Challenges for the Enhancement of Learning Activities on Electronic Discussion Forums: with Tools and Educational Programs

Abstract

For fruitful learning activities throughout electronic discussion forums, learning designers might offer appropriate reflections from the learning environment. In this paper, the author introduces two challenges with enhancement of activities on electronic discussion forums. One is to assess communication among learners in the CSCL. The method proposed in this paper is to visualize discussions by focusing on the relationship between topic keywords and each learner using a correspondence analysis. The correspondence map made by the analysis could represent topic parts and learners' commitment in the learning community. The other is to design science educational programs dealing with emerging science and technology. The programs promote collaborative learning activities that research and examine emerging science and technology through interfacing between middle and high school students with volunteers via websites. Providing the reflection of their own activities from different approaches, tools and educational programs, reveals important focus that both cognitive modes of educational support are meaningful for complementary progress to learners.