Abstract
Online discussion forums are asynchronous communication tools that are widely used in Learning Management Systems. However, instructors and students face various difficulties, and instructors lack a guide on what strategies they can use to achieve a more participatory forum environment. This work aims to identify benefits and difficulties of using online discussion forums from the instructors’ point of view, and to provide a list of strategies and improvements that can mitigate the challenges and lead to a more participatory forum. We used coding procedures to analyze data collected through semi-structured interviews. The results of our exploratory analysis are relevant to the distance learning community and can inform instructors, developers, and researchers to help them improve the quality of mediation and use of forums.
Highlights
Since interaction is a key component in the quality of online learning [1], Learning Management Systems and Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) frequently adopt asynchronous online discussion forums to foster interaction [2,3,4]
3 Results From the analysis of the interviews, we identified: a) benefits perceived by instructors, b) difficulties faced in discussion forums, c) strategies used by instructors, and d) improvements that can be made to the forum tool
What strategies do the instructors use to mediate the discussion forums? We identified eight strategies that can help mitigate difficulties that occur in the forum and that are related to the behavior/action of the instructors: (S1) Logging in daily in the forum: According to the interviewees, students notice when the instructor accesses the environment
Summary
Since interaction is a key component in the quality of online learning [1], Learning Management Systems and MOOCs frequently adopt asynchronous online discussion forums to foster interaction [2,3,4]. Forums enable instructors to understand and intervene in learning activities [5, 6], and students have time to think and formulate answers. A well-coordinated educational forum is a valuable tool to promote reflection on learning, share information and perspectives, and connect students [8]. Only low levels of cognitive engagement occur, and students may feel isolated [10]. Feeling isolated can result in limited participation or lack of depth and quality of the discussion [11]
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