discussion forums as tools for student engagement

Chai

Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education

et al. 2019

Due to the adaptability and manageability in small-scale class teaching, Small Private Online Courses (SPOCs) have become a highly important learning apparatus in higher education. However, what psychological and social factors affect learning outcomes in SPOCs remains to be explored. This study aims to investigate the effects of proactive personality and social centrality on learning performance in the SPOCs context. On the one hand, we examine the independent effects of proactive personality and social centrality respectively. On the other hand, the combined effect of them is studied to gain a comprehensive understanding of the roles of psychological and social factors in students' SPOCs learning process. Results from correlation analyses indicate that proactive personality and social centralities are significantly correlated with learning performance. Further regression and ANOVA analyses demonstrate the applicability of the two models of indirection and interaction effects respectively.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Proactive Personality and Social Centrality on Learning Performance in SPOCs

Chai

Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Computer Supported Education

et al. 2019

Asso for Info Science & Tech

“…ODFs tend to be accessible, simple to use, compatible with teaching and learning practices, exist within virtual learning environments, allow discussions to extend beyond the classroom environment, and allow students to freely participate in discussions, offer suggestions, and give their opinions. Students can ask questions about concepts, give examples of how they encounter class material in their everyday lives, or discuss particularly difficult topics to gain greater understanding (Salter & Conneely, ). In addition, ODFs give both learners and teachers the opportunity to reflect before posting a response or a message by providing a nonintimidating environment where learners feel able to give opinions, offer suggestions, and ask questions (Leflay & Groves, ).…”

Section: Participation and Interaction In Online Discussion Forumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In an ODF, a structure can be provided to students to respond to by posting starter questions designed to engage students and guide the discussion. On the other hand, the instructor can choose to provide less structure by not posting any questions, which requires students to create their own discussion (Salter & Conneely, ). The instructor's presence can heavily influence the types of interactions observed during group work, particularly during the earlier stages, due to its supportive, facilitator role, guiding the groups toward the patterns of work identified as more productive.…”

Section: Participation and Interaction In Online Discussion Forumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Participation improves the quality of discussions and, when measured by interaction, has been shown to have a positive relationship with perceived learning achievement, grades, and students' attitude, depending on the manner and degree of interaction (Kim, ). The relationship between the use of ODFs and academic performance has been studied previously and some have suggested that forums could also increase student engagement (Salter & Conneely, ).…”

Section: Participation and Interaction In Online Discussion Forumsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Measuring Participation in Distance Education Online Discussion Forums Using Social Network Analysis

Silva

Barbosa

Gomes

2018

Distance Education professionals have been constantly coming up with methods and techniques to increase student participation in an environment where learning happens continuously and asynchronously. An online discussion forum (ODF) is one of these mechanisms, but it will only be successful if students are willing to participate. Stimulating students is a challenge many institutions currently face. The objective of this study was to analyze the social interaction among participants in ODFs using Social Network Analysis. Knowing the characteristics of these networks and its participants is important to design actions to improve the use of ODFs. As a case study, data were collected from ODF logs of the majors in Business Administration and Accounting in a Brazilian private university. This study found out that these interaction networks are sparse, which shows that students could be more engaged in interacting and collaborating with others. Students, in general, tend to interact more in the first semester and interaction diminishes as time passes. The number of active ODF participants has been around 45–50%, which shows that students currently do not participate very often in ODFs. Their main incentive seems to exist when they are graded. Popular ODFs were also analyzed.

Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences

“…The threaded structure enables a linear display that facilitates "top-down" navigation. The discourse is commonly organized by discrete topics, which are either set in advance, established by a moderator or initiated during the course of the discussion by participants [24]. This format imposes a rigid structure, which hinders the discussion's potential to converge or self-organize in a meaningful way [25].…”

Section: "Cross-linking" As the Basis For Emergencementioning

confidence: 99%

Creativity Is Connecting Things: The Role of Network Topology in Fostering Collective Creativity in Multi-Participant Asynchronous Online Discussions

Sher¹,

Kent²,

Rafaeli³

2020

Creativity derives from the ability to form new meaningful combinations out of available resources. Collective creativity is the product of a collaborative process, consisting of multiple interactions between group members and the shared content, which lead to the emergence of novel shared meanings. This exploratory research addresses the expression of collective creativity in multi-participant asynchronous online discussions, by proposing interactivity and emergence as key features of the collaborative creative process. The ability to connect posts in a non-sequential manner ("cross-linking") is suggested as the basis for the formation of emergent community-structures within the content, which reflect collectively constructed novel combinations. Initial indications for this process are presented by applying a combination of network analysis and qualitative inquiry to data from a multiparticipant virtual discussion, held as part of an online academic course. A methodology for extracting emergent themes is described.