Abstract
It can be difficult to foster focused and effective communication in online discussions within large classes. Implementing protocols is a strategy that may help students communicate more effectively, facilitate their learning process, and improve the quality of their work within online discussions. In this exploratory research study, a protocol was developed and improved over two iterations in a very large undergraduate video-streaming business course (N1=412; N2=450). The discussion instructions were consolidated and adjusted, and design elements such as a grading rubric, exemplary student samples, and due date reminders were added in the second iteration. There were higher perceptions of social, cognitive, and teaching presences in the second iteration, as well as significantly more group cognition within the discussion measured through a Community of Inquiry coding template. Findings suggest that protocols are a potentially useful strategy to manage online discussions in large classes.
Highlights
Asynchronous discussions play an important role in online learning by providing a space for instructors and students to form a community, to engage in dialogue about the course content, and to co-construct knowledge (Gao, Zhang, & Franklin, 2013)
This study explored the use of protocols within online discussions in a large enrollment college course over a two-semester period
This study examined what enhancements are needed to enable a protocol-based discussion to logistically work in a large class, and whether the enhancements made in the second design iteration of the protocol-based online discussions improved the Community of Inquiry (CoI) for a large enrollment course
Summary
Asynchronous discussions play an important role in online learning by providing a space for instructors and students to form a community, to engage in dialogue about the course content, and to co-construct knowledge (Gao, Zhang, & Franklin, 2013). In. Online Learning - Volume 21 Issue 1 - March 2017 addition, discussion forums provide a permanent space for the participants to return to their original contributions, promoting reflection (Hew et al, 2010) and self-assessment (Gao et al, 2013). Online Learning - Volume 21 Issue 1 - March 2017 addition, discussion forums provide a permanent space for the participants to return to their original contributions, promoting reflection (Hew et al, 2010) and self-assessment (Gao et al, 2013) Despite these affordances, it can be challenging to create and sustain focused, in-depth online discussions (Gao et al, 2013). Even when sectioned into groups, it can be difficult for instructors to effectively facilitate online discussions due to logistical and grading issues
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