Abstract
This study is situated at the nexus of contradictory research about the role of the instructor in asynchronous discussions. The goal of this descriptive study was to provide a deeper analysis of instructor comments and participation in these discussions. By developing an analytical tool based on the Community of Inquiry framework (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001) we categorized the types of comments made by instructors as well as identified more complex profiles of instructor interaction. In addition, we looked at student and instructor data around instructor participation in these discussions. We found that instructors relied more heavily on social codes and were less likely to employ cognitive codes, that there was a variance in the types of discursive interactions as indicated by different discursive profiles, and that it is difficult for instructors to find the right balance of participation in asynchronous discussions. We believe engaging in this type of analysis can help us become more effective online instructors and provide a good next step for some larger relationship studies to further understand how the instructors’ comments do impact student discussion.
Highlights
As online education continues to grow, educators will constantly think about, analyze, and reflect upon pedagogical practices which push teaching and learning forward
Tool Development In order to investigate instructor participation in asynchronous discussions, we developed an analytical tool based on the Community of Inquiry (COI) framework
If online discussions are going to be an important dimension of our teaching it is crucial that we turn our critical lenses inward to better understand our own practice
Summary
As online education continues to grow, educators will constantly think about, analyze, and reflect upon pedagogical practices which push teaching and learning forward. Many of us believe in the social constructivist view where learning is a collaborative experience, not taking place in isolation but rather through interactions with others (Vygotsky, 1978). It can be tricky for instructors to find his or her role in these discussions in order to support a collaborative community and stimulate student interaction with the content and each other. Previous studies have looked at surface level factors such as instructor comments versus questions, or the frequency of instructor participation We believe this surface level analysis gives only a starting point for examining the instructor’s role in discursive interactions. We believe this study will enable others to better understand the transactional nature of asynchronous discussions and can lead to continued research on this important pedagogical approach used in many online learning environments. Through our investigation we hope to help instructors who see participating in online discussions as a balancing act, and support the facilitation of online environments in which students are engaged in meaningful talk
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