The Value of Collaborative E-Learning: Compulsory versus Optional Online Forum Assignments

Abstract

Online forum assignments are one of the main tools for collaborative learning. This study examines the impact of compulsory submission on the effectiveness of forum assignments. It compares the grades of 120 MBA students who studied an advanced elective course in a blended distance learning university during the years 2005-2009. Some students were required to participate in a forum assignment and their submissions were graded, whereas other students were similarly asked to participate in a forum assignment but their work was not graded. The findings suggest that the benefits of optional forum assignments are marginal, whereas compulsory forum assignments may improve student performance. The main theoretical contribution of this study is the indication that although the students had a task-oriented attitude and were not engaged in social interaction with regard to the forum assignment, compulsory posting of the assignment on the discussion board, improved their performance. Practically, the findings suggest that publishing student assignments on a course website may improve assignments' quality and therefore enhance student performance, even if there is no further collaboration or social interaction. This finding is important since creating meaningful collaboration in online environments requires considerable instructors' efforts in moderating the discussion.

The Community of Inquiry framework as learning design model: a case study in postgraduate online education

“…While this has been considered to be too invasive (Gulati 2008) and to some degree counter-productive (Lee, Kim, and Hackney 2011), it has proven successful in some cases. Gafni and Geri (2010) found that postgraduate students who participated in graded online forum assignments performed significantly better in the examination at the end of the module versus those for whom forum participation was optional. When comparing undergraduates in an online course, some of whom were assigned to work in groups to produce summative assessments and some of whom worked independently, Kurucay and Inan (2017) found that the former achieved significantly higher marks.…”

A Secure, Social Media–Based “Case of the Month” Module in a Neurocritical Care Unit

“…Social interaction among the nurses facilitates collaborative learning, which increases retention. 20 A major criticism of online learning stems from "social isolation" factors for learners who are not accustomed to the lack of sustained human interaction in web only-based courses. 21 In our pilot project, despite the high-quality content being posted, we found that although most participants logged into the resource, a high percentage of online viewers did not post any comments.…”

Do Optional Activities Matter in Virtual Learning Environments?

“…It was found that interactions such as uploading a personal profile photo (an optional activity) and participating in forums are positively correlated to motivation. Moreover, findings suggest that the benefits from optional forum assignments are very low whereas compulsory forum assignments might be related to higher performance [15]. In addition, the work in [16] made an in-depth analysis of the use of video annotation, which can be seen as an optional activity for students.…”