Fostering Interactions Within and Beyond Group for Online Learning and Knowledge Building in a Higher-Education Context

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning provides an essential means for teaching in higher education to avoid close human contact. Nevertheless, there is a general lack of understanding from current research regarding how to select appropriate pedagogies and technological tools to foster quality online interaction and discussion. As such, the chapter explores the potential of a knowledge building pedagogy that is supported by a technological platform called Knowledge Forum to enable more effective online interaction and knowledge construction in a higher education context. Participants were 38 teacher-education students engaging in groups for 18 weeks in a semester to design a teaching lesson via online discussion. Data were mainly from students’ online learning and discussion activity. The main findings show that knowledge building pedagogy and technology was effective in creating a supporting learning environment for students (1) to engage in not only within-group, but also beyond-group interaction and discussion; (2) to work creatively with ideas for completing quality teaching lessons as group projects; and (3) to develop reflective peer-assessment and feedback capacity. Some implications for higher education teaching were also discussed.